(Passiflora incarnata)
INTRODUCTION :
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) is a perennial vine native to the West Indies and Southern America. In the native countries the sedative properties of passionflower are known for many centuries; the aerial parts of the plant (leaves, stems, flowers and tendrils) have been used medicinally, ritually and recreationally.
The plant was given its name 'passionflower' by early conquistadors and refers to Christian crucifixion. The plant is now cultivated all over the world as an ornamental.
EFFECTS :
In low doses passionflower produces a sedating, short-acting marihuana-like high, and in higher doses it has hypnotic and mild hallucinogenic properties. In very high doses passionflower probably has a MAO-inhibiting effect.
Dosage and preparation :
Passionflower may be prepared in the form of teas, tinctures or smoking mixtures. A tea can be prepared, by boiling the plant material in water for 15 minutes. Smoking mixtures often contain scullcap, damiana and cannabis.
10-20 grams of dried plant material should be provided per person.
Botanical aspects :
P. incarnata belongs to Passifloraceae; Passifloreae. The Passiflora genus comprises of 400-500 species, of which approximately a dosen has etnobotanical background. While this genus is originated from the tropical regions of America, the plant is now distributed throughout the entire world as an ornamental.
P. incarnata is a evergreen climbing vine that has three-fingered leaves, very characteristic flowers and often oval fruits. The plant can be propagated through cuttings and through seeds. The germination periode lasts 2-6 weeks. The plant requires a high humidity and in spring the branches should be pruned to 10-15 cm length.
 Figure: A typical P. incarnata leaf
Phytochemistry :
Passiflora incarnata contains flavonoids (vicenine-2, isoorientine-2-glucoside, isoorientine, isovitexine-2-glycoside, isovitexine, but mainly C-glycosides of apigenine and luteoline), a cyanogenic glucoside (cynocardine) and harman-alkaloids (b-carboline, harmine, harmaline).
Quercetine and kaempferol (flavonoids which are present in Artemisia absinthium) are the flavanols of luteoline and apigenine respectively.
Table 1.18: Flavonoids  
Table 1.19: b-Carboline derivatives 
Pharmacology :
In older literature the harman-alkaloids were thought to be the main active constituents of Passiflora incarnata, but the most recent literature indicates that the C-glycosides of apigenine and luteoline are mainly responsible for the sedating and psychological effects. The flavonoids appear to be agonists on benzodiazepine receptors and thus exhibit allosteric modulation of the GABA-receptor-proteins; the benzodiazepine receptor agonists increase the frequency of Cl--ionchannel activation.
The flavonoids are metabolised in the gastrointestinal lumen and liver, but pharmacological data concerning flavonoids is scarce. They are, however, substrate for P-glycoproteins (MRP1 and MRP2), glucuronosyltransferases (UGT) and sulfotranferases (SULT). Transport of position 4' substituted glycosides of flavonoids into the enterocytes probably is modulated by Na+-glucose transporters, but apperently due to the presence of secretory protein MRP-2 transcellular absorption does not occur.
Apigenine exhibits antiviral, antiinflamatory, antimutagenic and estrogenic activity. The harman-alkaloids may act as monoamine oxidase-inhibitors (MAOI) when passion flower taken in very high doses.
Chrisine, a flavonoid isolated from Passiflora caeruleas, also acts as a partial agonist on benzodiazepine receptors, but unlike other partial GABA-receptor agonists chrisine doesn't cause sedation and muscle relaxation, but merely exhibits specific anxiolytic activity.
Modifiers :
- Although little adverse reactions and interaction with passionflower are known, one should avoid high doses during pregnancy.
- Combinations with scullcap (Scutellaria latiflora) and damiana (Turnera diffusa) enhance euphoria.
- In very high doses (in which MAO is inhibited) passionflower may be used to potentiate the effects of tryptamines (DMT, psilocybine) and phenylethylamines (mescaline). Never use MAOI in combination with mescaline containing cacti, because tyramine is a common constituent of them.
FOOD THAT SHOULD NOT BE COMBINED WITH MAO-INHIBITORS
-chocolate, aged cheese, beer, red wine, beef, pickled herring, chicken livers, large amounts of coffee, citrus fruits, nutmeg (large doses).
References
1. [Gottlieb]
2. [Forth/ Henschler/ Rummel/ Fostermann/ Starke, 2001]
3. [Fugh-Berman/ Cott, 1999]
4. [Ratsch, 1998]
5. [Shulgin, 1997]
6. [Erlund]
7. [Lee/ Chung/ Lee/ Yoo]
8. [Wolfman/ Paladini/ Medina/ Levi de stein/ Calvo/ Diaz, 1999] |
