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.
690 licensed natural health products 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.
