Passiflora incarnata Health Dictionary

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  2. Passiflora Incarnata

Passiflora Incarnata: From 1 Different Sources

Linn.

Family: Passifloraceae.

Habitat: Native of South-east America; grown in Indian gardens.

English: Wild Passion Flower, Maypop.

Action: Flowering and fruiting dried herb—mild sedative, hypnotic, tranquilizer, hypotensive, vasodilator, antispasmodic, anodyne, anti-inflammatory,

Key application: In nervous restlessness, irritability and difficulty in falling asleep. (German Commission E, ESCOP, The British Herbal Compendium, The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, WHO.) The British Herbal Compendium also indicated it in neuralgia, dysmenorrhoea, and nervous tachycardia.

The herb contains flavonoids (up to 2.5%), in particular C-glycosylflavones; cyanogenic glycoside, gynocardine.

The alkaloid harman has been isolated, but the presence of harmine, har- maline, harmol and harmalol has been disputed. The alkaloid and flavonoids are reported to have sedative activity in animals. Apigenin exhibits antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory activity.

Passion Flower was formerly approved as an OTC sedative in the USA, but it was taken off the market in 1978 because safety and effectiveness had not been proven. An animal study in 1977 suggested that apigenin binds to central benzodi-zepine receptors (possibly causing anxiolytic effects). (Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2007.)

The drug is used in homoeopathic medicine for epilepsy.

The herb exhibits a motility-inhi- biting effect in animal experiments.

Passion Flower, used as an adjunct to clonidine, was superior to clonidine for mental symptoms of opiate withdrawal. (Sharon M. Herr.)
Health Source: Indian Medicinal Plants
Author: Health Dictionary

Passiflora Edulis

Sims.

Family: Passifloraceae.

Habitat: Native of Brazil; cultivated in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, in North India in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

English: Purple Granadilla, Passion Fruit.

Action: Juice from purple fruit— a good source of ascorbic acid (contains up to 75 mg/100 g), carotene and sugars.

The juice from the yellow variety (equated with Passiflora edulis f. flavi- carpa) contains lesser amounts of ascorbic acid and sugars.

The purple Passion fruit contains the C-glucoside, beta-ionyl-beta-D- glucopyranoside. A protease inhibitor (PEPI) has been isolated from the juice. PEPI inhibited trypsin and chy- motrypsin activities, but did not inhibit papain activity. The esters and terpenoids form the major part of fruit components. The terpenoids include a number of monoterpenes (including hydroxylated linalool derivatives), and monoterpene glycosides. Norter- penoid aglycones have also been found.

The yellow Passion fruit contains sulfur-containing volatiles, acetates, butanoates and hexanoates of 3-mer- captohexanol. The leaves contain C- glycosylflavonoids.... passiflora edulis

Passiflora Foetida

Linn.

Family: Passifloraceae.

Habitat: Native to America; found willd in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

English: Stinking Passion Flower.

Siddha/Tamil: Siru Ponaikalli.

Action: Leaves and roots—em- menagogue, antihysteric. Fruits— emetic. A decoction is used for biliousness and asthma (for expelling bile and cough).

The plant contains C-glycosides of apigenin and luteolin. Apigenin-8- C-glucoside has been detected in the plant.... passiflora foetida

Passiflora Laurifolia

Linn.

Family: Passifloraceae.

Habitat: Native of tropical America; grown in Indian gardens.

English: Water-lemon, Jamaica Honey Suckle.

Action: Leaves—anthelmintic. Seeds—hypnodil. Fruit—edible. Plant—poisonous (the foliage produces hydrocyanic acid).

The fruit pulp contains pantothenic acid (1.55 mg/100 g); leaves contain 387 mg/100 g vitamin C.... passiflora laurifolia

Passiflora Quadrangularis

Linn.

Family: Passifloraceae.

Habitat: Native of tropical America; grown in Indian gardens.

English: Giant Granadilla.

Action: Fruit—edible; contains 64 mg/100 g ascorbic acid; narcotic when eaten in excess. Leaves, the peel and seeds of green fruit, and roots—cyanogenetic. Roots— poisonous.

The root contains an alkaloid Passiflora which is identical with harman from Passiflora incarnata.... passiflora quadrangularis

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