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Passiflora for Treating Mild Depression

Passion Flower, whose official botanical name is Passiflora incarnata, is a plant that is used for medicinal purpose. Its flowers, stems and leaves are claimed to have many different potential health benefits. The flower of the Passiflora possesses a sedative quality that is nonaddictive. As a result, passilora is used to treat a wide range of conditions including anxiety, stress, heart palpitations, insomnia, convulsions and mild depression. However, the National Institutes of Health expresses reservations regarding the effectiveness of passiflora to treat or resolve mental conditions.

  1. Why Use Passiflora

    • Natural remedies have numerous advantages over other forms of medication, which can be habit-forming and have many side effects. Passiflora, a natural herb, is very gentle on the body. According to the online website Herbal Supplement Resource, passiflora has a soothing effect on the central nervous system. It has a long history of use in treating symptoms associated with mild depression, including anxiety, excessive emotional disturbance, and the inability to rest easily. The National Institutes of Health has even confirmed that passiflora has sedative and calming effects, although it has not affirmed passiflora as a treatment for depression. While Herbal Supplement Resource states that this herb can be effective at reducing symptoms, you should seek the advice of a trained health professional before beginning this, or any, natural treatments.

    Dosage

    • Passiflora is available for use either in dry form or in tablet form. The flower is also available in liquid extracts (similar to vanilla extract, except made with passiflora instead of vanilla), and can be drunk in a tea. Dosage varies according to the form it is administered in. The capsule or tablet can be taken two or three times a day. These capsule/tablets usually come in 200 to 400 mg doses each. If the Passiflora dry herb is used, you can take four to eight grams daily. When treating mild depression with passiflora, you can take the herb regularly in order to maintain a calm, healthier frame of mind. You can also take the herb on occasion, when you feel yourself becoming depressed or uneasy.

      According to Herbal Supplement Resource, one specific natural alternative to psychiatric drugs is called Mind Soothe, which consists of a duo of St. John's Wort and Passiflora. This twosome of powerful herbs serves to help alleviate symptoms for patients suffering from depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic attacks, anxiety, and for patients who have eating disorders.

    Medical Opinion

    • Passion Flower or Passiflora incarnata has a long history of use as an alternative medicine. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that there is no evidence of dangerous side effects or risks to patients in taking the herb. However, according to statements on the NIH website, the medical community is skeptical regarding passiflora's success as a treatment for mild depression and no conclusive studies have proved passiflora's effectiveness. Although no conclusive evidence proves its effectiveness with depression, the medical community does recognize the usefulness of the plant: for example, a German scientist, Dr. Krupitza L Krenn, of the Institut für Pharmakognosie, Universität Wien, is conducting research in 2009 on Passiflora as a treatment for those who are going through opiate withdrawal.

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