Passionflower for Sleep Quality

Verdict: Weak evidence; may modestly aid sleep

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) has only weak, preliminary evidence for improving sleep quality: a few small, short trials hint at modest benefit, but the data are too limited and inconsistent to confirm it reliably works.

C 🟠 C Weak Evidence Published with Warning

🔬Why this grade7-layer evidence engine

The evidence is graded weak because it rests on just a handful of small, short trials with inconsistent doses and no high-quality meta-analysis. A 2011 trial of low-dose tea (n=41, 1 week) found subjectively better sleep versus placebo (PMID 21294203, p<0.01), and a 2024 extract trial (n=65, 4 weeks) reported longer sleep time and less stress (PMID 38646244) — but that study was industry-funded and rated low-quality.

Objective measures are softer than the subjective ratings. In a polysomnography trial (n=110, PMID 31714321), total sleep time rose only borderline-significantly (P=0.049), while sleep efficiency and wake-after-sleep-onset did not improve significantly. A 2020 systematic review of 9 RCTs (PMID 33352740) concluded passionflower may help with insomnia and stress, but flagged that study methods and durations varied widely (1–30 days) with no standardization.

Health authorities are cautious rather than endorsing. The US FDA lists passionflower only as a food-grade flavoring agent with no approved efficacy claim, and EFSA has authorized no health claim. Cleveland Clinic frames herbal teas as a relaxation and bedtime-routine aid rather than a proven remedy, and although the Sleep Foundation cites some evidence for passionflower tea, sleep-medicine specialists note the lack of solid efficacy and safety data. Note too that passionflower may add to the sedative effects of alcohol and sleep medications.

⚖️

Scoring transparency

All scores computed by a 7-layer evidence engine — fully auditable
Raw score 0.57
D
C
B
A
S
← counter-evidence / ineffectiveeffective / strong evidence →
Final grade
C · Published with Warning
Confidence
65%
Broadly consistent
Evidence level
E3
Single high-quality meta-analysis

How strongly each layer supports this effect

lower = less supportive
L1 ExamineGlobal benchmark
0.50
L5 Clinical bodiesAuthoritative stance
0.50
L11 AI re-checkIndependent read
0.50
L2 PubMedPrimary literature
0.60
L3 MechanismPlausibility
0.65
Against Mixed Supports
View the full decision path (audit trail)
  1. compute_raw_score — 加權公式: L2×0.30 + L3×0.25 + L5×0.25 + L11×0.10 + L1×0.10 = 0.568
  2. tier_from_score — 依分數區間映射至 tier letter
  3. apply_hec_rules — 無高階證據可裁決
  4. tier_strict_requirement_check — | B→C 因 scope.conflation_risk=true 且 L11 獨評較低 (B7-2 tier cap)
  5. detect_disputes — 偵測到 0 個 hard + 0 個 soft dispute
  6. decide_status — 依 tier + dispute 結果決定 status

📄PubMed studies (4)L2 · primary research & systematic reviews

Passiflora incarnata in Neuropsychiatric Disorders-A Systematic Review
PMID: 33352740 2020 系統性回顧
Finding: Review of 9 RCTs concludes passionflower may help reduce stress and be helpful in insomnia, but methods and durations varied widely (1-30 days).
View on PubMed
Effects of Passiflora incarnata Linnaeus on polysomnographic sleep parameters in subjects with insomnia disorder
PMID: 31714321 2020 RCT (double-blind) n = 110
Finding: Total sleep time significantly increased vs placebo (P=0.049); sleep efficiency and WASO improved but not significantly.
Government
View on PubMed
Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Study of Passiflora incarnata in Participants With Stress and Sleep Problems
PMID: 38646244 2024 RCT (double-blind) n = 65
Finding: Significant reduction in stress score and significant increase in total sleep time vs placebo over 30 days; no adverse effects.
🟠 Limited quality ⚠️ Industry-funded
View on PubMed
A double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation of the effects of Passiflora incarnata (passionflower) herbal tea on subjective sleep quality
PMID: 21294203 2011 RCT (double-blind) n = 41
Finding: Sleep quality rated significantly better for passionflower vs placebo (t(40)=2.70, p<0.01).
🟠 Limited quality Academic
View on PubMed

🏛️Regulatory & authoritative positionsL4/L5 · FDA / EMA / NIH ODS / Cochrane / Mayo …

L4a US FDA
Neutral
PASSION FLOWER (PASSIFLORA INCARNATA L.) source↗
L4b EU EFSA
Neutral
L4d TW TFDA / 衛福部
Cautious
未經確認其食用安全性前,不得供為食品原料使用。 source↗
L5c Cleveland Clinic
Neutral
Other herbal teas may also help with rest and relaxation, especially if they get you into the routine habit of winding down before bed. source↗
L5e Specialty Society (condition-mapped)
Cautious
There is evidence that drinking a single cup of passionflower tea can help you sleep better. source↗
PMID 100% verifiedevery citation checked via NCBI Entrez
🔬4 PubMed studiesindependently re-checked by multiple sub-agents
engine_version: v1.0 claim_id: CLM-COND-sleep-quality-INT-passionflower-001 繁體中文版 →