Last updated: October 2026
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) is a traditional calming herb used for sleep and nerves. Evidence is limited: in a 2011 trial of 41 young adults, a week of passionflower tea led to better self-rated sleep quality than placebo, and a 2020 review of nine small trials found possible benefits for anxiety symptoms. It’s gentle and widely used, but not proven.
Below: what passionflower is, the research, how to take it, safety, and how we use it.
What is passionflower?
Passiflora incarnata is a climbing plant native to the Americas, with striking purple flowers. The leaves, stems and flowers are dried for tea or made into extracts. In the UK, some passionflower products are registered traditional herbal medicines for temporary relief of sleep problems or mild anxiety, based on traditional use.
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View productWhat the research shows
| Study | What it found |
|---|---|
| Sleep, 2011 (41 adults, a cup of tea nightly for a week) | Better self-rated sleep quality than placebo tea; no clear difference on sleep lab measures in a smaller subgroup |
| Review, 2020 (9 clinical trials) | Passionflower may help some anxiety symptoms; trials were small and varied |
| Before surgery | Some small trials found less anxiety before procedures |
Passionflower isn’t a treatment for insomnia or anxiety disorders. See natural sleep aids ranked by evidence.
How to take passionflower
- Tea: about a teaspoon of dried herb steeped in hot water for 10 minutes, an hour before bed.
- Extracts and tablets: follow the label; registered herbal medicines state a dose.
- Blends: often combined with other calming herbs such as chamomile or valerian.
Pair it with a wind-down routine: dim lights, no screens, and a consistent bedtime. See why you wake at 3am.
Safety and who should avoid it
- Drowsiness: don’t drive or use machinery if it makes you sleepy.
- Sedatives, sleeping pills and alcohol: may add to drowsiness. Check with a pharmacist.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: avoid; it’s traditionally thought to stimulate the womb. We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
- Before surgery: stop at least two weeks before, unless your team advises otherwise.
How we use passionflower
Our Sleep CBD Oil combines broad spectrum CBD with passion flower for an evening routine, and our Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex includes passionflower with magnesium, glycine, L-theanine, chamomile, hops and oat straw. Magnesium contributes to normal psychological function and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. The FSA’s 10mg a day figure for CBD is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication.
Related guides
- Prefer it as a tea? See best tea for sleep.
- Best CBD oil for sleep UK, including passionflower blends.
- Valerian root: does it help sleep?.
- Lemon balm, another traditional calming herb.
- Magnesium for sleep, and how it compares.
- Does chamomile tea help you sleep?
- Comparing herbs? See ashwagandha for sleep for how it stacks up against passionflower, melatonin and magnesium.
- GABA supplements explained.
- Passionflower compared with other natural supplements for anxiety.
- Lavender oil for sleep: how to use it and the evidence.
- For the CBD side of the evidence, read CBD and sleep: what the studies found.
- If you’re comparing capsule blends that include passionflower, see our guide to sleep capsules.
- For the wider picture, including anxiety research, tea vs capsules and side effects, see our guide to passion flower benefits.
- Pukka Night Time tea: ingredients, valerian and caffeine explained.
- Does lettuce make you sleepy?, another bedtime trend checked against the research.
- If you are prescribed melatonin, the NHS advises against herbal sleep remedies at the same time; see melatonin UK guide.
- If you drink it as a tea, see what’s in Twinings Sleep tea, where passionflower makes up 35% to 53% of the blend.
- See how passionflower and valerian teas compare in our guide to Clipper Sleep Easy and Aldi sleep tea.
- Passionflower is one of the herbs in Kloris sleep patches.
Sources 3
- 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.
- Janda K et al. Passiflora incarnata in neuropsychiatric disorders: a systematic review. Nutrients, 2020.
- NHS. Insomnia.
