Full profile
| Also known as | Passiflora incarnata |
|---|---|
| Best for | Situational tension before demanding moments and evening calm · Subjective sleep-quality support · A gentle companion to other calm-slot botanicals |
| Evidence grade | Grade C · Limited: early or small human trials |
| Studied dose range | Studied as ~45 drops/day of a standardized tincture, roughly 500 mg of a dry extract, or passionflower tea; extracts are often standardized to flavonoids/vitexin. |
| Time to effect | Fairly rapid for situational anxiety (pre-event studies dosed ~30–90 minutes prior); subjective sleep benefit within about a week. |
| Best form | Aqueous extract or tea, tincture, or a dry extract standardized to flavonoids. |
Evidence, honestly graded
Limited but consistent. Several small double-blind RCTs and a systematic review point the same way: a 36-patient double-blind pilot in an anxiety-trial population reported meaningful reductions in anxiety scores over four weeks with little daytime performance impairment (Akhondzadeh 2001), a tea RCT improved subjective sleep quality (Ngan 2011, though polysomnography was not significant), and a 2020 systematic review found most trials reported reduced anxiety (Janda 2020). The evidence is capped by very small samples, short durations, and heterogeneous preparations: a plausible-but-early C.
See the full grading rubric (study type, replication, population match, and dose adequacy) in The Evidence Standard.
876 natural health products with an active licence in Health Canada's LNHPD list Passionflower as a medicinal ingredient.
That makes Passionflower a recognized, licensable medicinal ingredient in Canada, regulated by Health Canada's Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate, which issues each licensed natural health product a Natural Product Number (NPN). Search the LNHPD to verify.
Side effects
- Generally mild: drowsiness, sedation, dizziness
- Rare confusion or unsteadiness at high doses
Who should avoid it or check first
- Pregnancy (traditional uterine-stimulant caution)
- Before driving or operating machinery
- Within a week of surgery (additive sedation)
Interactions
- Adds to the effect of sedatives and other CNS depressants and to anesthesia
Stacks well with
Use caution stacking with
- Other sedating agents without clinician guidance
What to look for on a label
- Position as calm/evening support; the sleep evidence is subjective and early.
- Health Canada's monograph permits sleep/calmative claims on a TRADITIONAL herbal basis; keep "traditionally used" wording distinct from a proof-of-effect claim.
References
- Akhondzadeh S, Naghavi HR, Vazirian M, Shayeganpour A, Rashidi H, Khani M (2001). Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 26(5):363–367Reduced anxiety scores over 4 weeks, with little daytime performance impairment.
- Ngan A, Conduit R (2011). Phytotherapy Research, 25(8):1153–1159Better subjective sleep quality versus placebo; objective measures not significant.
- Janda et al. (2020): systematic review, Passiflora in neuropsychiatric disorders. 9 RCTs; most reported reduced anxiety (weaker in mild symptoms), no notable adverse effects, and a call for larger trials. PMID 33352740. Educational, not a product claim.
Grades and studied doses are our conservative reading of the human research, shown for education. They are not product claims, and a studied dose is not a recommended dose.
Revision history
Every change to this ingredient's evidence status, dated and explained. The full cross-library log lives at Evidence Updates.
- 2026-07-12New profile
New profile at Grade C for sleep/relaxation, on limited human data.
See how Passionflower compares on grade, dose, and goal in the Evidence Explorer.
