Herb Profile
Passionflower
Passiflora incarnata
Systematic review included 9 clinical trials with study durations from 1 to 30 days; most reported reduced anxiety, with less clear effects in mild anxiety and limited standardization.
Last reviewed: •6 sources citedReport a correctionProfile-wide ·B Moderate
Use extra caution — May reduce anxiety symptoms in some studied contexts; may be relevant to sleep when anxiety is the driver. Details
- Evidence
- Moderate Evidence
- Typical onset
- Varies by prep
- Safety rating
- High caution
- Best for
- Sleep, Stress, Cognitive function
- Avoid / review if
- Sedatives, SSRIs (Theoretical MAOI Overlap)
Verdict: PassionflowerMaybe
Bottom line
A mild, calming herb with modest trial support for anxiety and sleep onset. Best as a gentle option or stack ingredient, not a heavyweight sedative.
- Evidence confidence
- Early–moderate — a handful of supportive small trials
- Expected onset
- 30–60 minutes
- Give it
- 1–4 weeks
Safety: Can add to the sedation of alcohol or other sleep aids; avoid in pregnancy and discuss with a clinician before combining with sedatives.
On the evidence: Small randomized trials for anxiety and sleep; effects are modest.
Best for
- Mild anxiety with restlessness
- Occasional trouble winding down at night
Not ideal for
- Severe insomnia
- Panic attacks
- A same-strength benzodiazepine substitute
How strong is the evidence?Limited
Why not higher
- Trials are small and often combine passionflower with other herbs
- Preparations and doses vary
- Effects are modest
Why not lower
- A few randomized trials support mild anxiety and sleep-onset benefit
- Long traditional use and good tolerability
Practical takeaway: A gentle option for mild anxiety or trouble winding down, best as a stack ingredient rather than a stand-alone fix for significant insomnia.
Safety
Safety & Cautions
May reduce anxiety symptoms in some studied contexts; may be relevant to sleep when anxiety is the driver. | Do not claim proven insomnia treatment or benzodiazepine replacement.
High caution
Caution level: High. Multiple caution categories apply, or the record uses avoid/contraindication language.
- Interaction-AwareMedication or interaction context is explicitly noted.
- Stimulant-Like ProfileStimulant-like or activating caution language is present.
Detailed safety fields
Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and contraindications
- Sedatives
- SSRIs (Theoretical MAOI Overlap)
Safety classifications
- Interaction-Aware: Medication or interaction context is explicitly noted.
- Stimulant-Like Profile: Stimulant-like or activating caution language is present.
Full safety note
- May reduce anxiety symptoms in some studied contexts; may be relevant to sleep when anxiety is the driver. | Do not claim proven insomnia treatment or benzodiazepine replacement. | Position as anxiety/sedative herb with limited standardized dosing evidence.
Safety labels
- Interaction-Aware
- Stimulant-Like Profile
Evidence-based safety
Caution when combined
Severity and certainty are shown separately. A high-priority caution can still be theoretical: these pairings are screened from shared contraindication mechanisms and are not automatically documented clinical interactions. Provenance identifies the source fields that produced each flag; it does not upgrade the certainty of the pairwise claim.
High-Priority Caution
26 flagged pairingsSerotonergic activity
High-Priority Caution
26 flagged pairingsSerotonergic activity
Representative pairings are shown below. Large mechanism groups are intentionally summarized to keep profiles focused and crawl-efficient.
Serotonergic activityCertainty: Theoretical
Data provenance recorded for 26 of 26 pairings in this mechanism group.
- 5-HTP — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Caffeine — Theoretical interaction certainty
- crocetin — Theoretical interaction certainty
- crocin — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Crocus Sativus — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Damiana — Theoretical interaction certainty
- DMT — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Ginkgo — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Panax Red Ginseng — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Panax White Ginseng — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Harmaline — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Harmine — Theoretical interaction certainty
+14 more pairings share this mechanism. Use the Safety Checker to review a specific combination.
Moderate Caution
68 flagged pairingsSedation / CNS depression
Moderate Caution
68 flagged pairingsSedation / CNS depression
Representative pairings are shown below. Large mechanism groups are intentionally summarized to keep profiles focused and crawl-efficient.
Sedation / CNS depressionCertainty: Theoretical
Data provenance recorded for 68 of 68 pairings in this mechanism group.
- American Yellow Lotus — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Artemisia Absinthium — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Bacopa — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Black Seed — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Black Tea — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Blue Lotus — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Calamus — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Catuba — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Celastrus Paniculatus — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Chamomile — Theoretical interaction certainty
- Chinese Skullcap — Theoretical interaction certainty
+56 more pairings share this mechanism. Use the Safety Checker to review a specific combination.
Evidence
Evidence Summary
Evidence lens
Useful signal, but study design, dose, and population still matter.
ModerateModerate Evidence
Human clinical evidence: Present in source signals
Mechanistic / preclinical: Mechanism mapped — Neurotransmitter Modulation · Stress Response Modulation
Research maturity: Established research — Long Term Human Evidence May Be Limited.
Safety boundary: Safety note available — May reduce anxiety symptoms in some studied contexts; may be relevant to sleep when anxiety is the driver.
This profile cites 6 human studies.
Study design details
Evidence Grade
Grade B: Moderate Evidence
Evaluation of methodological rigor, population reach, and evidence alignment.
- Design Match
- Meta-analysis
- Risk of Bias
- Low
- Consistency
- Consistent
Strongest recorded design is a meta-analysis, drawn from 10 recorded studies, 9 in people. No disagreement is recorded across them.
How evidence grades work
Each grade reflects the strength and consistency of published human evidence — not marketing claims. Grades are based on study count, design quality, effect size, consistency, and recency.
- Strong
- Multiple RCTs, consistent direction, adequate effect size
- Moderate
- Some RCTs or consistent observational data in humans
- Preliminary / Mixed
- Animal or in-vitro only, or conflicting human data
- Traditional / Theoretical
- Traditional use only; no controlled human trials
Clinical Study Summaries (9)7 human evidence sources · 3 human trials · ~60 participants across 1 human evidence source with reported N · Consistency not yet classifiable
Filter by study class
Showing 9 of 9 studies.
What the evidence actually shows
This table contains 9 structured sources, including 7 human evidence sources; 3 are human trials. Across 1 human evidence source with a reported sample size, the approximate participant total is 60; overlapping publications may include some of the same people.
| Study | Design | N | Dose | Duration | Population | Outcome | Result & magnitude | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Medicinal herbs for the treatment of anxiety: A systematic review and network meta-analysis Zhang W et al. · Pharmacol Res · 2022 Background | Meta-analysis Statistically combines results from multiple eligible studies; confidence still depends on the quality, consistency, and directness of those studies. | — | — | — | — | — | — | PubMed → |
Passiflora incarnata in Neuropsychiatric Disorders-A Systematic Review K. Janda; Karolina Wojtkowska; K. Jakubczyk; Justyna Antoniewicz; K. Skonieczna-Żydecka · Nutrients · 2020 Background | Systematic review Uses a predefined method to find and evaluate relevant studies, but may or may not pool their results statistically. | — | — | — | — | — | — | PubMed → |
Yeung KS et al. · Phytother Res · 2018 Background | Systematic review Uses a predefined method to find and evaluate relevant studies, but may or may not pool their results statistically. | — | — | — | — | — | — | PubMed → |
Background | Systematic review Uses a predefined method to find and evaluate relevant studies, but may or may not pool their results statistically. | — | — | — | — | — | A systematic review of randomized passionflower studies found limited and heterogeneous evidence for sleep improvement. Subjective sleep findings do not establish treatment efficacy for insomnia disorders. | PubMed → |
PubMed · Anesth Analg · 2008 Background | Randomized controlled trial Randomly assigns participants to interventions or controls, reducing many sources of bias when the trial is conducted well. | n=60 | — | — | — | — | — | PubMed → |
Background | Randomized controlled trial Randomly assigns participants to interventions or controls, reducing many sources of bias when the trial is conducted well. | — | — | — | — | — | Stress, sleep, and quality-of-life measures improved versus placebo. | PubMed → |
Show 3 more studies
Background | Randomized controlled trial Randomly assigns participants to interventions or controls, reducing many sources of bias when the trial is conducted well. | — | — | — | — | — | Both Passiflora and valerian groups showed reduced state anxiety over the dental procedure compared with placebo. | PubMed → |
A Passiflora incarnata extract exerts multi-target effects on selected sleep-related receptors Background | Mechanistic research Studies biological pathways or mechanisms. It can explain plausibility but does not by itself establish a clinical benefit. | — | — | — | — | — | The extract showed activity at adenosine A1/A2A and 5-HT2A-related targets and inhibited monoamine uptake in vitro. | PubMed → |
Background | Other / unclear The study design is not yet classified clearly enough to infer its place in the evidence hierarchy. | — | — | — | — | — | Small clinical studies suggest possible anxiolytic effects for Passiflora incarnata, but trial numbers and methodological quality are limited. Acute or preoperative anxiety contexts should not be generalized to chronic anxiety disorders. | PubMed → |
Dosing & Timing
- No standardized dose
- Dose varies by preparation and trial; do not infer a universal dose without trial specific extraction. | Passiflora incarnata preparations; tea/extract/drop/combinations need separate handling.
How Passionflower works
Simplified mechanism pathway based on preclinical and pharmacological evidence. Does not confirm clinical efficacy.
Mechanism Pathway — How Passionflower Works
CompoundTarget / ReceptorMechanismEffect / Outcome
Mechanisms & biological pathways (preclinical)
- Neurotransmitter Modulation
- Stress Response Modulation
Compare related active botanicals
Explore botanicals with similar chemistry, effects, or safety considerations in the Botanical Activity Atlas.
Compare & Sourcing
Compare side-by-side tradeoffs or verify active marker guidelines.
Sourcing options
Passionflower product picks
Recommendation status
Product recommendations are not shown for this profile because the current site safety and monetization policy does not permit them.
Product form & quality guidelines
When sourcing Passionflower, verify the label for:
- Standardized extract: Confirm active content percentages on the supplement facts panel (e.g. standardized to specific marker compounds) rather than simple raw herb weights.
- Third-party testing: Look for independent purity labels (USP, NSF, ConsumerLab, or Eurofins) to ensure the product is free from heavy metals, solvents, and contaminants.
- Form bioavailability: Ensure the form matches evidence-supported configurations (e.g. standardized active extracts like bacosides, withanolides, or curcuminoids) for optimal onset and digestion tolerance.
Safety first · Harm reduction
This information is educational and not medical advice. Start low, avoid risky combinations, and consult a licensed clinician before making health decisions—especially if you use medications, have diagnosed conditions, or are pregnant/breastfeeding.
Learn how we evaluate confidence, safety, and intensity on the methodology page.
Founder & Head Researcher · Oak Ridge, TN · Last reviewed August 2026
Editorial Review
Checked against primary sources, cited evidence, and contraindication language before publication. Evidence claims, safety language, and affiliate modules are reviewed independently. Not personal medical advice.
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