Is passionflower tea safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about passionflower tea during pregnancy?

1. Passionflower should not be used during pregnancy because it may bring on uterine contractions and possibly lead to other problems. 1
2. The same NIH source lists drowsiness, dizziness, and confusion as possible side effects, and warns that combining passionflower with anesthesia or other surgical medications might slow the nervous system down too much, so it's worth mentioning to a provider within two weeks of any scheduled procedure. 1
3. A separate NIH resource on passionflower's safety profile notes that side effects of oral use are not common but can include dizziness, sedation, confusion, and unsteady movement, consistent with its long history as a mild sedative and sleep aid. 2
4. Herbal products like passionflower are sold as supplements rather than regulated drugs, and a review of herbal medicine use in pregnancy found that most of these products are not tested in clinical trials during pregnancy, so an absence of reported problems isn't the same as proof of safety. 3
5. Even a clinical trial that found passionflower worked as well as a standard sedative before a dental procedure, without the memory side effects seen with the sedative, excluded pregnant and breastfeeding volunteers from taking part, which reflects how little pregnancy-specific safety data exists for this herb. 4

Is passionflower tea safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Passionflower tea is sometimes reached for as a calming, caffeine-free option early on, but NCCIH advises against passionflower during pregnancy because it may bring on uterine contractions. Pick a different tea for now and bring any sleep or anxiety concerns to your prenatal visit instead.
• Second trimester. The uterine-contraction concern NCCIH describes isn't specific to one stage of pregnancy, so the same avoid guidance carries through the second trimester. If anxiety or trouble sleeping is what's driving the interest, ask your provider about options that actually have pregnancy-specific data behind them.
• Third trimester. Third-trimester insomnia is common, and passionflower tea is often marketed for exactly that kind of sleeplessness, but this is also a stage where avoiding anything that might act on uterine muscle matters most. Save it for after delivery and ask your provider what's reasonable to try for sleep in the meantime.