Quick answer
NIH's National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health gives no safety statement specific to children. A 2023 systematic review describes one trial in 34 children that compared passionflower with methylphenidate and reported no serious side effects, with no placebo group. Ask a doctor, such as a pediatrician, before giving it to a child or teen.1,2
Key facts
- NCCIH gives no safety statement specific to children or teens; its limits of 7 nights for tea and 8 weeks for extract are not given by age.1
- A 2023 systematic review describes one trial in 34 children that compared passionflower with methylphenidate, each given twice a day, and reported no serious side effects.2
- In that trial anxiety and loss of appetite were recorded more often in the methylphenidate group, and the review says blinding was unclear.2
- The review describes no placebo-controlled trial of passionflower in children.2
- NCCIH lists drowsiness, dizziness and confusion as possible side effects, and LiverTox adds sedation and ataxia; the sources give no rate for children.1,3
What NIH's complementary health center says
NCCIH's passionflower fact sheet says passionflower has not been studied extensively. It lists attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder among the conditions for which there is not enough evidence, and it cites a 2023 systematic review of herbal medicines in children and adolescents among its key references.1
The fact sheet gives no safety statement for children or teens. Its limits, tea for up to 7 nights and a daily extract for up to 8 weeks, are given without an age, so a parent cannot tell from NCCIH whether they apply to a child.1
The one trial in children
The systematic review describes one trial that gave 34 children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder passionflower twice a day, while a control group took methylphenidate twice a day. Parent and teacher ratings did not differ significantly between the groups. The review reports no serious side effects, with anxiety and loss of appetite recorded more often in the methylphenidate group.2
This page reports what the trial said about side effects, not about effects on symptoms. The trial compared two products and had no placebo group, it was small, and the review says blinding of participants and assessors was unclear.2
Tea and extract
NCCIH describes passionflower as a tea and as an extract, and no study we found tested tea in children. Products also vary. In a 2025 analysis of products sold in Europe, five of six passionflower food supplements failed identity or content tests, so a label alone may not tell a parent what a child would receive.1,4
LiverTox says the genus Passiflora has more than 500 species and that other species reportedly lack the effects of Passiflora incarnata, the species NCCIH and the review describe. A product's species therefore matters, and a pharmacist can read the label.3
Effects reported mostly in adults
Possible side effects include drowsiness, dizziness and confusion.1
LiverTox adds that oral side effects are not common but can include dizziness, sedation, confusion and ataxia, which is unsteadiness in movement. Most of what is known comes from adults. How often these happen in children is not known.3
What is not known
- A dose of passionflower for any age under 18 from an official source. NCCIH gives none.1
- Whether passionflower alone behaves differently from placebo in children. The review describes no placebo-controlled trial.2
- Safety beyond the length of the one trial. The sources give no study of long-term use in children.2
Who should ask first
A parent or guardian can ask a doctor, such as a pediatrician, before giving a child any passionflower product, including tea. A teen who takes other medicines, sedatives or sleep medicines can ask a pharmacist, because drowsiness, dizziness and confusion are listed side effects and NCCIH says some herbs and medicines interact in harmful ways.1
Questions people ask
Is passionflower tea safe for kids?
No study we found tested passionflower tea in children. NCCIH's note on tea covers up to 7 nights without naming an age. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before giving tea to a child.1
Is passion flower safe for teens?
NCCIH gives no statement specific to teens, and the review describes no study of passionflower reported for teenagers on their own. A teen who takes other medicines can ask a pharmacist.1,2
Is passiflora safe for kids?
Passiflora is the plant genus. The children's trial in the review used Passiflora incarnata, and LiverTox says other species reportedly lack its effects. A pharmacist can check which species a product contains.2,3
Is passion flower extract safe for kids?
The one trial in the review gave children passionflower twice a day and compared it with methylphenidate, not with placebo. It reports no serious side effects but is too small and too limited to settle the question. Ask a doctor first.2
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Sources
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Passionflower. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health. Last updated April 2025. Opened 2026-10-07.
- Golsorkhi H, Qorbani M, Sabbaghzadegan S, Dadmehr M. Herbal medicines in the treatment of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): An updated systematic review of clinical trials. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2023;13(4):338-353. Opened 2026-10-11.
- Passionflower. In: LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; 2012 onward. Updated March 28, 2020. Read from the chapter text in NIH's LiverTox open-access archive. Opened 2026-10-11.
- Brouns A, Lechtenberg M, Hensel A. Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata): Quality of Food Supplements Versus Registered Herbal Medicinal Products. Planta Med. 2025;91(9):532-540. Opened 2026-10-07.
This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.