How Passionflower Extract for Anxiety Works

If you’ve been looking for natural supplements for anxiety, it’s likely that you may have come across passionflower extract. It’s been used for centuries as a folk remedy for treating nervous system disorders, and is growing in popularity as an effective cure.

A number of scientific studies, conducted over the last decade, have confirmed the benefits of passionflower for anxiety. But how does passionflower extract work?

One of the difficulties with herbal supplements is actually identifying their active ingredients. Although they can be easily proven to work, how they work is more challenging to establish because plant materials contain thousands of phytochemicals. This makes it hard to pinpoint the specific biochemicals that have the anti-anxiety properties.

Several scientific studies have taken a look at the biochemical makeup of passionflower. Here’s what they found.

The Effect of Passionflower Extract on GABA

In 2010, this study conducted by the Department of Neurology at the Oregon Health and Science University, in Portland, confirmed that Passionflower extract increases the levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain.

But what’s GABA? Chemically, it’s an amino acid. However, it’s better known as a neurotransmitter, which is a chemical that carries a message from nerve cells to other cells. There are many in the human body. GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. It reduces the amount of activity of nerve cells in the brain, causing relaxation.

Increasing the amount of GABA is the same way that benzodiazepines (drugs that are known as tranquilizers) work. This explains why Passionflower has been proven to be as effective as popular drug Oxazepam in controlling anxiety and insomnia.

Yet, despite knowing what Passionflower extract does, its active ingredients are still eluding scientists.

This study found Passionflower to have the highest GABA content of the 21 plants examined. However, the issue is that GABA isn’t transported very well from the bloodstream into the brain. Most of the GABA found in the brain is actually made there. As a result, the pharmacological significance of the high GABA content in Passionflower extract is still unclear.

Based on a number of previous studies, one or more flavonoids are considered to be the most likely active ingredients in Passionflower extract. These plant compounds, of which there is a large collection, give plants their colorful pigments. They’re also considered to have a wide ranging health benefits, particularly their powerful antioxidant actions.

The Effect of Passionflower Extract on Monoamine Oxidase

Scientists have also discovered that Passionflower extract contains chemicals known as harmala alkaloids. These act as monoamine oxidase inhibitors, which stop the breakdown of monoamine neurotransmitters.

Monoamine neurotransmitters are a type of neurotransmitter that includes dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. All have a huge impact on our mood.

Medically, chemical monoamine oxidase inhibitors are usually a last resort for treating depression and other nervous system disorders because of their side effects. However, naturally occurring monoamine oxidase inhibitors are much milder and better accepted by the body.

Have you tried passionflower extract for anxiety? Was it effective for you?