While it may not sound like something that would treat insomnia, passionflower can help you get to sleep easily and safely due to its nerve relaxing properties. This vine like herb can be found in South America and southern parts of the US as well as the East Indies and in some places in Europe.
This herb is a great stress reliever as it relaxes the nerves and muscles. It has an overall sedating effect and if you are prone to anxiety you might find it effective to take during the day. If you notice that you tense your muscles a lot due to stress this might be a great herb for you because it can help to relax these tight muscles.
Sometimes combined with Hawthorn Berry, passionflower is used in Europe to treat heart palpitations that are due to anxiety. It can also be used to help relieve high blood pressure due to stress.
One of the most popular uses of this herb is to relieve insomnia. Insomnia is a huge problem, but a lot of people experience side effects from medication as well as the other herb valerian, which can also help with insomnia but can have more side effects. They will relax you and help you get to sleep but does not make you drowsy like prescription medicines can.
To help you sleep, take between 500 to 1,000 mg before bed. Passionflower does not have any reported side effects, but like with any herb you might want to check with your doctor before taking it.
Along with insomnia and anxiety, passionflower can also be helpful to you the symptoms of PMS and menopause. Women report that it helps to reduce the irritablilty and anxiety associated with PMS and depression, insomnia and irritability associated with menopause.