Passion Flower For Anxiety and Insomnia

Passion Flower For Anxiety and Other Health Benefits

Passion Flower is an herb which has been used for anxiety and insomnia, but it also has been discussed for having other health benefits. This herb contains special compounds which can greatly help restore balance to an individual’s physical and mental health.

Anxiety and Stress

Passion flower has long been known as one of the most effective herbs used in natural anxiety supplements for giving stress and anxiety relief.

This herb contains several healing properties that are just as effective but a lot safer than any other mainstream drugs, such as bioactive compounds called passiflorine.

Passiflorine is a phytochemical that is capable of providing a narcotic effect.

It also contains harmaline and harmane – these are what we call MAO or monoamine oxidase inhibitors. These MAO are exactly the same content of those drugs being prescribed by psychiatrists for people with anxiety and depression.

Insomnia

Passion flower also contains active properties that induce sleep because of its sedative and calming effects. Studies conducted in France showed that Passion Flower has powerful constituents that are known to have the same effect with benzodiazepine drugs such as Valium and Xanax.

Over the course of four weeks, its ability to induce relaxation was on par to prescription strength medications, with a major advantage – very little or absolutely no drowsiness. It was also able to manage irritability and depression in patients recovering from drug induced tolerance (such as when discontinuing strong sedatives.)

A research published in The Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics revealed that Passion Flower can help an individual gain quality sleep at night without any morning-after side effects.

Other Benefits of Passion Flower

• Alcohol and Opiate Withdrawal Symptoms

For people who are experiencing alcohol and opiate withdrawal symptoms, Passion Flower will also prove to be helpful. It contains active properties known to produce effects that will serve as natural palliative therapy. Palliative therapy is an area of health and medicine care that is aimed at preventing further suffering to an individual by providing holistic relief.

• Restless Leg Syndrome

Passion Flower can also provide relief to people suffering from Restless Leg Syndrome because its chemical compounds have the ability to produce an anti-spasmodic effect. Many people with anxiety have tingling, muscle spasms and pins and needle sensations. It works to help suppress those hyperactive impulses in the brain to minimize feelings of irritability in the leg muscles. Add to that the relaxing effect of Passion Flower to induce feelings of relaxation thereby relieving you from the discomfort caused by RLS.

• High Blood Pressure

Harmane alkaloids are just few of the many active constituents found in Passion Flower that help alleviate feelings of anxiety and stress which can also bring down high blood pressure. Plus the antioxidants found in Passion Flower are also known to have direct actions in your blood vessels which may also lead to the expansion of coronary arteries resulting in a reduction of high blood pressure levels.

• Skin Infections

Michael Castleman, the author of the book titled The New Healing Herbs mentioned that Passion Flower can also be used for fighting against fungi and other bacteria that may cause diseases. These antibiotic benefits may work best in destroying those bacteria and fungi found on the surface of your skin. This will help avoid infection from rashes, acne lesions and skin wounds.

Those who are taking doctors prescribed sedative drugs must not use Passion flower at the same time. It is a nervine which means that its constituents can have a direct impact on the nervous system and taking it simultaneously with other drugs may only lead to unwanted side effects.

The healing benefits can be obtained from an infusion, tea, tincture, and liquid extracts. Its medicinal but non-addictive effects can also be obtained from taking natural and clinically proven natural supplements that contain this herb as an ingredient, such as found in ProVanax.

Resources

http://www.motherearthliving.com/natural-health/every-herb-a-story-passionflower-benefits.aspx
http://www.livestrong.com/article/408532-uses-of-passion-flower/

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