Does passionflower help with anxiety and sleep?

Small trials hint that passionflower may ease anxiety and improve sleep quality. The studies are few and small, so the evidence is early.

Published October 2026

Short answer

Small trials hint that passionflower may ease mild anxiety and improve sleep, but the evidence is early and mixed. Evidence grade C (Limited). Several small randomised trials (36 to 110 people) with mixed results; a 2022 network meta-analysis found no significant anxiety effect; downgraded for small size and inconsistency.

Key takeaways

Before surgery, 500 mg of a branded passionflower extract lowered anxiety more than placebo, without extra sedation in a 60-person trial [1].
In a 36-person trial for generalised anxiety, a passionflower extract did about as well as the anti-anxiety drug oxazepam over four weeks [2].
A 2022 network meta-analysis of 29 trials found passionflower did not significantly reduce anxiety scores overall [3].
In a 110-person trial of people with insomnia, passionflower raised total sleep time more than placebo over two weeks, but other sleep measures did not differ [4].
One case report describes dizziness and shaking when passionflower and valerian were taken with the sedative lorazepam [5].

The short version

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) may help with anxiety and sleep, but the evidence is early. Small trials found lower anxiety before surgery, and a passionflower extract matched the anti-anxiety drug oxazepam in one trial for generalised anxiety [1][2]. Larger reviews are less certain, so treat any benefit as modest and not yet confirmed.

What the studies show

In a double-blind trial of 60 adults having day surgery, 500 mg of a branded passionflower extract taken 90 minutes before the operation lowered anxiety scores more than placebo, without causing extra sedation [1]. In a pilot trial of 36 adults with generalised anxiety, a passionflower extract taken for four weeks did about as well as oxazepam, and people on oxazepam more often had problems with job performance [2].

The reviews are more mixed. A 2022 network meta-analysis of 29 trials of 12 herbs found passionflower did not significantly reduce anxiety scores in the overall comparison, though the authors thought it worth more study [3]. A 2020 review of nine trials in people with neuropsychiatric conditions found most reported less anxiety, with a weaker effect in people with mild symptoms [6].

For sleep, a 2020 trial of 110 adults with insomnia gave passionflower extract or placebo for two weeks. In a sleep lab, total sleep time rose more with passionflower than with placebo (P = 0.049), but sleep efficiency and time awake after falling asleep did not differ [4]. An earlier trial of 41 healthy adults found that a cup of passionflower tea gave better self-rated sleep quality than placebo over one week per treatment [7].

The nuances

The trials used different preparations: a branded extract before surgery [1], a liquid extract for anxiety [2] and a tea for sleep [7]. Results may not carry over from one product to another. A review of the clinical trials found that many were small and poorly described, with unclear extract strength and unclear blinding methods [8]. A 2022 trial of a four-herb product that included passionflower lowered self-rated tension and anxiety in 31 healthy adults, but that mixture does not show passionflower alone works [9].

Safety data are limited. Across nine trials, no adverse effects were observed [6]. In a 2006 questionnaire of Italian women who used herbal products, some reported skin reactions after passionflower [10]. The main interaction concern is with sedatives: one case report describes dizziness, shaking and muscle fatigue in a man who took passionflower and valerian with lorazepam [5]. No studies on pregnancy or breastfeeding turned up in our searches.

What this means for you

For anxiety or poor sleep, the studies give a modest, early signal rather than a reliable result. Persistent anxiety or insomnia deserves a check-up. If you take a sedative or an anti-anxiety medicine, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before trying passionflower, and see the passionflower topic page for the full safety picture.

Go deeper

Passionflower — Passionflower may modestly ease anxiety and improve sleep quality, based on a few small trials.

References

Preoperative oral Passiflora incarnata reduces anxiety in ambulatory surgery patients: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.. Anesth Analg, 2008.
Passionflower in the treatment of generalized anxiety: a pilot double-blind randomized controlled trial with oxazepam.. J Clin Pharm Ther, 2001.
Medicinal herbs for the treatment of anxiety: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.. Pharmacol Res, 2022.
Effects of Passiflora incarnata Linnaeus on polysomnographic sleep parameters in subjects with insomnia disorder: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study.. Int Clin Psychopharmacol, 2020.
Interactions of Valeriana officinalis L. and Passiflora incarnata L. in a patient treated with lorazepam.. Phytother Res, 2009.
Passiflora incarnata in Neuropsychiatric Disorders-A Systematic Review.. Nutrients, 2020.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation of the effects of Passiflora incarnata (passionflower) herbal tea on subjective sleep quality.. Phytother Res, 2011.
Passiflora incarnata L.: ethnopharmacology, clinical application, safety and evaluation of clinical trials.. J Ethnopharmacol, 2013.
The chronic effects of a combination of herbal extracts (Euphytose®) on psychological mood state and response to a laboratory stressor: A randomised, placebo-controlled, double blind study in healthy humans.. J Psychopharmacol, 2022.
Safety implications regarding use of phytomedicines.. Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 2006.