Current trends in medicine have become increasingly directed towards the use of
phytotherapy and the avoidance of the use of synthetic drugs, except for the cases when it is
strictly necessary. Phytotherapy is a real possibility in modern therapeutics. Therefore, in
recent years, there has been a rapid and explosive growth in the cultivation of sources of plant
raw materials. Among the plant species researched in recent years, Passiflora incarnata L.,
also called maypop, purple passionflower, true passionflower, wild apricot or wild passion
vine, stands out as one of the most promising.
Passiflora incarnata is a perennial vine, in which the axial stems, longitudinally
striated, gray-purple, with thin and smooth tendrils, grow about 2-3 m long under the climatic
conditions of the Republic of Moldova, and in the natural habitat of the species – in Central
America – they reach about 8 m. The leaves are alternate, petiolate, glabrous, 3-lobed, with
finely serrated margin, the middle lobe being better developed, intense green, bright. The
flowers are long-pedunculated, white, large, fragrant, reaching up to 6 cm in diameter, pink or
purple in the centre. The flowering is staggered and lasts from mid-summer to late autumn.
The fruit is an ovoid, green-brownish berry, edible and flavoured, with a smooth surface, the
pulp is yellow, gelatinous. The seeds are brown-black, flat, with a reticulated-alveolate
surface. The mass per 1000 seeds is 24-33 g (Мusteaţă Grigore, 2014).
Among the basic components that are present in the herba of the plant, we would like
to mention: flavonoids, mainly C-glycosides of apigenin and luteolin; schaftoside,
isoschaftoside, vitexin, isovitexin, orientin, indole alkaloids (harman, harmine, harmol,
harmalol), essential oil, phenolic acids, fatty acids, coumarins, cyanogenic glycosides,
phytosterols. Passiflora is appreciated and used in the pharmaceutical industry as a raw
material for the production of medicines. The aerial parts of the plant are used – leaves, nonlignified
stems, flowers and fruits. The main therapeutic effects are: spasmolytic,
antidepressant, sedative-tranquilizer and anticonvulsant, phyto-tranquilizer in the treatment of
anxiety or psychomotor agitation (Ursula Stănescu et al., 2004).
P. incarnata was used in the folk medicine by native peoples of Central America.
Currently, it is widely used against insomnia, epilepsy, persistent and severe anxiety. It has
calming effects, which induce sleep and relieve muscle spasms. Unlike synthetic sleeping
pills, this plant induces restful sleep. Passiflora is used to treat gastritis, colitis and neuralgia.
Studies have shown that the presence of glycosides stimulates breathing and helps lower
blood pressure. It is recommended for palpitations, asthma or menopausal disorders.
Passionflower is known as a plant that helps overcoming fear and anxiety due to its sedative
properties, which provide a calming and relaxing effect.
For this reason, it is intensively used in naturopathy and homeopathy in nervous
exhaustion and attention deficit disorders (Carole Minker, 2016). Baths with passionflower
have a calming effect and can relieve anxiety and insomnia. In local applications, it helps
calming haemorrhoids. The food and beverage industry uses passionflower extract as
flavouring. It is in demand in the cosmetics industry, being an ingredient in hair care products
(shampoos, conditioners and hairsprays) and body care products, especially for babies. Skin
care products that contain passionflower extract are indicated for dry, cracked skin as an
effective emollient, they prevent dehydration and have anti-aging effects.
Passionflower, which has multiple uses, is cultivated in Europe as a medicinal and
ornamental plant. Being a polymorphic species with a high adaptive potential, it has been
tested and cultivated in several countries in areas with temperate and Mediterranean climate
(Italy, Spain, Germany). In 2019, after receiving seeds by international exchange from the
«Pavel Covaci» Botanical Garden, Macea, Romania, we initiated research on aspects of its
introduction, bio-ecological peculiarities of development and the production of raw material
of the species P. incarnata. The research was conducted in 2019-2021 in the collection of
aromatic plants, within the Laboratory of Plant Resources. The seedlings were grown in
greenhouses on a nutritious substrate consisting of chernozem, peat and river sand in a ratio of
2:1:1. The seeds were sown in April, when air temperatures in the greenhouse exceeded
20 °C. The seedlings were transplanted in the field, on common chernozem, in late May-early
June, when they were 15-17 cm tall. The development of axial shoots with 6-7 new leaves
was observed at the end of June. At the beginning of July, the first flower buds appeared, so,
the budding stage began. At the end of July, the flowering stage began. The flowers opened at
9-10 in the morning and closed after sunset. The full flowering occurred at the end of August.
The beginning of fruit development occurred in mid-September. The fruits ripened at the end
of October. The growing season of the plants obtained from seeds lasted 200 days, and of 2-3-
year-old plants – 148 days.

During the growing season, the plants were irrigated when needed and kept clean of
weeds. In the current year (2021), due to the large amounts of precipitation, the plants went
through the whole development cycle without irrigation. Harvesting was carried out in the
stage of full flowering – fruit development. During this period, the plants formed a biomass
that occupied the entire surface of the soil with growing, leafy shoots and reproductive
organs, from buds to ripe fruits. Harvesting was done manually by cutting the shoots at a
height of 15-20 cm from the ground. The harvested plants were dried in the shade or in direct
sunlight, in air currents, at natural temperature. Under the conditions of the Republic of
Moldova, the structure of the harvest with a single cutting per season is about 55 % leaves,
26 % stems and 19 % fruits.
The research shows that the species P. incarnata, although of subtropical and tropical
origin, has a great adaptive potential and can be successfully cultivated under the climatic
conditions of the Republic of Moldova, being propagated by seedlings, grown early in a
greenhouse, and by rhizomes. The plants are able to complete the entire development cycle,
producing viable seeds. The rhizomes can serve as planting material for the creation of new
plantations. In the areas with subtropical climate, passionflower propagated mainly by
rhizomes. During 2019-2020, under the conditions of our country, the plants developed
rhizomes, located deep in the soil. In late autumn, the plants, being covered with soil, did not
freeze. In spring, from the buds of rhizomes found at a depth of 20 cm, the plants regenerate.
The first plants emerge from the apical buds and usually occupy the available soil in the row
and between rows. That is why, in the second and following years, passionflower spreads
over the entire area of the plantation.
The research was supported by the NARD through the project «Research and
conservation of vascular flora and macromycobiota of the Republic of Moldova»,
20.80009.7007.22
References
Carole Minker 200 de plante care ne vor binele. Bucureşti: RAO, 2016. 300 р. ISBN
978-606-776-027-9
Мusteaţă Grigore Pasiflora (Pasiflora incarnata L.) în cultura de câmp în Republica
Moldova. Chişinău, 2014, Tip. Print-Caro. ISBN 978-9975-56-159-4.
Ursula Stănescu, Monica Hancianu, Anca Miron. Plante medicinale de la A la Z:
Monografii ale Produselor de Interes terapeutic.Vool.II., Iaşi, 2004. 420 р. ISBN 973-7906-
74-8.