Healing Allies: Passion Flower
“There has fallen a splendid tear
From the passion-flower at the gate.
She is coming, my dove, my dear;
She is coming, my life, my fate;
The red rose cries, “She is near, she is near;”
And the white rose weeps, “She is late;”
The larkspur listens, “I hear, I hear;”
And the lily whispers, “I wait.”
Alfred Tennyson, poet from 1800s
Passiflora Incarnata or Passion Flower is useful in supporting insomnia and nervous system disorders. The leaves ingested as tea or tinctures address; insomnia, anxiety, seizures, Parkinson’s disease, neuralgia, shingles, and nervous palpitations or headache. External use can address hemorrhoids, burns or inflammation, especially when used in a neutral sitz bath.
Passion Flower fruit has a sweet and sour flavor and can be eaten whole. When eaten it acts as a sedative, anxiolytic, antispasmodic, hypotensive and nervine. It has an affinity for the heart and liver according to herbalist, Michael Terra. Passion Flower is also helpful in decreasing amphetamine induced hypermotility, aggressiveness, and restlessness.
The plant acts as a uterine stimulant, so use caution in pregnancy. It can also intensify many psych drugs that have a sedative nature.
You should always consult your physician before starting botanical medicine to meet your individual needs.
A Supportive Ally for Mental and Brain Health
Passiflora can be especially beneficial with sleeplessness because of grief, anxiety, trauma, or a head injury. It is a powerful ally in healing from loss and trauma.
Passion flowers blooms boast vibrant purple colors coupled with her medicinal qualities, she is a perfect ally to A.H. Almaas in the Diamond Approach work. Using Passiflora while working with the vital essences of red and black can support emotional healing of issues that disturb sleep and concentration. According to Almaas work, Red essence is about strength and luminous Black is about peace or stillness. Both qualities support the rebalancing of your circadian sleep rhythm to heal and find homeostasis.
