Passionflower and OCD: personal experiences
-
I had severe OCD for at least 2 years and milder forms for longer. During the second half of last year I experimented with a passiflora incarnata extract. I took it daily and experienced gradual reductions in OCD symptoms. I didn't notice ay acute effects. Noticeable reductions in OCD occurred only after using for 2-3 weeks, then symptoms continued to get better. After using it daily for ~2 month, time spent doing OCD related things reduced by ~70-80 percent. This is really significant, especially considering that I used to do them for 8-10 hours daily by my estimation. However, the extract doesn't seem to reduce symptoms any more than this no matter how long I continue to take it. The way it seems to work for me is that it reduces OCD-related anxiety significantly, therefore making it easier to just not do the things I would have previously felt like I needed to do.
I went a few weeks without the extract and my OCD gradually came back. It seems like I'll have to keep taking it to maintain it's effects. When I started taking the extract again, my OCD got better.
The extract I use is by Soria Natural. The only reason I use it instead of other extracts is because it's the only passionflower extract that doesn't contain ethanol that's available in a local health food store. I have no experience with other passionflower extracts and can't currently compare them. I use the product as recommended on the label.
