Passionflower in pregnancy and breastfeeding

What NCCIH says about safety

Passionflower is likely safe when it’s used as a flavoring in food. Passionflower may be safe when it’s taken as a tea for up to 7 nights, and the daily use of passionflower extract may be safe for up to 8 weeks. Possible side effects include drowsiness, dizziness, and confusion. Whether it’s safe to use passionflower topically (on skin) is not known. Taking passionflower when also receiving anesthesia or other medications used before and after surgery might slow down the nervous system too much. Talk to your health care provider if you are taking passionflower within 2 weeks of a scheduled surgery. Passionflower should not be used during pregnancy as it may induce uterine contractions and possibly lead to other problems. Little is known about whether it’s safe to use passionflower while breastfeeding.

Quoted in full from NCCIH so nothing is lost in summarising. Where they say “little is known”, that means the studies do not exist — not that the herb is known to be safe, and not that it is known to be harmful.

How much is actually known

Passionflower’s effect on anxiety and other conditions hasn’t been studied extensively.

What the research has found

A small amount of research suggests that oral passionflower might help to reduce symptoms of anxiety and anxiety before a surgical or dental procedure, but conclusions are not definite. Passionflower might interact with some anesthesia drugs, so avoid its use before surgery unless recommended by a health care provider. A small amount of research suggests that oral passionflower might improve total sleep time in adults with insomnia, but its effects on the time it takes to fall asleep and stay asleep are mixed. There is not enough evidence to say whether passionflower is helpful for any other health conditions, including ADHD, congestive heart failure, menopausal symptoms, fibromyalgia, and stress.

Before you take this

Dose and form change the answer completely. A culinary amount of a spice, a cup of tea, and a concentrated supplement extract are three different things, and most research is done on the last of them.

Supplements are also not regulated like medicines, so strength and purity vary between products. Bring the actual bottle to your midwife, doctor or pharmacist — that conversation is worth more than any page, including this one.