Passionflower Can Help Relieve Stress-Related Disorders
Passionflower is an herb that can act as a gentle sedative. If you suffer from insomnia or lead a stressful life, calming herb combinations that include passionflower are often successful in treating these problems. Native to North America and also grown in Europe, the flowers, leaves, and stems of this plant, also known as maypop, have been gathered and used for medicinal purposes since the early twentieth century. There have not been a lot of scientific studies to support the claims made for passionflower, but herbalists insist that its benefits cannot be ignored and recommend it for relieving anxiety, insomnia, neuritis, hyperactivity, and other stress-related disorders. There has been some success reported when it has been used with other calming herbs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Passionflower is popularly used in teas and infusions (herbs are steeped in hot, not boiling, water for five to ten minutes), as well as in liquid extracts, and tinctures (herbs are steeped in an alcohol and water mixture). This herb is generally considered safe, but your reactions to any medicinal herb should be monitored in case you are one of the very few who suffer an adverse reaction, such as nausea or a rapid heartbeat. It should not be used in high doses or taken regularly if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, and only on the advice of a physician.
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