Passion Flower Extract As A Natural Anxiety Remedy

Passion Flower extract is something that I've just recently become aware of for it's anxiolytic properties. I've tried quite a few different natural and chemically synthesized remedies for anxiety relief over the years, just off the top of my head this list more recently including Kratom, Phenibut, CBD oil, Rescue Remedy, Skullcap, Valerian and I guess alcohol.

Out of all those things, Kratom was about the only thing that lived up to the hype, and I was happy to take advantage of that back when I lived in the United Kingdom (which worked wonderfully and was a great in many other ways, but is unfortunately banned in my country of residence, Australia – It's now also banned in the United Kingdom and is facing a huge uproar in the USA currently as I write this after being banned coincidentally too).

Needless to say, when one of my trusted health advisers told me to give passion flower a shot, I was skeptical that it would really do anything, and with good reason.

However, I'm very pleased to announce here that for me at least, IT WORKS so far upon testing! Now nothing is the golden bullet when it comes to anxiolytics, and there are usually things you have to manage in terms of side effects, tolerance build up, etc, but I'm just glad that I can affirm that this does actually chill me out quite nicely.

So upon getting some effects from this, I decided to research it much more heavily and learn all I can about it, and that's the reason for this page.

A Basic Intro Into Passion Flower Extract

Passionflower or “Passion Flower” (Passiflora incarnata) originally came from the Americas, passionflower is now regularly found in parts of Europe and has been used traditionally as a calming herb to help people with anxiety, insomnia, general stress, and even such things as sizures and “hysteria” (as a quick note – the term “Hysteria” was used as a term to describe a high level of neurosis that people couldn't understand the cause of back in the day, and so would slap that label on many different things, which we now know have all sorts of different originating biological causes – it was also typically a term used to describe women who were neurotic, totally sexist I know).

Passion flower is now mainly used to manage cases of either anxiety or insomnia. The mechanism by which Passion Flower achieves it's calming affect is based on increasing GABA levels (gamma aminobutyric acid) within the brain. GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter, which means it has a calming affect on the brain by suppressing the more excitory neurotransmitters such as dopamine, or epinephrine (Adrenalin) [1].

Popular Passion Flower Choices

 

There have been some studies showing that the anxiety decreasing effects of passion flower extract for people suffering from GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) are comparable to oxazepam (also known as Serax). We will further look at the studies related to PFE further down the page.

My First Experience Using This Supplement

I first tried Passion Flower extract in the form of the product “Sedacalm” from an Australian company called bioplus, which I got locally from a GoVita store in my town. The product is in pill form, and each pill contains of Passiflora Incarnata extract at a dose of 500mg.

The product recommends to take 1 with meals 3 x per day, so being the hardcore badass supplement rebel that I am, I took 2 tablets a little after dinner. Now, nothing amazing happened, accept that I fell asleep on the couch really early and really easily, and felt a bit “stoned out”.

I've since done more experimenting with this supplement and found that there is a definite case of said stoning out that occurs if I take too much, so in this case with that particular brand and product at least, the dosage they recommend is good for me.

I've since learned that taking 1 pill in this particular form is good for me for calming and allowing me to focus more easily on my work. It significantly reduces my anxiety which has of late been pretty bad due to various biological and physical issues I'm dealing with, one of them being Pyroluria, and others being methylation issues, etc.

If I take too much, it doesn't feel so good, I feel stoned out, but not really in a way that makes me super happy or anything, more just like I want to go and pass out and sleep for ages, which is not really the affect I'm after most of the time. I'm really looking for a “calm focus” and this product when not taken in excess allows me to get into that state.

Some Of The Scientific Studies Behind Passion Flower

Here we'll look at 4 separate studies on the anxiolytic effects of passion flower extract. This will not be an exhaustive list, as there are literally dozens of studies that have been done on this herb and it's medicinal properties. My aim here is simply to ground the discussion in scientific data, for those readers who need more than just arbitrary evidence.

Study #1 – Passiflora Incarnata Attenuation of Neuropathic Allodynia
Study Source: Pubmed
Study Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26912265

This study was looking at the use of  Passiflora incarnata L. methanolic extract and its relative antinociceptive, anxiolytic and sedative effects when performed on a mixture of mice and rats, the rats with a form of diabetic neuropathic allodynia (a form of nerve pain).

The study conclusion was that Passionflower extract may be useful for neuropathic pain. It confirms that PFE use has involvement of opioidergic and GABAergic mechanisms, which confirms the popular opinion that passionflower extract's calming effects are largely related to it's ability to increase the brain's GABA actvity among the more anecdotal reports found during my research.

Regarding the quality of this particular study however, the parameters used and details are not very clear, and so it's not by any means robust enough to determine the efficacy of using PFE for either pain or anxiety relief for humans. There are various important facts about the study that were left out, for example how many mice and how many rats where used, which properties of passion flower extract where being tested in which test subjects, etc.

Study #2 – Passiflora Compose for Anxiety and Sleep Disorders
Study Source: Pubmed
Study Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26828002

This study was done using “passion flower compose”, which I can only assume is largely made up of passionflower extract, but also may include some amount of additional herbs or natural additives. An open label and observational study done in France on 639 long term patients of 98 Doctors (the patients were all with their associated Drs for a minimum of 18 years prior to this study).

The study recorded 2 values related to each patient's anxiety level, and there sleep quality both prior to commencing and after completion (They used both the Hamilton anxiety rating scale or HAM-A for anxiety and the Jenkins sleep scale or JSS measuring relative sleep satisfaction).

401 study participants (approx 62%) used the passion flower compose only, with the rest using a combination of passion flower compose and psychotropics.

The study showed marked decreases in anxiety levels confirming that Passion Flower extract is effective in both decreasing anxiety levels and increasing sleep quality and satisfaction. This was shown by mean anxiety scores decreasing for all tests.

Study #3 – Improves Spatial Memory, Reduces Stress, and Affects Neurotransmission in Rats
Study Source: Pubmed
Study Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26814055

This recent 2016 study was a little different in that it looked at the affects of passionflower extract on certain aspects of cognitive health, including neurotransmitter function, and spatial memory.

The study was done on 4 week old male rats over a period of 7 weeks. The study involved giving the rats a daily dose of passionflower extract  at a dose of 30, 100, or 300 mg/kg body weight/day. They consumed the PFE via its addition to their drinking water.

Spatial memory was assessed in the rats via the use of a water maze. Monoamines, and amino acids and their associated metabolites were measured using  HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography).

The results showed dose dependent reduced anxiety levels (we should note here that the published study in this form does not say how anxiety levels were measured, though it may have been cortisol monitoring) and improved spatial memory in the rats given PFE compared with the control group.

The study also states that hippocampal glutamic acid and cortical serotonin and stores were depleted (they got used up, with the overall finding again confirming that Passiflora incarnata uses a mechanism of action which has to do with increasing actvitity in GABAA receptors.

Study #4 – The Efficacy of Passiflora Incarnata Linnaeus in Reducing Dental Anxiety in Patients
Study Source: Pubmed
Study Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24724122

An interesting study published in 2013 looking at the use of Passion Flower extract as a natural alternative to be used in managing situational anxiety related to periodontal dental work for patients.

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63 subjects partook in this randomized- one sided blind clinical trial with differing anxiety levels labeled as moderate, high or severe – tested using the VAS score (visual analogue scale). The total subject number were divided into 3 groups of 21, one being the control, one being placebo and the third being treated with the passionflower extract.

The study is a bit weak in that it doesn't say anything about how long the study period went on for, but it is the first study in this particular area of using PFE for anxiety, so it's possible we'll see more work in this area to confirm the results.

The results of the study were tested using Variance Analysis, Chi Square, Tucky and Paired-T using SPSS software. They showed that their was a significant decrease in anxiety levels for the group using passion flower to lower their anxiety whilst the control and negative control (placebo) experienced little change.

This study does not go into any of the mechanism of action details that some of the other studies do, but I thought it was an interesting and more specifically focused look at how passion flower extract can be used to lower situational anxiety levels in many areas.

How Passion Flower Extract Functions As An Anxiolytic

Passion flower extract increases the levels of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) in the brain. Because GABA is one of the inhibitory neurotransmitters, it basically means that it inhibits the excitory neurotransmitters, therefore lowering what we could label as “overstimulation” or hyper arousal mental states.

Anxiety is by nature a state of hyper arousal and ultimately an expression of the FFF aspect of the nervous system (fight, flight or flee), so if we can bring down that over reactive response in the brain and body, then we should feel calmer, and that's basically what GABA increasing supplements or herbs do, especially for those of us who have a genetic or biological predisposition to low GABA activity in the brain.

If you are someone who has issues with anxiety, panic, PTSD, or depression (as it's been shown that all these illnesses are related to lower GABA levels than average) [7] with any sort of repitition in your life, then it could well be that you're deficient in GABA activity and things like passionflower extract will help you to some degree.

It should be noted though that because of the issues with GABA overload/burnout and tolerance, it's not really a great long term solution, and ultimately you'll need to look at the bigger picture, and focus on things like fixing your gut, genetic mutations that need to be corrected via supplement programs (such as over or under methylation issues). I discuss this in a little more depth below in this section. LINK

Passionflower Extract And Your Personal Genetics

Now this is where we get into one of the big personal beliefs that I have about anyone taking any supplements. Basically we're all very unique and it's important to understand (and live by I think) the crede: “one man's meat is another man's poison”.

This basically translates to learning and understanding about your own biological state and genetics, and how those influences vastly effect the ability of a supplement to help, or in fact make it likely to harm you.

I for example am what is known as TH2 Dominant (more on this soon in another post), am partially a Pyroluriac and have severe methylation pathway issues. All these things are fairly major when it comes to determining whether or not a certain herb or supplement is going to be helpful to me, or conversely hinder or harm me.

So basically, unless you're willing to do a LOT of trial and error to find out what does and doesn't work for you, then I really recommend the 2 pronged approach of 1) getting your genetic analysis done via a company like 23andme.com and 2) working with someone who understands how to read and interpret the genetic report along with your symptoms, and has a grasp on more recently understood concepts such as your personal methylation status, TH1 Vs TH2 dominance, etc.

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These are all really BIG pieces of information to know, and will help you not only KNOW before hand whether or not certain supplements are going to help you or harm you (saving you time, energy, money and suffering), but in many cases will put you on a much faster path to getting your health up to optimal, or getting you out of bad health.

Coming back to the focus of this article, passion flower extract increases TH1, meaning that if you were already TH1 dominant, you will probably want to stay the heck away from it, but on the otherside of the coin, if you're TH2 dominant like myself it will work well for you, and help you come back into balance.

Understanding things like TH1/TH2 dominance explains so many things from my previous experimentation with other apparently calming supplements like CBD oil and L-Theanine. They only make people with TH2 dominance worse, and/or you'll get no effects as was the case when I tried them. There I was just thinking the products were rubbish, as I'd heard so many good reports on these supplements for increasing positive mood, decreasing anxiety, etc.

 

Tolerance Awareness & Management

Now if it wasn't for GABA withdrawals and the fact that there's a tolerance buildup when using any supplements or herbs that work on increasing GABA receptor activity, then for those of us who have chronic problems with anxiety and who are looking for a reliable way to create a calmer and more down to earth state would be sorted.

Unfortunately a little thing called tolerance comes into play with the use of passion flower extract, and so it's not really going to work to just take it all the time I'm afraid, as you will notice that it will do less and less, as your GABA receptors need a break from time to time to recoup themselves.

I'm still trying to find some decent literature on how to manage the use of supplements that use the GABA increasing mechanism in terms of tolerance management, but for now all I can share is that I've read several anecdotal reports that you shouldn't use any GABA increasing supplements for more than 2 days in a row, and then you should take regular breaks of 2 ++ days as much as possible to allow your system to recuperate.

Back when I used to use phenibut, that was pretty much the way I did it, and I never really had any issues and still got decent effects from using it at relatively low dose (1.5g ish) even after several months to over a year of using it semi regularly.

So until I have some study based information relating to the tolerance management side of using passion flower extract, I'll have to leave it at that when it comes to that particular aspect of using this herb.

Supplement Options For Passion Flower Extract

There are quite a lot of options when it comes to picking a brand for Passion flower extract, not to mention the fact that you have multiple ways of taking it (capsules, tablets, tincture, tea). As I write this I'm still playing around with the experimentation of this supplement for it's anxiolytic effects, and so I write this with a fairly objective opinion.

I will be no doubt ordering more supplements for this particular herb in the future and seeing how they compare, but for now the only version I've actually used is this product from Bioplus called “Sedacalm”.

This product comes in tablet form, and is dosed at 500 mg of the active passiflora incarnata extract per tablet. As I mentioned above, this product has shown me that this form of herbal anxiety relief is definitely something that works, but I will need to play around with brands/forms/dosages a lot more.

Unfortunately this particular brand is not really that easily accessible. I bought it locally via a healthfood store (if you're in Australia then check for it at GoVita).

If not, here's a couple more options based on both personal recommendation from John Brisson (who gives me health coaching) and from my own purely research based opinion and experience with buying similar products online in the past.

Paradise Herbs Passion Flower Capsules – 250 mg x 60 caps (6:1 extract strength)

This is the brand that my trusted adviser John Brisson at fixyourgut.com tells me is the best one to go with in terms of capsules/tablets. I have used this brand before for other herbals, and they seem to consistently have very high reviews across multiple sites (amazon, iherb, etc). Those two things combined are reason enough to make this my next test when it comes to PFE supplements.

Note that these are rated as a 6:1 extract strength. This means they are a little lower strength than something labeled as 2:1 for example. The higher the ratio number to the left, the more diluted in strength they will be.

1 capsule is the dosage, so while it's less in terms of mg per dose, the effect may be just as strong if not stronger than the bioplus brand I have used so far for instance. You'll have to do a bit of your own experimentation, just start slow and taper up as you see fit.

The product listing pages for this particular brand can be found here:

• Amazon
• iHerb

Nature's Answer Passion Flower Herb Tincture 

This passion flower extract product from Nature's Answer has pretty good reviews (not that that's a be all end all when it comes to verifying a products value), and seems to have the highest herb/alcohol rating out of any of the tinctures from what I could find.

This product is a stronger form of tincture than the main competitor product Herb Pharm organic passionflower extract.

I am curious to see just how much difference there is from taking relative amounts of a tincture/drop form compared to tablets/capsules. I plan on ordering this one soon too, and will update this section when I've done some more experimentation.

The product listing pages for this particular brand can be found here:

• Amazon
• iHerb

Solaray  Passion Flower Capsules – 350 mg x 100 caps

Another brand that I've used quite a bit in the past with no issues and that consistently have good reviews over multiple online platforms. This form doesn't say anything about the extract strength, it just states it's “passiflora incarnate (aerial with blossoms)” and suggests taking 2 x 350 mg capsules per dosage.

I'll give this one a shot sometime in the future when I've had a chance to assess the quality and effectiveness of the other 2 products above first.

The product listing pages for this particular brand can be found here:

• Amazon
• iHerb

Common Questions About Using Passion Flower

Passion Flower Extract Versions And
Comparisons To Other Anxiolytics

Passion Flower Tea Vs Extract

Typically speaking seeing as they are both basically pure PFE there is not a whole lot of difference except for strength. If you are taking tea for passionflower's anti anxiety effects, then it's logical that you might have to consume a bit more volume than if taking the refined product.

It's really hard to say how much tea equals how much extract in the form of either capsules, tablets or tincture, so it's one of those areas where some experimentation may be required to figure out the difference in strength and effect.

Passion Flower Extract Vs. Capsules

Really these are often the same thing, as most of the passion flower extract that's sold actually comes in capsule or tablet form anyway, with the exception being tinctures like that produced by the companies Herb Pharm or Nature's Answer (Amazon links)

Passion Flower Tincture Vs Tea

As covered above, the only real difference with these two different products is going to be the strength and therefore how much is required in order to get the desired effects. Tincture will generally be much stronger, and will require a small dose compared to drinking tea made with leaves of the passion flower.

Passion Flower Capsules Vs Liquid

Already covered this one, so please just read the above 2 sub sections.

Passion Flower Extract Vs Xanax

Xanax is a drug, whereas passion flower extract is a herbal remedy. Xanax is also often considered very high risk in terms of addiction and dependency, and can have very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms such as increased anxiety and insomnia. Other withdrawal symptoms, such as shaking, muscle pain and sweating can also be experienced too [8].

Typically the risks of taking PFE are much lower than taking Xanax and from reading many anecdotal reports, the positive effects of taking passion flower are sometimes just as pronounced as when a person had taken Xanax.

Popular Passion Flower Choices

 

 

Your Experiences And Discussion On PFE

This is where I'm asking you for your feedback on using passion flower extract to relieve anxiety, or any other way that you might use it to improve your state (Maybe you don't really have bad anxiety, but just like the mild calming and focusing state that it provides anyway). I've personally found this to be a great tool to add to the anxiolytic tool belt, though I don't like to use anything too much as a crutch.

What's your experience been using this herb, and how does it compare to other similar things that you've tried for state management? Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below, so please join the discussion!

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