Passiflora incarnata

Passiflora incarnata (passionflower) for calm behaviour in dogs

Passiflora incarnata is included as part of Calm's calming botanicals active ingredients.

Passiflora incarnata, also known as passionflower, is a calming botanical traditionally used to support relaxation and nervous-system balance. Its bioactive compounds are studied for their interaction with pathways involved in stress response, restlessness, and emotional regulation. Within the formula, Passiflora supports a calmer behavioural state and complements Camellia sinensis as part of the botanical calming system.

Passionflower's traditional use for relaxation now has mechanism research behind it, and it acts on a different pathway than Camellia sinensis, which is why the two are combined rather than used alone.

A long history, now backed by mechanism research

Passionflower has been used traditionally for relaxation for a long time, well before there was any research explaining why it might work. More recent studies have looked at its interaction with nervous-system pathways involved in stress response and restlessness, giving that traditional use a plausible biological basis.

A 2020 systematic review of Passiflora incarnata in neuropsychiatric contexts summarised this evidence, and an earlier controlled study specifically measured anti-anxiety effects from Passiflora extracts.

Why it sits next to green tea in the formula

Passionflower and Camellia sinensis's L-theanine are thought to act on related but not identical mechanisms, both connected to calm behaviour and nervous-system balance. Combining the two is a deliberate attempt to support a calmer baseline from more than one direction, rather than depending on a single compound to do all the work.