Embrace Your Passion for Passion Fruit
Passion fruit is loaded with heart-healthy potassium and is also low in sodium, both of which help to decrease blood pressure.
True to its name, passion fruit, its flowers, and its vines, have inspired researchers around the world to delve into the special properties of this delicious fruit.
Originally cultivated by the Aztecs, who prepared drinks from the fruit, passiflora was introduced to Europe in 1629 by Spanish Jesuit missionaries in Brazil. The Passiflora genus is estimated to have more than 500 species, most producing fruits for consumption, medicinal use, and industrial processing.
Purple and yellow Passiflora edulis are most commonly cultivated varieties but passion fruits also come in red and green. Passion fruit is an excellent source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Their unique tangy flavor seems to combine guava, mango, pineapple and melon. The oval fruit contains a soft pulp with many seeds inside a hard rind.
Benefits
Passiflora incarnata has long been used in folk medicine. The roots were used in an infusion to treat boils, draw out inflammation from wounds, treat ear aches and liver problems, and as a sedative for nervous conditions. TCM prescribes a soup from passiflora pulp to treat ailments such as cough, hoarseness, constipation, arthralgia, dysentery, and insomnia.
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The peel contains high levels of polyphenols, fiber, and trace elements. It has been used for making wine or tea, cooking, medicine, and pectin extraction. The edible seeds are high in protein and linoleic and oleic oils.
Heart
Passion fruit is loaded with heart-healthy potassium and is also low in sodium, both of which help to decrease blood pressure. When eaten with the seeds, passion fruit contains a lot of fiber, which can help remove excess cholesterol from inside blood vessels.
Brain
Scientists know that antioxidants help protect the nervous system from damage and improve blood flow, specifically to the brain. They have the potential to enhance your ability to think clearly as well as help prevent or reduce symptoms of depression.
Cancer
Studies have been done examining the anti-cancer properties of passiflora. One 2020 study in Brazil on mice with cancerous tumors concluded that passiflora leaf extract has cytotoxic and antitumor activity.
Sleep
Passiflora incarnata has sedative and relaxing effects, as demonstrated in a study on mice. The leaves of Passiflora edulis are rich in flavonoids and alkaloids that are beneficial for sleep problems and are used as a treatment for anxiety and insomnia in the United States and Europe. Tea made from the leaves has anxiety-relieving properties.
Digestion
Passiflora is a good source of fiber,
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