Passiflora incarnata – Passionflower (plant)

Description

Passiflora incarnata is a perennial climber from the Passifloraceae family, originating from eastern and southern North America.

Passionflower is a traditional mild sedative, used to treat insomnia, anxiety and restlessness, especially in children. A tea is made with 2g of chopped herb (leaves and thin stems), the maximum daily dose being 4-8g. The herb contains flavonoids, which are responsible for the sedative, hypnotic and anti-spasmodic activity that has been shown in animal studies. Previous reports that the herb contains harmine type alkaloids have been disputed.

Care and Cultivation of Passiflora incarnata

Passiflora incarnata likes rich and moist soil in full sun to part shade with a trellis/fence/tree to climb or scramble over. Can send up suckers which should be pulled out where unwanted. It may be useful to keep in a pot to keep the plant from suckering. We have grafted Passiflora incarnata onto a Panama passionfruit to stop suckering.

1 plant