PASSIONFLOWER

Passiflora incarnata L

Description

It’s a perennial climbing plant with alternate tri-lobed from which axil tendrils sprout and roll themselves in a ringlet form. Flowers are violet-white, big and solitaire with a long peduncle. They are beautiful and the white corolla is embellished with purple filaments. It has 5 large stamens and a 3 stigmas pistil. The fruit is oval-shaped, green or pale brown and fleshy with plenty of dark yellow honeycomb-shaped seeds.

It is original from America and is cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical regions. It is an ornamental plant and it is some times naturalized in the Mediterranean zones.

Part used

The leaves and flowers.

Indications

Anxiety, nervous hyperexcitation, insomnia, neurovegetative dystonia.
Tachycardia and cardiovascular erethism, hypertension.
Intestinal spasms and gastrointestinal ulcer.
Menopausal disorders.
Muscle contractures: torticollis, lumbar pain and myasthenia.

Other uses

Opiate detoxification used along with clonidine (Akhondzadeh et al 2001-a).
Alcoholic detoxification (Dhawan et al 2002-a).
Cough suppressant similar to codeine (Dhawan K and Sharma A. 2002-a).
Libido and fertility enhancer, raise sperm count in rats (Dhawan K and Sharma A. 2002-b).
Prevents nicotine and alcohol-induced azoospermia (Dhawan K et al. 2002-c).

Bibliography

- Real Farmacopea Española. Suplemento 2000.

- British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, 1990.

- Jean Bruneton. Farmacognosia. Fitoquímica Plantas Medicinales. 2ª Edición. 2001. Ed Acribia. S.A.

- Bulletin officiel Nº 90/22 bis. Ministère des Affaires Sociales et de la Solidarité.

- French Public Health Code.

- Plantas Medicinales. Thérapeutique-Toxicité. Christiane Vigneau. Masson, Paris 1985.

- Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals. Norman Grainger Bisset (Ed). Max Wichtl. CRC Press.1994.

- Plantas Medicinales y Drogas Vegetales para infusión y tisana. Edición española a cargo de: Salvador Cañogueral, Roser Vila, Max Wichtl.1998.

- Plantas Medicinales. Margarita Fernandez y Ana Nieto. Ed Universidad de Navarra. EUNSA 1982.

- Matière Médicale (tomo II). RR Paris- H. Moyse. Masson 1981.

- The Complete German Commission E Monographs. Therapeutic Guide To Herbal Medicines. Mark Blumenthal. American Botanical Council 1998.

- Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants. Jean Bruneton. Lavoisier Publishing.

- Fitoterapia: Vademecum de Prescripción. Plantas Medicinales. Colaboran: Asociación española de médicos naturistas. Colegio Oficial de Farmacéuticos de Vizcaya.

- Fitoterapia Aplicada. J.B. Peris, G. Stübing, B.Vanaclocha. Colegio Oficial de Farmacéuticos de Valencia 1995.

-Pharmacognosy 9th edition. Varro E. Tyler – Lynn R. Brady – James E. Robbers.

- 100 Plantes Medicinales. Max Rombi. Romart 1998.

- Enciclopedia de las Hierbas y de las Plantas Medicinales. 9ª edición. Tina Cecchini. Editorial de Vecchi. S.A., 1987.

- Botanical Influrences on IIIness. Melvyn R. Werbach, M.D. Michael T. Murray, N.D.

- Bachiller, LI. Efectos de las drogas vegetales. En: Actas del III Congreso Internacional de Fitoterapia y Técnicas Afines “Ciudad de Oviedo”. 2002.

- Della Loggia R, Tubaro A y Redaelli C. Evaluation of the activity on the mouse CNS of several plant extracts and a combination of them. Riv Neurol. 1981;51(5):297-310.

- Fisher AA, Purcell P y Le Couteur DG. Toxicity of Passiflora incarnata L. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 2000;38(1):63-6.

- Giavina-Bianchi PF Jr, Castro FF, Machado ML y Duarte AJ. Occupational respiratory allergic disease induced by Passiflora alata and Rhamnus purshiana. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 1997;79(5):449-54

- Krenn L. Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata L.)--a reliable herbal sedative. Wien Med Wochenschr. 2002;152(15-16):404-6.

- Ramos Ruiz A, De la Torre RA, Alonso N, Villaescusa A, Betancourt J y Vizoso A. Screening of medicinal plants for induction of somatic segregation activity in Aspergillus nidulans. J Ethnopharmacol. 1996; 5;52(3):123-7.

- Simmen U, Burkard W, Berger K, Schaffner W y Lundstrom K. Extracts and constituents of Hypericum perforatum inhibit the binding of various ligands to recombinant receptors expressed with the Semliki Forest virus system. J Recept Signal Transduct Res. 1999;19(1-4):59-74.

- Solbakken AM, Rorbakken G, Gundersen T. Nature medicine as intoxicant. Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 1997 Mar 20;117(8):1140-1.

- Soulimani R, Younos C, Jarmouni S, Bousta D, Misslin R y Mortier F. Behavioural effects of Passiflora incarnata L. and its indole alkaloid and flavonoid derivatives and maltol in the mouse. J Ethnopharmacol. 1997;57(1):11-20. (WOLFAM 1994)

- Zanoli P, Avallone R, Baraldi M. Behavioral characterisation of the flavonoids apigenin and chrysin. Fitoterapia. 2000 Aug;71 Suppl 1:S117-23.