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Is passionflower safe during pregnancy?

Written by the Full Measure editorial team, which sells supplements. Approved for publication by the Full Measure owners. Updated .

Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed below. How we write these

Quick answer

NIH's National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says passionflower should not be used during pregnancy because it may induce uterine contractions and possibly lead to other problems. The only human data are a report of five pregnancies, which cannot show cause. Anyone pregnant who has used it can ask their doctor or midwife.1,2,3

Key facts

  • NIH's NCCIH says passionflower should not be used during pregnancy because it may induce uterine contractions and possibly lead to other problems.1
  • NCCIH makes this statement apart from its notes on tea and extract, and gives no exception for either form or for any stage of pregnancy.1
  • The only human report we found describes five pregnant women with depression or anxiety who used passionflower; it lists complications but, with no comparison group, cannot show cause.2
  • In rats given 30 or 300 mg per kg by mouth from conception to weaning, the mothers' reproduction and the pups' physical development did not change, but adult male offspring at the higher dose had disrupted mating behavior.3
  • LiverTox notes that the genus Passiflora has more than 500 species and that other species reportedly lack the effects of Passiflora incarnata, the plant NCCIH describes.4

What NIH's complementary health center says about pregnancy

NCCIH's passionflower fact sheet, last updated April 2025, says passionflower should not be used during pregnancy because it may induce uterine contractions and possibly lead to other problems. It gives no exception for tea, for extract, or for any stage of pregnancy, and it gives no amount that would fall below the concern.1

NCCIH makes the statement separately from its general limits of up to 7 nights for tea and up to 8 weeks for daily extract. Those limits do not mention pregnancy.1

NIH's liver injury database, LiverTox, does not discuss pregnancy. It describes passionflower as an extract of the flowers of Passiflora incarnata that is claimed to have natural sedative properties.4

What the few human and animal studies show

A 2018 case series described five pregnant women with depression or anxiety who used Passiflora incarnata. It lists one neonatal death, two pregnancies with early rupture of the membranes, two infants with meconium aspiration and one with persistent pulmonary hypertension, and reports no birth defects at 6 months. Its authors say no human data had been reported before and that exposed pregnancies should be monitored.2

A report of five cases has no comparison group, so it cannot show whether passionflower caused any of those outcomes. It shows mainly how little human information exists.2

In rats, doses of 30 or 300 mg per kg given by mouth from conception to weaning did not change the mothers' reproduction or the pups' physical development. At the higher dose, adult male offspring had disrupted mating behavior, and the authors suggest that inhibition of the enzyme aromatase may be involved. A rat study cannot show what happens in pregnant women.3

Tea, extract, passionfruit and other Passiflora

NCCIH's caution is about passionflower, Passiflora incarnata, as sold in teas and extracts. LiverTox notes that Passiflora has more than 500 species and that other species reportedly lack the medicinal effects of Passiflora incarnata. The sources on this page do not address passion fruit or its juice. That is not a finding either way, so ask your doctor or midwife.1,4

NCCIH does not separate early pregnancy from later pregnancy, so its statement covers every stage. A person who took passionflower before learning of a pregnancy can ask their doctor or midwife to look at the product and the amount.1

What is not known

  • Whether any amount or form of passionflower avoids the concern NCCIH describes. NCCIH gives no amount.1
  • How passionflower affects a baby. We found no controlled study in pregnant women.
  • Whether a product holds what its label says. In a 2025 analysis of products sold in Europe, five of six passionflower food supplements failed identity or content tests.5

Who should ask a doctor or midwife first

  • Anyone who is pregnant and has used passionflower in any form, including tea.1
  • Anyone with a scheduled procedure within 2 weeks. NCCIH says passionflower might slow the nervous system too much alongside anesthesia and advises talking to a health care provider.1
  • Anyone who takes sedatives or sleep medicines. Drowsiness, dizziness and confusion are possible side effects of passionflower.1

This page reports what the sources say. A doctor or midwife can look at the product, the amount and the stage of pregnancy.

Questions people ask

Is passionflower tea safe during pregnancy?

NCCIH says passionflower should not be used during pregnancy and makes no exception for tea. Its separate note on tea covers up to 7 nights of use and does not mention pregnancy. Ask your doctor or midwife.1

Is passionfruit safe during pregnancy?

The sources on this page are about passionflower, Passiflora incarnata, and do not address the fruit. That is not a finding either way, so ask your doctor or midwife.1,4

Is passiflora safe during pregnancy?

Passiflora is the plant genus, with more than 500 species. NCCIH's caution is about Passiflora incarnata, and LiverTox says other species reportedly lack its effects. Ask your doctor or midwife about any Passiflora product.1,4

Is passionflower safe during early pregnancy?

NCCIH's statement covers pregnancy as a whole and does not separate trimesters. We found no study of passionflower in early pregnancy. Ask your doctor or midwife.1

Is passion flower extract safe during pregnancy?

NCCIH makes no exception for extracts. Its separate note on daily extract covers up to 8 weeks of use and does not mention pregnancy. Ask your doctor or midwife.1

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Sources

  1. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Passionflower. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health. Last updated April 2025. Opened 2026-10-07.
  2. Ozturk Z, Kalayci CC. Pregnancy outcomes in psychiatric patients treated with passiflora incarnata. Complement Ther Med. 2018;36:30-32. Opened 2026-10-11.
  3. Bacchi AD, Ponte B, Vieira ML, de Paula JC, Mesquita SF, Gerardin DC, Moreira EG. Developmental exposure to Passiflora incarnata induces behavioural alterations in the male progeny. Reprod Fertil Dev. 2013;25(5):782-789. Opened 2026-10-11.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.