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Passiflora edulis

Passion fruit

Generally recognised as safe

Other names: Passion fruit

Passion fruit—tropical fruit widely grown in Brazil.

Climbing tendril herb with showy flowers and berries.

Family
Passifloraceae
Plant type
Climbing herb
What the safety levels mean (expand legend)
  • Generally recognised as safe. Often a common herb with reasonable harvest and use; still read the specific warnings on the card.
  • Information. Primarily informational — details in the text and warnings below matter most.
  • Caution. Needs extra care (dose, duration, sensitive groups, interactions).
  • Risky. Significant risks — verify sources, contraindications and professional guidance.
  • Not for home experimentation. Not suitable to experiment with at home without knowledge and certainty.
  • High risk for internal use. Particular risk with internal use (e.g. alkaloids); avoid prolonged or irresponsible dosing.
  • Not specified. Level not filled in yet — rely on individual warnings and links below.
Passion fruit — plant habitus (Wikimedia Commons).

Photograph on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Plant habit

Quick overview

A practical summary; details are in the sections below.

Safety grade
Generally recognised as safe details
Scientific sources on the card
No published records yet
When and what to harvest
  • Fruit — January–December
Full harvest section
Processing methods

Syrup, Culinary use

All methods and recipes on the card
Topics and symptoms

Digestion, Topic

Topics section, Symptoms overview

Identification and mix-ups

Filamentous corona; oval fruit by cultivar.

Possible mix-ups and risks

Other Passiflora by fruit and tendrils.

Similar herbs

No related herbs are linked yet.

Topics and symptoms

More topics are in the symptoms and topics overview.

  • Digestion
    Culinary· Traditional / cultural framing
  • Topic
    Traditional· Traditional / cultural framing

Sources

Geographic occurrence

  • Brazil

    Common (expected wild occurrence in the region)

Harvest

  • FruitJanuary–December

    celoročně

    Region: Brazil

    Notes: Fruits are gathered from the ground after dropping or picked when the skin reaches full colour (yellow for maracujá-amarelo, purple for roxo) and starts to wrinkle — a wrinkled skin means the sweetest pulp. In Brazil the harvest runs all year.

Storage

  • Refrigeration(Fruit)

    Whole fruits keep 1–2 weeks in the fridge; pulp with seeds frozen in cubes keeps 6 months.

Processing methods on this herb card

  • Syrup(Fruit)Suitability: High suitability

    Decoction or infusion with sweetener and reduction; shelf life depends on sugar and storage.

    Full method description (from the catalogue)

    Syrups combine a herbal base with sugar or honey and often a short boil to concentrate and improve hygiene. Preservation depends strongly on water content, sugar level, and bottling practice.

    Home syrups may fall under food rules; store in the fridge after opening per recipe.

    Traditional context for this method: yes·Scientific context for this method: no

    Passion fruit syrup

    About 25 minBeginnerScience profile

    Open recipe →

  • Culinary use(Fruit)Suitability: High suitability

    Cooking, baking, seasoning as food — general category without therapeutic claims.

    Full method description (from the catalogue)

    Culinary use covers herbs as ingredients in dishes, drinks, or spice mixes. This overview does not evaluate medicinal effects — only reminds you about species intent, allergies, and heat treatment where needed (e.g. some fruits or plant parts).

    Combining with alcohol, sugar, or long cooking changes outcomes; verify culinary sources.

    Traditional context for this method: yes·Scientific context for this method: no

Traditional / spiritual use

Kept separate from science — entries are cultural or symbolic, not medical advice.

  • The flower of the Passion — how missionaries read it

    Symbolism

    Historical mentionMythologySymbolism

    Spanish and Jesuit missionaries in South America saw the instruments of Christ's Passion in the passionflower: the radiating corona as the crown of thorns, three stigmas as nails, five anthers as the five wounds, tendrils as whips. Jacomo Bosio described the flower in 1609 as 'the miraculous flower of the New World', and both the name flos passionis and the Portuguese maracujá ('food in a bowl', from Tupi) survive today. A historical and religious record, not an effect.

    Form:
    květ jako obraz Kristova utrpení
    Claim strength:
    Historical mention
    Source note:
    Jacomo Bosio, Della trionfante e gloriosa croce (1610); Linnaeus, Species Plantarum (Passiflora, 1753); Tupi etymology.

Scientific notes

Each claim lists a study type and a source (URL or DOI) where available. Dose notes from the literature are informational only.

How to read evidence strength and study type labels

Labels summarise how the catalogue entry is tagged — they are not a medical verdict on efficacy. For every row, read the summary, limitations and source link.

Evidence strength

Evidence level not specified
The author did not grade the record; judge from the summary, limitations and source link.
Narrative / orientational literature
Descriptive or expert literature without controlled group comparison — context rather than proof of effect.
Weak evidence
Study or conclusion with major methodological limits; treat only as a pointer for further reading.
Preliminary findings
First or smaller studies — interesting direction, not the final word on efficacy or safety.
Moderate strength of evidence
Moderate strength by study design; sample and context limits still apply.
Stronger evidence
Stronger design or consistency of results within the study's stated limits.
Review article
A review summarises multiple sources; quality depends on review method and field.

Study type

Narrative / expert text
Expert text or overview without a classical study design.
In vitro study
Cell culture or test-tube experiment — does not show an effect in the body.
Animal study
Animal model — transfer to humans is not automatic.
Observational study
Observing groups without random treatment assignment; confounding is possible.
Clinical trial
Human clinical trial; sample size and control group matter.
Randomised controlled trial
Randomised controlled trials are among the stronger designs when well conducted.
Review study
A review aggregates multiple papers — quality depends on selection rules.
Systematic review
Systematic review with explicit search and selection methodology.
Meta-analysis
Statistical pooling of studies; outcome depends on input data and heterogeneity.
Regulatory assessment / monograph (EMA, WHO…)
Regulatory body summary for a herbal product — different context from a single RCT; often about products, not home tea.
Expert monograph (herbal preparations)
Structured literature summary for a plant or drug — quality depends on author and edition year.

No published study records yet.

Images

The main photo is in the card header. More images will appear here when available.

Safety

What the warning types mean

The type on each warning helps group themes — it does not replace the separate severity badge.

Internal use
Risks from swallowing, extracts, duration of use or concentration for internal use.
Interactions / medicines
Possible effect on medicines or concurrent treatment — check sources and a professional.
Raw plant parts
Raw, unripe or poorly prepared plant parts can be dangerous.
Toxins and regulation
Toxic constituents or regulated compounds (e.g. in distillates).
Contact with the plant
Skin or mucosa irritation from contact with fresh plant or sap.
Allergy
Allergic reactions, often linked to family sensitisation.
Harvesting and contamination
Contamination, species mix-ups or harvesting from unsuitable places.

No structured safety records yet.