Passion flower based food supplements
Products made from the above-ground plant material of Passiflora incarnata (passion flower) are often used to alleviate stress symptoms and promote sleep. In Europe, they are available either as authorised herbal medicinal products or as food supplements. For consumers, however, this difference is often not recognisable - with potentially significant consequences for product quality.
In this study, a total of 11 commercially available passionflower preparations were analysed. Six of these are marketed as dietary supplements, while the other five preparations are registered herbal medicinal products. The following parameters were used as quality markers:
- Authenticity (DC and UHPLC; UV and MS detection)
- Total flavone content (photometric and UHPLC; UV detection)
Conclusion: While the registered herbal medicinal products met the defined specifications and were all of very good quality, only one food supplement showed a positive identity. All other samples showed considerable deviations from the declaration.
Assessment of the products (incl. illustrations): The results obtained can be divided into the following categories (colours according to the traffic light principle). The results serve as an overview. A detailed tabular presentation of the products and results is provided.
Category 1: Products that fully comply with the declaration or that can be certified as being of very good overall quality (=high total flavone content)
Category 2: Products with the correct identity but not directly recommended overall
Category 3: Products that deviate from the declaration and whose authenticity could not be determined
P01
P03
P04
P05
P06
P07
P08
P09
P10
