Botanical name: Passiflora incarnata
Other names: maypops, passion vine
Family: passifloraceae
Part used: aerial parts
Action (karma): sedative, nervine, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, anodyne, diuretic. Dose: 1 to 2 teaspoons as required.
Contraindications: It is recommended to take the herb for 2 to 3 weeks, then break for 1 to 2 weeks. Passionflower should not be taken while pregnant, nor with anti-depressant drugs.
 
Passionflower has mild tranquilising sedative qualities, successfully used by many people suffering with sleeplessness who seek a herbal alternative to pharmaceutical drugs. As well as a nerve relaxant, it also relaxes the smooth muscle lining of the digestive tract, making it an anti-spasmodic and a digestive aid.
 
Ref: ‘Ayurvedic Medicine by Sebastian Pole; ‘Ayurvedic Pharmacology & Therapeutic Uses of Medicinal Plants’ by Vaidya V.M. Gogte; ‘Yogi of Herbs’ by V. Lad & D. Frawley; ‘Herbs Are Special’ by Isabel Shipard.