Does Passion Flower Work? -- An Overview
Passion flower is an herbal supplement that is most often used to treat
anxiety or
insomnia. As with most other supplements, people use passion flower for many different uses. Passion flower supplements are sometimes claimed to be helpful for the following purposes:
Early studies suggest that passion flower extract may be as effective as
oxazepam (
Serax®), a benzodiazepine medication, for treating generalized
anxiety disorder. However, more research is necessary before it can be determined that passion flower really is effective (and safe) for treating anxiety.
There is also limited evidence that passion flower, when combined with
clonidine (
Catapres®), a prescription medication, can help decrease some opiate withdrawal symptoms. In particular, the combination of passion flower and clonidine decreased anxiety, irritability, insomnia, and agitation. Adding passion flower to clonidine did not provide any increased benefit (compared to clonidine alone) for the physical symptoms of withdrawal (such as shakiness or nausea), though.
For most other uses, there is insufficient evidence to suggest that passion flower really is effective for these various uses. More research is necessary before any conclusions can be made.
