Plant Profile: Passionvine (Passiflora incarnata)

• Latin name: Passiflora incarnata
• Family: Passifloraceae (passionflower family)
• Common names: Passionflower, Passionvine, Maypop, Purple Maypop, Purple Passionflower, True Passionflower

The genus name, Passiflora, refers to the crucifixion of Yeshua — with passio meaning passion and flos standing for flower. Incarnata means incarnated, in-flesh. So, Passiflora incarnata comes down to „the flower of (Christ’s) Passion in flesh”. 

Physical Description

A lush, fast-growing, herbaceous or partially woody tropical vine with spiral tendrils used for climbing, Passionflower can grow up to 9 meters (30 feet). Its leaves are dark green, deeply lobed, and slightly leathery to touch. The plant blooms with exotic flowers featuring a unique structure—purple and violet filaments radiating from a central crown, with an underlying layer of petals and sepals. Passiflora incarnata flowers typically display a mix of purple, white, and sometimes pink hues, with slight variations in colour intensity. While most have lavender to pale purple petals with a white and purple corona, some may appear more vibrant, while others have a softer or more muted tone. The flower’s reproductive organs include a prominent three-lobed stigma, five stamens with elongated anthers, and an ovary positioned above the sepals and petals (superior ovary). The plant produces oval fruits known as maypops, which are typically greenish-yellow when ripe. Other passionflower species, such as Passiflora edulis, birth fruits that vary in colour from yellow to deep purple and have a juicier, sweeter pulp with a slightly different taste and texture. There are more than 500 known varieties of Passionflower, creating its own botanical family. Passiflora incarnata is the species used medicinally, while Passiflora edulis (purple passionfruit) and Passiflora ligularis (granadilla) are commonly cultivated for their fruit. Passiflora caerulea is often grown ornamentally and is a common sight when searching for Passionflower online or in botanical shops.

Astroherbalism: Neptune, Moon 

• Herbs ruled by the Moon help us navigate our emotional waters, enhance intuition, and refine psychic abilities. On a physical level, they soothe and heal the gut, some heal the uterus, and all are cooling in nature. Moon herbs are grouped under the categories of demulcents, yin tonics, nervine relaxants and hypnotics, and/or sometimes nutritives (nutrient-dense herbs). They have an affinity to the pineal gland, limbic system, fluids of the body, and our emotional (astral) body (the one we experience in dreams). Other examples of Moon-ruled herbs include Mugwort, Helichrysum (+Venus), Sage, and Aloe.
• Herbs ruled by Neptune help dissolve boundaries and connect us to the unseen, mystical realms and spirit world. They often have a hypnotic, sedative, and/or mind-expanding quality, assisting us in relaxation, surrender, and spiritual vision. Other examples of Neptunian herbs include Poppy and Valerian.
• Some say Passionflower is also ruled by Venus due to its calming and heart-opening effects, as well as its association with beauty, self-love, self-worth, art/creativity, and embodiment. This plant gently helps us to recall self-love, self-worth, and self-belief, noticing the true beauty and radiance we hold as beings (like she has!), especially that linked to feminine, sensual, and yin traits—of simply being. Nonetheless, it’s not a primary Venus-ruled or a typical Venusian plant.

Chakras Affinity

1st, 2nd > 3rd, (+4th), 6th + 7th & beyond (8th soul star chakra)

Herbal Actions with Explanations

• Nervine: Affects the nervous system. Passionflower is a suppressive nervine, meaning it tones the overactive nervous system, restoring the nerves.
• Hypnotic: Induces drowsiness and supports sleep by promoting a deep, restful state.
• Hypotensive: Lowers blood pressure.
• Antispasmotic: Relieves tension and muscle spasms in the body.
• Anxiolytic: Reduces anxiety, helps quiet racing thoughts and nervous restlessness.
• Analgetic and anodyne: Alleviates pain by reducing nerve sensitivity and muscle tension.
• Sedative: Promotes sleep.
• Gentle aphrodisiac: Generally, aphrodisiac plants shift focus to embodiment and open the body to pleasure by increasing relaxation and blood flow to the reproductive organs. Passionflower is a very mild aphrodisiac and its aphrodisiac quality lies mostly in its calming, relaxing, and anti-anxiety properties.
• Gentle emmenagogue: Stimulates menstrual flow, used to ease cramps or in case of delayed menstruation. (Avoid emmenagogues in pregnancy or when trying to conceive.)
• Anti-inflammatory: Reduces inflammation in the body.
• Digestive: Supports digestion by relaxing the gut, easing spasms, and reducing stress-related digestive issues like nervous stomach.

Herbal Properties in Western Medicine

Passionflower is best known for its ability to calm stress, anxiety, and tension in the mind and body. It acts as a sedative, promoting restful sleep and inducing a gentle state of relaxation without causing dependence. Its antispasmodic properties make it effective in relieving muscle spasms. Passionflower is often used to help quiet the mind and stop racing thoughts.

As a mild emmenagogue, Passionflower stimulates menstrual flow and eases cramps. It is also useful in balancing hormonal fluctuations associated with menstruation. Stabilizing the mood and promoting a balanced emotional state, it can be helpful to cope with emotional extremes, such as stress or grief. It may alleviate symptoms of depression.

Passionflower supports the nervous system and brain health by increasing levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain. GABA inhibits excessive nervous system activity, promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety. Studies suggest that the alkaloids in Passionflower, particularly harmaline (which is also found in Banisteriopsis caapi), may have neuroprotective effects that reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer or Parkinson.

Additionally, Passionflower has a gentle digestive effect. It helps relax the gut, easing indigestion, nervous stomach, digestive cramps, and bloating. Its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties reduce inflammation in the body and protect against oxidative stress, supporting natural immunity and longevity.

Plant Spirit Medicine & Healing

• Helps surrender to the flow, unknown, and higher (in)sight
• Keywords: peace, surrender, receptivity, higher consciousness, letting go

Passionflower soothes the nerves and relaxes the body, alleviates anxious thoughts, and opens us to inspiration. It’s a powerful plant for shifting from heightened, stress-filled, and fast-paced mental activity to full embodiment and inner peace. The spirit of Passionflower evokes a sense of safety within, making it an ally for (re)connection with the denser, slower dimensions of the body. 

Passionflower aids in self-acceptance and self-assurance, particularly in matters of the body and sexuality, helping us feel held while transforming our fears around embodiment and sensuality. It balances the feminine energy within, linking the womb’s or hara’s creative power to birth and create in alignment with one’s visions. Additionally, it (re)awakens the third eye and enhances our visionary capacity. Like all plants, Passionflower heals our hearts within its own field of influence—and beyond, alive in light and Spirit, transcending our human presumptions and assumptions of what a given plant spirit’s healing power may be.

For me, the spirit of Passionflower often appears in the form of a purple, starry night sky, a black puma and jaguar, or an otherworldly, cosmic rainforest frog. This plant exudes the energy of a mystical cave or a clearing in a vibrant tropical forest buoyant with life, waters, and light rays. Its presence is quieting and emits a calming tone—one that soothes, eases loud stimuli, and silences inner mind chatter—similar to entering a still, inner sanctuary. The energy of letting go and surrender is deeply present and very apparent in this plant. Passionflower helps to ease a worrisome and restless mind.

Additionally, its somewhat sexy and sensual energy (re)connects us with the body, with a strong emphasis on the womb and uterus—supporting healing, womb clearing, and embodiment. I also find Passionflower to be more feminine in spirit. Passionvine bridges the second, sixth, and seventh chakras, heightening our inner (dream) vision, intuition, and mystic (in)sight, as well as the embodied ability to manifest and weave our lives in alignment with those visions.

My experiences with this plant have shown me that it is a powerful ally for channeling and learning about (star)Light. Passionflower’s energy rises in a spiral-like motion, clearing the body’s energy centres and helping to open the crown chakra and the chakras beyond, facilitating connections to upper realms. At the same time, its energy exudes a grounding, downward action, increasing the feeling of safety within one’s body to anchor broader visions and deeper (higher) understandings. 

Historically, Passionflower was named after Christ’s Passion by European missionaries who encountered it in the tropics around 15th and 16th centuries, partly due to the shape of its flowers, which can resemble a crown of thorns. Working with this plant’s energy in the spirit realm, I can sense why a connection like this one can be made—between the wisdom of Passionflower and Christ (or I AM/Light) consciousness. As Adriana Ayales puts it: „Passionflower is considered a bridge to „Christ consciousness,” which assists in direct communication with the mythical voice within.”

Following the Doctrine of Signatures, we can see that Passionflower—and the information field held by its plant spirit—is undeniably otherworldly, mystical, and intricately woven. Its flower essence helps to re-weave one’s fate, calming and re-grounding the mind into new pathways after surrendering to life’s currents of change. Passionflower spirit medicine assists in shifting consciousness and facilitates higher (deeper) soul learning, streaming down from the heavens to be embodied on Earth. It can be a good ally for taking a pause to discern, seeking inspiration and insight from above, and sacrificing what is known in order to create aligned change.

Passionvine, with all its gentleness, lucidity, and soothing watery powers, has a strong affinity with the direction of the West (associated with the element of Water in the Celtic Medicine Wheel), the afternoon, nighttime, and dreamtime. Its guidance may come through dreams, dream-like waking moments, or emerge subconsciously through art, relaxation, and hypnotic flow states. What’s more, Passionflower affects and enhances our ability to (lucid) dream and remember our dreams—or sleep rock-solid if our nervous system is currently overstimulated and craves deep rest.

Passionflower primarily targets the mind and its fears, the fear of surrendering and letting go, the fear of losing control, the fear of transcendence into a hypnotic, tranced, or channeled state—all, in some part, being the fear of death really. This plant teaches that all life on Earth deserves to die, and death is nothing more (or less) than a rebirth of new life. For anxiety-prone „control freaks”, its spirit can bring much-needed courage to allow to let go and drift while staying afloat (instead of drowning in fear).

***

Here’s what Asia Suler writes about Passionflower flower essence*:

„This otherworldly blossom helps calm the mandala of the mind, so we can shift old habits of thinking and begin to see the medicine in the larger cycles at play. (…) Passionflower is a deeply supportive essence for claiming our ability to be the weavers of our own fate and tell new stories. A solid ally in moments when we’ve reached a choice point that has the potential to change the direction of our fate, Passionflower encourages you to align with the desire of your soul to weave a new destiny for yourself. Almost supernatural in its beauty, Passionflower helps you become conscious of your ability to create your own reality and release limiting thinking about your potential. When you become an active participant in the spell-work of your life, you can experience a rebirth at any moment.” 

— Asia Suler

*When done right, flower essences are alive and intelligent, solely vibrational remedies holding a plant’s (healing) field of consciousness in water preserved with, traditionally, brandy (or ACV for an alternative, non-alcoholic option).

The Four Elements in Passionvine

All plants possess all four elements but redistributed in various configurations and strengths. In Passionflower, I find the elements of Water, Air, and Earth to be the predominant ones, indicating its energetic signature and the most common uses.

• Earth: Lush, jungle-like, tropical, earthy energy; a plant for embodiment, self-love, and sensuality — a mild aphrodisiac; muscles and body relaxant; first chakra affinity — aids embodiment, alleviates pain and tension, has a downward, grounding, relaxing, and releasing action.
• Air: Calming to the mind, an anti-anxiety plant, an ally for restlessness; relaxing and soothing to the nervous system; opening to higher chakras (third eye + crown & beyond); consciousness-shifter, induces a gentle, hypnotic-like state.
• Water: Plant for sleep, dreaming, lucidity, creativity, meditation, shamanic journeying, and astral travel (depending on a dose and setting); watery and feminine in spirit; a mild aphrodisiac, helps to embody sensuality and alleviate thoughts to relax into the body.
• Fire: Digestive support due to its slightly bitter taste; plant for self-love and self-confidence, heightens connection with self (third chakra); gently aids solar plexus in reclaiming a sense of self-worth and self-love; a mild antidepressant.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Passionvine is cold and dry in energetics. It relieves the heat from the heart and the liver, helping shift from yang to yin energies by draining excessive yang. It calms and stabilizes the heart (the supreme ruler of all organs and the gateway to good sleep), allowing one to access more of their Shen (spiritual heart state), rest, and restoration. Passionflower relaxes the lungs and frees spasms, which is beneficial when one has asthma. It’s slightly carminative, which expels gas and winds from the digestive tract.

Passionvine in Folk Medicine, Folklore, and Magic

Who was the well-known and widespread Passiflora incarnata of today before European missionaries arrived and named it after the last days and sacrifice of Christ? Did they see a crown of thorns through the lens of confirmation bias, where people focus on information that supports what they already believe or wish to see? Was this connection used as a sign or a tool to evangelize Indigenous peoples of the Americas? What is the ancient, Indigenous perspective of Passionflower—one that predates Christianity?

“The Flower of Christ’s Passion,” or its earlier version, “The Flower of Five Wounds,” is a name most commonly and widely used throughout Europe. In the U.S., Passiflora incarnata has always been called Maypop or Purple Maypop due to the way its fruit may make a popping sound when stepped on. In Japan, Passionflower species are referred to as the Clock Plant.

Non-Christian cultures have seen Passionflower as a cure for traumatized and anxious people and places, restoring them with peace, love, and harmony. It is believed that Passionflower acts as a channel or conductor, preparing the nervous system to attune to higher frequencies and receive channeled information.

For external use, traditional healers of the Americas brewed it into teas for poultices or applied crushed leaves directly to inflammations, bruises, and wounds. It was also used to soothe pain as well as ceremonially.

Many Southeastern Native American tribes, including the Cherokee, used Passionflower as a natural sedative, pain reliever, and sleep aid. Some reports suggest that it was burned or smoked to calm the mind before spiritual practices and important gatherings.  While Passionflower doesn’t seem to be as central in Aztec and Mayan pharmacopoeias as some other plants, it is believed they also used it for its sedative, hypnotic, and calming effects.

Passionflower can be added to sleep pillows or sachets for dream magic, though some say that sleeping with Passionflower under a pillow can decrease one’s libido due to its flowing and melting (dissipating) energy. Similar to Damiana, Rose, Mullein, Mugwort, Mint, or Lavender, dried Passionflower can be smoked in an herbal cigarette or added to a smoking blend. 

Primary Constituents (in Leaves and Flowers)

1. Alkaloids — Harmaline, Harmalol, Harmol, Harman, Passiflorine. Harmaline and its derivatives (harmalol, harmol, harman) are known for their psychoactive properties, mood-lifting, and anti-depressant effects. Passiflorine is thought to contribute to Passionflower’s calming and sedative effects by interacting with GABA receptors in the brain.

2. Flavanoids — Apigenin, luteolin, vitexin, isovitexin, quercetin, rutin, chrysin. These flavonoids contribute to Passionflower’s calming, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Like some of its alkaloids, they also support relaxation and reduce anxiety.

3. Caffeic acid (and other organic acids in smaller amounts) – Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

4. Coumarins – Found in trace amounts, responsible for its grassy, earthy, green scent notes.

Parts Used: Mainly Leaf and Flower

Medicinally leaves, flowers, and stems (the whole aerial part); its fruits are anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and nutritious, high in vitamin C.

Growing & Harvesting

Passiflora incarnata is native to the tropical and subtropical climates of southeastern U.S., Central, and South America. It prefers full sun to partial shade and benefits from a trellis or support for climbing, such as fences or walls. The plant can be grown from seeds, cuttings, or root divisions in well-drained soil. Flowers, which attract pollinators, bloom from late spring to summer. Leaves and flowers are harvested when the plant is in full bloom. Fruits (maypops) are ripe when they turn from green to yellowish and begin to wrinkle slightly. Passionflower adapts well to poor soil and full sun, requiring little water. You can think of it as a semi-succulent. Purple Passionflower is quite hardy and grows fast, according to the old adage, “The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, the third year they leap.”

In cooler climates, Passionflower can be grown seasonally as an annual or overwintered indoors in containers. It thrives in greenhouses or on sunny windowsills, provided it has sufficient warmth, light, and humidity. It will bloom but doesn’t fruit. It may die back in winter but can regrow from its roots in the following spring if protected with mulch. 

Passionflower is a perennial vine, meaning it returns year after year. In warmer climates, it remains evergreen, while in colder regions, the above-ground part may die back in winter but regrow in spring. It is well-adapted to a variety of growing conditions and naturally thrives across its native regions of the tropical Americas.

Favourite Uses & Medicine Making

• Single bedtime infusion for relaxing the muscles and letting go of the day
• Afternoon or digestive tea with a scope of honey
• In my herbal tea recipe for lucid dreaming with Lavender, Skullcap, Blue Lotus, and Mugwort
• In a nutritive tea or restorative bath blend with Oatstraw, Lavender, Lemonbalm, and Chamomile
• It also pairs well with Hops and Valerian.
• As a flower essence to use daily or connect ceremonially
• To access higher consciousness in a plant spirit meditation
• A tiny pinch in an herbal smoking blend with other herbs
• To make a tincture pour 0,5l of 40% vodka over 50g of dried herb. Close, shake daily, and leave for 2-3 weeks in a dark and warm cabinet. Strain and label. Store in a dark-brown glass bottle or a white glass but in a closed dark cabinet.
• Fruit can be eaten raw or cooked into syrup, jam, or jelly.

Common Indications 

Restlessness, insomnia, anxiety, GAD (general anxiety disorder), mood and sleep disorders, edgy nerves, menstrual cramps, muscle spasms, pain, headaches, heartbreak, migraines, asthma, depression, neuralgia, epilepsy, seizures, hyperactivity (also in children), excess inner heat and yin deficiency, liver heat going up to the heart. May be useful for morphine withdrawal due to passiflorine, one of its active compounds.

Contradictions & Safety

Generally considered safe. May interact with sedative drugs, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), and medications that prevent blood clots. May affect motor skills and cause drowsiness — avoid driving or operating heavy machinery after use. Not recommended during pregnancy. Also, due to its emmenagogue action be mindful when trying to conceive.

Dosages

• Herbal tea/infusion with dried herb — 1-2 teaspoons of a dried loose herb per cup of hot water. It doesn’t take much time to notice its effects. Dosage for kids (aged 12+): 1/3 of an adult dosage per cup. Cover with a lid and step for 15-30 minutes.
• Herbal tea/infusion with fresh herb — 1 fresh flower per a big cup of hot water. 
• Tincture — That will depend on the tincture. For example, in a tincture recipe given above, it’s 1-4 ml 3 times per day when needed, or a max of 20-40 drops up to 3-4 times per day in case of severe anxiety or insomnia. Dilute the dose in a half glass of water.
• Flower essence — usually 3-4 drops 3-4 times per day taken every day for one month. Take up to 3 months for best results, if this essence resonates with you.