Mother Nature gives us the most wonderful miracles for natural healing.
One of my most favourite natural miracles on offer is the treasured little blue/purple flowering plant called Passionflower (or Passiflora incarnata for those who prefer the somewhat more exotic botanical name). With it’s calming properties, passionflower offers just what we need in today’s busy, hectic and on-the-go lifestyle.
Passionflower carries the natural healing power to reduce stress, promote sleep, relax the body and relax the mind. It supports the body’s own GABA production which our key calming neurotransmitter.
Its therapeutic properties include:
- Antispasmodic: muscle relaxant, reduces muscle spasms.
- Anxiolytic: reduces anxiety.
- Hypnotic: induces sleep.
- Sedative: promotes calm or induces sleep.
Passionflower is best known for its use as a sleep aid and helping with disturbed sleeping patterns. If you suffer from the common ‘stare-at-the-ceiling’ or ‘second-wind’ phenomena, get sipping on a cup of passionflower tea in the evenings to help you drift-off.
For those prone to nervousness or anxiety, passionflower is often called natures valium as it as effective to help take the much-needed ‘edge’ off.
Another beneficial use is to relieve pre-menstrual tension which let’s face it, frankly we could all do without. It’s the antispasmodic and anxiolytic properties going in to bat for us on this one i.e., relaxing the dreaded cramps and reducing anxiety to help balance mood swings.
Some additional healing benefits that have been listed include: reducing tension headaches, tachycardia (a fast heart rate), heart palpitations, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and assisting with withdrawal from addictive drugs. Although there has not been enough formal testing to say for sure that passionflower is beneficial for those suffering the ailments listed, the calming qualities of this powerful plant could well assist in the overall healing by simply helping to relax the mind.
Any natural healing solution that can help reduce stress, relax the body and mind or increase the quality of our own internal reset – sleep, is a powerful friend to have and one that we all should consider using in times of distress.