Have you tried passionflower tea for relieving stress? Studies have shown that a tea made from the leaves of the passionflower vine (passiflora) promotes relaxation for a good night's rest. Studies have also shown that using passionflower as a supplement improved symptoms of menopause such as sleeplessness, depression, anger and headache. It's a nervine so do not take it if you're already taking a prescription sleep aid. Also, pregnant or nursing mothers should not use it. There are a number of different species, but the lavender one below is the correct one to use, not the blue variety. The vines have tendrils and will climb if there are other plants around to give it support. If not, they grow along the ground.
The leaves have three lobes and are the part you want to pick for the tea. I use a teaspoon of dried, crushed leaves per cup of water. Use two teaspoons per cup if using fresh leaves. Bring the water to a boil then pour over and steep the leaves for 15-20 minutes. I think the tea is more palatable when cooled slightly with a spoon of honey stirred in. Goodman and I have both tried the tea recently, and it has helped us relax and sleep through the night.
The fruit is an edible antioxidant. I well remember eating them as a child. Pick them as the color begins to lighten and let them ripen to a yellowish color. As always with any wild plant be sure you have identified it correctly and consult your physician with any concerns you may have.
In the garden: Here's a little trick for producing tomato plants very quickly. Take cuttings from the plants you already have and root them in water for a week or two.
You'll be surprised how fast the roots grow.
After rooting in water place the cutting in soil in a small pot for another two weeks.
A goldfinch takes a moment to ponder what a nice summer we're having.
Have a great week, Y'all!
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| Burgundy Stella d'oro lilies after a recent rain |
Shared at: So Much at Home, Savoring Saturdays, Wildcrafting Wednesday, The Art of Home-Making Mondays, The Backyard Farming Connection Hop,
lovely photos! i think i need to soak in that tea. :)
ReplyDeleteI hear you, Teresa, lol.
DeleteYour day Lilly is such a pretty color. Neat idea for producing more tomatoes in your garden.. It is always enlightening to read about your home made remedies... Enjoy your Summer. Hugs Judy
ReplyDeleteThank you, Judy. I hope we get more tomatoes before frost.
DeleteI have always been fascinated by the structure of the passion flower blossoms. Good to know that the leaves are.beneficial.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the little trick with the tomato cuttings. I will use that next year.
Kay, I should have posted the tomato trick earlier in the season. Sorry about that.
DeleteVery nice ! I did not know about the passion flower tea. I'm going to try !
ReplyDeleteI hope it works well for you, SB. Thanks for stopping by.
Deletewow. Great interesting post! I love herbals. I wish I had a garden.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Oh, I wish you had a garden, too. There are so many nifty plants to discover.
DeleteVery interesting! Thank you so much for the helpful information.
ReplyDeleteThinking of you and wishing you a lovely week!
Thank you for stopping by, Stephanie. I hope you have a great week as well.
DeleteMy husband used passionflower in the past for a sleep aid with good results... I would love to grow it! And this human typing may just need it for some of the other potential symptoms listed... As a precursor really... The tomato tips are wonderful! Will definitely try that! We get so much rain that our tomatoes are subject to many disease :( This can keep some back-up plants indoors for a time which I like... As always, a very informative visit :)
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I'm in need of this herb for several reasons, lol.
DeleteThank you so much for coming by. And thank you for the sweet comment and words of encouragement. I hope that my words are received by someone that will be encouraged.
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed day.
Sherry
Thank you, Sherry.
DeleteHi Toni, very interesting on the tomato cuttings. We will have to remember that and give it a try. Love your beautiful lilies!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Deb. Hope you have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteYou always have the most informative and lovely posts. My tomato plants look amazing and the produce blooms and then the blooms fall off. We have had few tomatoes but then I bought the seeds at the 99 cent store so maybe that's the issue. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad about your tomatoes, Elaine. I wonder if they're getting pollinated? It doesn't sound like it. I hope you manage to get some real tomatoes. Nothing better from the garden than homegrown tomatoes.
DeleteHello! Thanks for sharing this post with the readers at Wildcrafting Wednesday! There's a lot of good info here. And I love the color of the lilies! Hope you'll come back next week.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up your post at So Much At Home. I am glad that I found your blog as well. I love the beautiful Smoky Mountains!
ReplyDeleteInteresting about passionflower. I might try that, but I think I will just buy the tea. Very informative indeed. I am a new follower, hope you can visit one day.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a wonderful week.
Blessings,
Aida
Hi Magnolia, we're very firm believers in herbal remedies. Our ancesters knew so much about natural healing that we've tried to replace with synthetic medicines and have only managed to smooth over the symptoms of many things. Treating the entire person with natural medicines is such a wonderful thing. Thank you for posting about passionflower. Have a lovely week!
ReplyDeleteYour posting about the passionflower is very interesting. I didn't know it had so many medicinal purposes. I also enjoyed the information about rooting tomato plants. I enjoyed your posting a lot.
ReplyDeleteHi, Toni! Long time no "see"! :) I love trying different types of teas and learning the benefits of each. I will definitely remember that about tomatoes for next year! Your lilies are so nice.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week.
:)Vicki