Monday, August 25, 2008
Purple Passion Flower Vine
Thank you for joining me again for number 2 of Medicinal Monday's. Today I have chosen the beautiful Passion Flower Vine ( Passiflora incarnata ). The Passion Flower Vine also goes by the names : Maypop, Apricot Vine, Passiflore Rouge, Passionsblume, Purple-Passion Flower, and the Passion Vine. The Passion Flower Vine is native to the Southeastern section of the United States and can be found anywhere from Virginia to Florida and over to Texas. This vine is happy in sandy soil in the full sun and can reach heights of 30 feet.
When the fruit of a Passion Vine is ripe it is a yellow-green color and is about the size of a small egg. You can eat the yellow pulp and it tastes sweet. The delicious fruit and flowers may be eaten raw or cooked in jellies, and the leaves are eaten in salads. To some the Passion Vine is an invasive annoyance. They just don't know the power that this vine holds. I will now go over some of the Pros and Cons of the Passion Flower Vine.
PROSWhen the fruit of a Passion Vine is ripe it is a yellow-green color and is about the size of a small egg. You can eat the yellow pulp and it tastes sweet. The delicious fruit and flowers may be eaten raw or cooked in jellies, and the leaves are eaten in salads. To some the Passion Vine is an invasive annoyance. They just don't know the power that this vine holds. I will now go over some of the Pros and Cons of the Passion Flower Vine.
- Beautiful fragrant flowers
- Delicious fruit
- Very low maintenance
- Medicinal
- Recent studies have pointed to the flavonoids in the passion flower vine as being the primary constituents responsible for its relaxing and anti-anxiety effects.
- Some of the plants constituents, Apigenin, Luteolin, Kaempferol, and Quercetin, are being studied and are showing promise in fighting Parkinson's Disease, Cancer, HIV, and Leukemia.
- The leaves and stems are medically used as anti-spasmodic, astringent, diaphoretic, hypnotic, narcotic, sedative, vasodilator and are also used in aiding the treatment of women's complaints.
- The Passion Flower Vine is also used as an alternative medicine in the treatment of insomnia, nervous tension, irritability, neuralgia, irritable bowel syndrome, premenstrual tension and vaginal discharges.
- An infusion of the plant depresses the motor nerves of the spinal cord, this makes it very valuable in aiding the treatment of back pain.
- The infusion is also a sedative and slightly reduces blood pressure and increases the respiratory rate.
- This herb contains alkaloids and flavonoids that are an effective non-addictive sedative that does not cause drowsiness.
- It is also of great service in epilepsy.
- Here is an Herbal Tea recipe to help with late night restlessness: take 1 tbsp dried herb and add it to 1 cup boiling water and let imbue for 10 minutes. Drink this aromatic, flavorful medicinal tea just before bedtime and you should sleep like a baby.
- Invasive
- Do not consume or use if pregnant
Looks like the pros out weigh the cons on this one too. To those who think this vine is invasive, do you know what it is? If you grow it in a pot you should be alright. Besides, it seems like a small price for all of the benefits it has. Here are some pictures of my Purple Passion Flower Vine.
Did I mention how cool this flower looks.
I hope you found this post useful. Feel free to leave your thoughts about this post.
Disclaimer: This post was designed to teach about herbs, wild herb conservation, historical uses and latest herb research. This information is presented for educational use only. It is not meant to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent any disease. Please discuss your health issues as well as herb and supplement use with your doctor.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
You're right!
The flower is cool looking.
You're garden and surroundings are so different from where I live.
We might just as well be on different
planets!
It's fun to see what all you have going on.
I'm glad Fay didn't set you back too bad.
I enjoyed your latest post very informative! Keep up the good work.
My all time favorite flower!
Thanks for all the great information on this plant. I almost bought one of these at a Native Plant Sale in my area, but I was intimidated by the invasive qualities & the mature size. I will have to rethink my thoughts on this one. Great post!
My neighbor and I have a running joke about how we will never plant a passion vine again...lol. They are BEAUTIFUL flowers and I never knew the info about them you just shared. But you are correct they are invasive and after pulling it out we are still seeing them pop up all over the place. I like your idea of potting them. I do love them so, just not everywhere as I do not have the room. So I will go out and pull some out that snuck behind the garden hose and plant it in a pot. GREAT POST AGAIN! Love your blog.
My passion vine just began to bloom yesterday. My husband put in this flower garden for me back in June and we had no idea what kind of vines he planted. I am so excited as I love this flower. I think I may try the tea. How is the best way to dry the leaves and flowers, etc...
You made some good points there. I did a search on the topic and found most people will agree with your blog.
Post a Comment