PASSIONFLOWER

From time to time I thought we might take a look at some of the herbs that are in the gorgeous Puraty Teas. As a medical herbalist I get to work closely with herbs, and I am pretty thankful that I get to do so! I believe in their gentle healing promise and abilities and that they pack a powerful healing punch when used correctly.

 I mean, what a name… Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)…the herb that promotes calm nerves and healthy sleep patterns. It can support the brain’s natural chemical balance. It also aids restfulness (Puraty.com) – Oh! But it is so much more than that!

 Flos passionis

The Passiflora or 'Passion flower' (Flos passionis) acquired its name from descriptions of its flower parts supplied in the Seventeenth Century by Spanish priests in South America. It was known by the Spanish as "La Flor de las cinco Llagas" or the 'The Flower with The Five Wounds.' 'Passionis' refers to (Christ's) suffering. The parts were interpreted from drawings and dried plants by Giacomo Bosio, a churchman and historian, in Rome (1609), as representing various elements of the Crucifixion.

Flos Passionis, 2016

Passion fruit have been grown as a crop for thousands of years. The fruit was introduced to Europe in the Eighteenth Century and now it is a worldwide crop. Passiflora were first classified by Linnaeus in 1745 when he recognised 22 species but there are now thought to be over 500 species although many are under threat due to their habitats.

What is Passionflower? Passionflower is an anxiolytic, spasmolytic, mild sedative and hypnotic (Bone, 2007).

What this means is that this herb is able to alleviate anxiety states due to its calming actions, it relieves smooth muscle spasms, it mildly sedates the nervous system which of course, decreases nervous tension, this in turn can help with sleep issues, spasms, anxiety disorder and chronic pain due to its effects on the nervous system. Now, a “hypnotic herb” is not what you might think. You won’t be in a hypnotic trance state and start doing weird and wonderful things on command. Another term for a hypnotic is a soporific, which means “makes you feel a bit drowsy and sleepy and really relaxed.”

Rich in flavonoids and with traces of alkaloids, we use Passionflowers beautiful aerial parts only in herbal tinctures.

We use it for:

• Sleep onset and maintenance
• Insomnia
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Tension headaches
• Panic states
• Nervous excitability
• Can be helpful for painful periods and neuralgias.

(Bone, 2007)

Why I like it – combined with maybe several other anxiolytics and carminatives like chamomile, valerian, green oats, skullcap, lemon balm, zizyphus, a mood herb like St John’s Wort and adrenal tonics like withania, rhodiola and licorice we get an effective and safe preparation.

By Joanna Loveys BNatMed HbT

www.myremedy.co.nz

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