Passionflower

Passionflower is a wonderfully relaxing remedy and used whenever physical symptoms are related to or aggravated by anxiety or tension.  The passionflower has a wonderfully calming and sedative action, and it also acts as a muscle relaxant. When one uses passionflower extract before going to sleep, one can wake up feeling completely refreshed and alert as never before. This is because passionflower has a sedative and antispasmodic action, and this relaxes spasms and tension if any in one’s muscles. This in turn calms the nerves and lessens pain, and also lessens anxiety, tensions, and any other type of physical pain that is closely associated with stress, such as colic and asthma, and high blood pressure. Passionflower can also be used in the treatment of neuralgia, sciatica, shingles, muscle pain, Parkinson’s disease, and muscle twitching. The extract has also been proved to be useful in various disorders related to tension, anxiety, and stress, and can be added to the regular drug prescription, like for example, for treating hot flashes, headaches, migraine, abdominal pain, at times for convulsions, and for a persistent and tickly cough.

The magic of the passionflower can be observed in how it works. Passionflower works on the nerves by toning the sympathetic nerve, and also by improving the blood circulation and the nutrition that the nerves receive. The flower works gently, and sedates a person smoothly, and reduced the symptoms of over-activity and panic in a person, thereby making it a mild, non-addictive herbal tranquilizer. The painkilling properties of the passionflower are utilized when it is prescribed for relief from headaches, period pains, toothaches. Conditions that are caused or offset by nervous anxiety, like asthma, heart palpitations, muscle cramps, and high blood pressure are relieved by the passionflower.

Passionflower has a very gentle yet powerful effect on the hormonal system. Acting on the nervous system, passionflower reduces the level of stress hormones which when in high concentrations negatively affect the glandular balance. When stress hormones are elevated, reproductive hormones reduce. It is a natural coping mechanism to reduce reproductive ability in difficult times. In modern times however where stress is a constant companion, there are negative implications on the reproductive system and hormonal balance. Passionflower assists then to reduce the levels of stress hormones, improving sleep, and symptoms of depression. Although not directly linked to treating hormonal symptoms the effect of passionflower cannot be underestimated in the total treatment of the PCOS.