Full Moon in Pisces: Spotlight on Passionflower

The full moon occurred a few days ago, and this monograph is a bit late; my apologies. I will blame it on Mercury retrograde, but really it’s because I’m overwhelmed lately and not disciplining myself to stay organized! ;)

Don’t let the name fool you. Passionflower will not exacerbate your blazing passions; on the contrary, it calms you down. The name actually comes from Catholic tradition, in which the days leading up to Christ’s death are called “the passion of the Christ.”  (In Latin, “passio” means “suffering.”) In the 16th century, the flower was used by Catholic missionaries as an object lesson containing various features of that religious symbolism.  Today, my only mission is to help you fall in love with this delightful herb, both for its beauty and for its medicinal and spiritual properties!

Materia Medica Data

Latin Name: Passiflora incarnata

Other Names: Maypop flower, Passion fruit, Passion vine

Plant parts used: Leaves, root, flowers

Energetics: cooling, drying, relaxing

Herbalistic Properties: antispasmodic, nervine, relaxant, anodyne (pain killer), diaphoretic, mild sedative

Incomplete list of chemical constituents: apigenin, flavonoids, coumarin, scopoletin, umbelliferone, harmala alkaloids, passiflorine, luteolin, orientin, gynocardin, GABA

Incomplete list of ailments traditionally treated: insomnia, anxiety, hypertension, pain, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, muscle cramps, blood sugar, a hard heart (emotionally), stressful situations, can't see big picture, circular thoughts, mental chatter, obsessive thoughts, fever, schizophrenia, epilepsy, gastric ulcers, ADHD, whiplash

Astrological Rulership

Passionflower is not mentioned in any of my astrological sources; this is because it is native to the Americas, while most historical astrological literature is from the other side of the globe!  Thus, there is no traditional planetary rulership for Passionflower in any extant literature that I know of.  So I have to decide which planetary realm this plant belongs in. There are many factors that go into this decision, and it is not always obvious, but I finally decided on Jupiter, with a special emphasis on Pisces.  

But why Jupiter? Passionflower is primarily a nervine, and nerves belong to Mercury, right?  Yes, Mercury does rule many nervines in the materia medica; however, I believe that every astrological Ruler contains at least a few nervines in its domain.  Not all nervines are Mercury-ruled; some lean towards one direction or another in effect.  Here are my reasons for assigning Passionflower to Jupiter, organizing my arguments from weakest to strongest:

• The purple color of the flower aligns with Jupiter’s affinity for blues and purples. (Admittedly, this is a weak reason. Any color can exist in the domain of any planet.)

• When it is in its native habitat, the plant’s fruiting season begins in March: Pisces season. (Also a weak reason. Not all plants under a Ruler’s domain have their peak harvest season during that zodiacal rulership.)

• When naming the plant, the Spanish colonists used religious themes— They claimed the imagery of the plant resembled Christ’s last days leading up to the crucifixion (a period of time called “the passion” in Christianity.) They did not use religious ideas with all of their nomenclature in the so-called “New World,” so this wasn’t just a typical thing to do.  Something about the energy of this particular plant drew them to feelings of religiosity.  And of course, Jupiter rules religion.  Unfortunately, I do not know what the indigenous people called this plant before the Spanish colonizers took over.  Given the history of frequent religious syncretism from that era (e.g. Tonantzin/Our Lady of Guadalupe, the building of cathedrals where there were temples, co-opting local holidays to Christian festivals, etc.) I would not be surprised if the original name of the plant had religious connotations as well.  This is just speculation, however. Due to genocidal conquests and brutal cultural erasure, we may never know the original name, sadly.

• The flower is large, showy, and exuberant—Jupiterian words!  Jupiterian things tend to have the quality of “bursting at the seams,” and I see that in this flower.  Looking at the flower is like being blasted with a ray of pure, generous joy.  Open your heart to it, and I dare you not to smile!

• Passionflower is often worked with for sleep and dreaming, and this gives it an affinity for the sign of Pisces.  The religious connection to the last days of Christ also connects with the last sign of the Zodiac.

• When Passiflora made its way to China and was incorporated into TCM, they determined that it affects the liver meridian, particularly helpful when the liver sends excess “wind” or “heat” to the heart. Although I am hesitant to force corollaries between very different systems and cultures, it is interesting to note that Western herbalism also has a concept of the liver sending too much heat to the heart, leading to certain diseases.  In Western herbalism, Jupiter rules the liver. I am told by a friend who is a Chinese historian that Jupiter and the liver are also related in the Chinese system of correspondences. (They are both under the “Wood” element.)

• Passionflower contains GABA, and even more, it also increases and regulates the flow of GABA, particularly in the hippocampus.  GABA is an “inhibitory neurotransmitter,” meaning that it slows down excess firing of the nerves.  Some disorders of the nervous system are caused by inadequate or damaged nerve activity, but others are caused by excess, unmodulated nerve activity. For the latter, GABA can be helpful.  Another way to say it might be, GABA tames too much neural activity, just as Jupiter tames the excesses of Mercury.  Jupiter-ruled plants would be “antipathic” to Mercurial types of diseases, caused when Mercury is too dominant.  Because Passionflower has this antipathy to Mercurial types of ailments, it makes sense to give it to Jupiter, who is the opposite polarity of Mercury.  

How to work with Passionflower:

The fruit is delicious and nutritious!  But the medicinal value of the plant lies in the leaves, stems, and flowers.  Passionflower can be drunk in tea. Add 1 tsp dried leaf/flower to 1 cup hot water and steep for at least 5 minutes.  It has a mild earthy taste, with a slightly sour and astringent aftertaste; somewhat bitter but not overwhelmingly so.  If you don’t like the taste, it is mild and can easily be blended with tastier flavors (for example peppermint, or cinnamon, or whatever you enjoy). Passiflora is also effective in tincture or syrup.

—Doses and precautions

Passionflower is very safe and gentle, and can be taken every day in normal doses; however, use caution if you are taking beta blockers. Many people have reported no problems taking both, but theoretically Passiflora might work via the same pathways, so there could be unknown confluences. Some sources say not to take Passiflora while on MAOI inhibitors, but this advice comes from a few small studies, which were not using whole plant preparations, nor were they using the normal doses used in herbalism.  They were using high doses of single constituent extractions, which is not how herbalism is practiced. (Constituents behave differently when they are combined with the dozens of other constituents in a plant, compared to when they are extracted and purified.)  Herbalists report using Passionflower safely in people on MAOI inhibitors. Still, like with everything, your mileage may vary!

What is a normal dose? Dosage depends on what you are working on, but a safe starting point is 1 cup of tea, 1 tsp tincture, or 1 tblsp syrup twice per day.  Adjust up or down depending on body size and sensitivity, as well as the severity of the ailment. 

—When to call on Passionflower

The symbolism of Jupiter, the jolly gas giant, is about seeing the “bigger picture,” and focusing on broader meaning in life. When Mercury gets out of balance, we lose our sense of meaning, we hyperfixate on tedious details, and we obsess about minutiae.  We lose the forest for the trees. Passionflower helps us connect to the Jupiterian perspective and re-center our minds on higher matters. This makes it helpful for things like repetitive thoughts or anxious fixation on insignificant details.  

Can we learn anything about Passionflower’s medicinal applications using the Doctrine of Signatures? I do think the flower has some lessons. Notice how the squiggly petals have a kind of “frazzled” look to them. This can indicate the plant’s usefulness when nerves are frazzled, and thoughts are repeating over and over without going anywhere.

The herbalist Paul Bergner points out that Passionflower has a lot of delicate bits to it, and this correlates to how it is helpful for people who are highly sensitive, whether this means children, or the elderly, or someone in a fragile state of health. I would add that it is also helpful for anyone with a sensitive nervous system, no matter their age or state of health. It can help such folks more easily tune out annoying stimuli. This could make it a useful ally for people with autism or anyone who is prone to being overstimulated. I take Passionflower when I have to shop at a crowded store, go to a party, or have family over, since I am one of those high-sensitivity people! I get cranky or I shut down completely when things get chaotic, but Passionflower helps me stay in my joy.

Passionflower is often included in sleepytime blends, and it is often called a sedative. However, it does not actually directly stimulate sleep; instead, it removes barriers to normal sleep by gently relaxing the body and mind.  Most people can take normal doses during the day without getting sleepy, (but test it on yourself to be sure, since every body is different).  That said, if you do struggle with insomnia, consider whether your pattern of insomnia might be alleviated by Passionflower.  Does it come with intrusive, repetitive, or anxious thoughts?  Do you feel tense in your upper body and find it hard to relax? Do you mull over your to-do list in your mind?  Do you have disturbing, recurring dreams that awaken you in the middle of the night?  Passionflower may help these types of insomnia.

Passionflower is a helpful pain killer, although you need higher doses to achieve the anodyne effects. For pain relief, the tincture would be better than tea, since it’s easier to get higher doses that way.  Take 4-6 droppersful of tincture every two hours for pain, as needed. It will release seized muscles, so it is particularly helpful for pain that comes from muscular tension. It is common for bodies to react to pain by tensing the muscles; but this only creates more pain, unfortunately.  Passionflower soothes the muscles and releases their locked state.

Emotional effects

Another interesting thing to notice about the flower is how the dozens of tiny twirly petals create a kind of blurred effect around the edges.  This reminds me of how Pisces is known for having porous boundaries.

This tendency towards blurry boundaries can sometimes cause problems for Pisces, but it is also one of their strengths. At their best, Pisces hearts are soft and compassionate, open to the energies of others.  (Com-”passion” is a Pisces word!) Passionflower can work at this emotional level as well, bringing softness to a heart that has become hardened, jaded, or cynically turned in on itself. Everyone needs a strong sense of self, but it is equally important to have a strong sense of our interconnection with the rest of the world. When someone has lost that sense of connection, Passionflower can help coax it back.

I am planning to try to grow some Passionflower in my garden next year. I’m hoping I will be able to report success… We shall see!  Meanwhile, I take some Passionflower tincture almost every night before bed, and I add the dried herb to many of my tea blends. I love this plant, and I hope you will love it too!