Passionflower is a miraculous herb. Looks like something from Wonderland, if you ask me. How can you use this herb, you ask? Let me tell you.
Identification:
Passionflower is a herbaceous perennial, native to southern North America and introduced into Europe and other areas where is flourishes. American wild passionflower has a rhizome rom which spring several climbing steams, that reach a height of 20 feet!! The leaves are thee lobed and finely serrated. The sweet smelling flowers are purple.
Edible Use:
Many seeded fruit that are orangey when ripe and greenish-yellow when dried and shriveled. Leaves and flowers are prepped and dried for teas and tincture use. It’s yellow pulp is sweet and delicious to eat.
Story Time:
The generic name is derived from Latin flos passionis, ‘flower of the passion’. Alluding to the symbolic similarity of the slider to the instruments of Christ’s Passion. The corolla represents the crown of thorns, the three style of the postal are the nails, the stamens the hammer, the pointed leaves the spear and the tendrils the whip.
Medicinal Use:
The flowers and the fruiting tops have mild sedative properties and used to relieve insomnia and soothe nerves. In homeopathic medicine for nervous insomnia and is also prescient for nerve disorders connected with menstruation and menopause. A small study in children suggests that passionflower may reduce ADHD symptoms similar to a prescription drug but with fewer side effects.
How Can I use Passionflower?
Take 1/4 teaspoon of Passionflower leaves and flower. Steep in boiling water for 5-8 minutes, creating a pleasant tea to sip on. Drinking up to 1-3 cups of tea a day. OR buy Ancient Medicine Cabinet’s Insomnia tincture and easily reap the benefits in seconds by taking a dropper full 1-3 times a day.