Passionflower: Making Anxiety & Panic Attacks a Thing of the Past

Passionflower is one of the calming herbs that provides a soothing effect on the nervous system. Extracts of its flowers, leaves, stems, and fruits are used to combat anxiety and sleep problems. The exact way passionflower exerts its psychological effects is unknown but may involve inhibiting enzymes in the brain with known psychological effects. Also, compounds in passionflower bind to the same areas of the brain affected by a calming neurotransmitter called GABA. These effects would explain why passionflower is able to tone down the nervous system, leading to relaxation and sleep. Many prescription drugs for anxiety, depression and other neurological conditions use the GABA receptors in the brain to make them work.

Passionflower contains various flavonoids, compounds that are well known antioxidants and may also contribute to anti-anxiety effects; flavonoids may be more concentrated in the leaves than other parts of the plant. Passionflower also contains alkaloids, bitter tasting compounds found in many plants that have a range of medicinal activities.
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This herb can be used for panic attacks when needed as well as for general anxiety and stressful issues. It is mild in action for those who use for insomnia as it has no known morning-after hangover effect that one may experience when using Valerian for example.