Short answer: Passionflower has a small but real evidence base for sleep. In a double-blind crossover trial, 41 healthy adults rated their sleep quality significantly better after a week of passionflower tea than after a week of placebo tea. Two trials of passionflower extract in people with sleep problems found longer total sleep time than placebo. The effects are modest, the trials are short, and the US health agency that reviews herbs says the tea may be safe for up to seven nights, which is as long as it has been tested.
What passionflower is
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) is a climbing vine native to the southeastern United States and Central and South America. The dried leaves and flowers are brewed as tea or made into extracts, and it has a long history of use as a mild sedative. Today it is sold mainly for sleep and anxiety.
What the trials found
Three placebo-controlled trials are worth knowing, and they point the same way: a modest benefit.
| Study | Who | What they took | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ngan and Conduit, 2011 | 41 healthy adults aged 18 to 35 | One cup of passionflower tea nightly for a week, and placebo tea for a week, in a double-blind crossover | Of six sleep-diary measures, sleep quality was rated significantly better with passionflower. |
| Lee et al., 2020 | 110 adults with insomnia disorder | Passionflower extract or placebo for two weeks | Total sleep time on an overnight sleep recording increased significantly more than with placebo |
| Harit et al., 2024 (funded by JK Botanicals, which employs two of the authors) | 65 adults aged 18 to 60 with stress and insomnia | 600 mg of passionflower extract at bedtime for 30 days, or placebo | Lower perceived stress and longer self-reported sleep time than placebo |
The tea itself has been tested against a placebo tea, which matters if tea is how you plan to take it. The authors of that trial describe the result carefully: short-term subjective sleep benefits for healthy adults with mild fluctuations in sleep quality.
None of these trials was run in men only, and the longest lasted 30 days.
What to expect from a cup
Expect to feel that you slept a little better, not to sleep hours longer. In the tea trial the improvement showed up in how people rated their sleep. The measured gains in sleep time came from extracts, which are more concentrated than a cup of tea.
That still makes passionflower a reasonable choice for a man whose sleep is restless and who wants a caffeine-free evening habit. Restless sleep is the most common complaint in our audience: 45% of 825 quiz takers said their mind will not shut off at night, as we reported in our quiz results.
How to brew it
The tea trial used one cup a night of a low-dose passionflower tea. The rest is our suggestion.
- Timing: about an hour before bed.
- Steep: covered, five to ten minutes, water just off the boil.
- How long: give it a week of nightly cups, which is what the trial tested.
- Taste: mild and grassy. It blends well with chamomile.
Safety and who should skip it
The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says passionflower may be safe as a tea for up to seven nights, and as a daily extract for up to eight weeks. Beyond those periods, its safety has not been established. Its cautions:
- Side effects: drowsiness, dizziness and confusion are possible. Do not drive after a cup until you know how it affects you.
- Pregnancy: it should not be used in pregnancy.
- Surgery and medicines: with anesthesia or other drugs used around surgery it might slow the nervous system too much, so tell your doctor if you take it within two weeks of a scheduled operation. If you take any medicine, including sleep or anxiety medication, check with your doctor or pharmacist first.
Where it fits
Passionflower is one of six herbs in our Nighttime Blend, alongside hops, chamomile, skullcap, damiana and rooibos. The blend is caffeine-free. It does not contain magnesium or valerian, so magnesium for sleep is a separate question.
For the other herbs, see chamomile tea for sleep, hops for sleep and skullcap. For everything a cup cannot fix, start with the sleep guide.
Nighttime Blend: Hops, chamomile, skullcap, passionflower, damiana, and rooibos. Caffeine-free. Use code TFGBLOG at checkout for 10% off.
Shop Nighttime BlendFAQ
Does passionflower tea help you sleep?
In one double-blind trial, 41 healthy adults rated their sleep quality significantly better after a week of passionflower tea than after placebo tea. The effect was on how well they felt they slept.
How long does passionflower take to work?
The tea trial ran for one week of nightly cups, and the extract trials for two weeks and 30 days. Give it at least a week.
Can I drink passionflower tea every night?
It has only been studied as a tea for up to seven nights, and US health guidance says it may be safe for that long. Longer nightly use has not been tested either way.
Is passionflower or chamomile better for sleep?
They have not been compared head to head in the trials covered here. Passionflower tea has a placebo-controlled trial showing better self-rated sleep quality. Chamomile's clearest positive trial used an extract in older adults. Many people drink both.
Who should not take passionflower?
Pregnant women, anyone with surgery scheduled in the next two weeks, and anyone on medication, including sleep medication, who has not checked with a doctor or pharmacist first. It can cause drowsiness, so avoid driving after it until you know how it affects you.
Sources
- 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;25(8):1153-1159. PMID 21294203
- Lee J, Jung HY, Lee SI, Choi JH, Kim SG. 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;35(1):29-35. PMID 31714321
- Harit MK, Mundhe N, Tamoli S Sr, Pawar V, Bhapkar V, Kolhe G, Mahadik S, Kulkarni A, Agarwal A. Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Study of Passiflora incarnata in Participants With Stress and Sleep Problems. Cureus. 2024;16(3):e56530. PMID 38646244
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Passionflower. nccih.nih.gov/health/passionflower