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A Passion for Peace - Passion
Flower (Passiflora incarnata) |
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Nowhere is the sacred power of plants more evident than in the help they offer us by countering the negative effects of stress. Herbs can help clear everything from anxiety to depression, addiction to sleeplessness - even burnout. The loving energy of plants pours forth in abundance whenever we need it most.
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More on stress & stress release
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a passion for peace The elaborate purple and white passion flower – Passiflora incarnata – takes its name from the passion of Jesus. According to Medieval monks, in its center you will find an echo of the cross on which the savior died for the sins of the world. Passionflower is the most wonderful sedative I have ever known for treating insomnia without any narcotic hangover. The plant is soothing, calming and as gentle as a true love. It is the leaves which carry the strength for deep relaxation. Their actions are immediate. You can use passionflower for nerve pain, hysteria – even to banish fear. Passionflower is good for women who wrestle frequently with nervous tension and a fine friend to call on when nerves are edgy before periods or around the time of menopause. Passiflora’s most active constituent passiflorine appears to be similar in its chemical structure to morphine. It has analgesic and antispasmodic properties which have been well established in clinical tests. Collect passionflower leaves just before the flowers bloom and dry them gently. You can then make an infusion of them. You can also take passionflower as an extract or tincture. Roughly 1/3 of the population experiences regular insomnia. In the United States alone 10 million prescriptions for heavy duty sleeping pills are written each year. Passionflower can take many people through the transition from wakefulness into restful sleep without the sleeping-pill hangover in the morning. It has a sedative and mildly narcotic effect on the body. Passionflower is an antispasmodic. It can be used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and it is helpful to asthma sufferers – especially when attacks are triggered by stress and tension. Finally, it eases nerve pain and can be a godsend when dealing with the agony that can come with shingles.
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Passionflower Tea Take 1 teaspoon of the dried leaves and put them in a tea pot. Pour a cup of boiling water over them and steep for 15 minutes. Drink twice a day to ease anxiety, then take a third cup before bed to help you to sleep. Or you can use ½ - 1 teaspoon of tincture in a little water three times a day. Caution: It is probably best not to use passionflower when you need to be fully alert. |
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The classic definition of a herb is a non-woody plant which dies down to its roots each winter. This definition is far too limiting. It was probably made up by 19th Century European botanists who had never seen the rainforest in which, of course there is no winter to die back in. Neither had they ever heard of woody trees and shrubs such as hawthorn and ginko and elder which are some of the best selling herbs on the market these days. I define a herb as a medicinal plant. It can come from any climate and be a leaf, a bark, a flower or a root. It can be home-grown or wild, a weed, a spice, a plant which is used for its healing or culinary or beautifying properties. Once you discover the power of herbs it is easy to become so enthusiastic about them you go overboard trying to use them for everything. It is not wise to take lots of different plants all at the same time. Or you might start to think that since a small amount of something is good for you, taking twice or three times that amount will be even better. It isn’t. If you want safe and sane herbal help here are a few guidelines to follow:
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