Sleep Quality Improved with Passion Flower

Researchers have found that the botanical Passiflora incarnata (passion flower) improved reported sleep quality. Researchers had previously shown that passion flower enhanced sleep in animals; however, human studies were lacking. Passiflora incarnata is a traditional herb with relaxation-promoting properties.

Researchers evaluated the use of passion flower tea in 41 subjects between 18 and 35 years of age. The subjects received either passion flower or a placebo tea each day for one week. This was followed by one week without any supplementation, known as the “wash-out” period. Then, each subject received the opposite treatment from the initial supplementation period for one week. The subjects completed a sleep diary each day during the period they were on the supplement, and on the last day of each supplementation period, the subjects completed the Spielberger’s state-trait anxiety inventory. In addition, 10 of the subjects were assessed by overnight polysomnography, also known as a sleep study, on the last night of each supplementation period.

The study showed that based on six sleep-diary measures analyzed, reported sleep quality significantly improved while receiving passion flower compared with placebo.

The researchers concluded, “These initial findings suggest that the consumption of a low dose of Passiflora incarnata, in the form of tea, yields short-term subjective sleep benefits for healthy adults with mild fluctuations in sleep quality.”

Reference:

Ngan A, Conduit R. A Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Investigation of the Effects of Passiflora incarnata (Passionflower) Herbal Tea on Subjective Sleep Quality. Phytother Res. 2011 Feb 3. Published Online Ahead of Print.