## 1 Introduction  
Medicinal plants have been used as an alternative therapy for treating various diseases for millennia. Over the past decades, the pharmaceutical industry has been focused on synthetic compounds for drug discovery. Nowadays, there has been a growing interest in drugs based on natural compounds. Natural remedies often present mixtures of compounds that can exhibit a wide range of biological activities. Research has shown that different phytochemicals could have synergistic interactions, which could lead to reductions in adverse effects and enhancement of therapeutic outcomes [1]. Various diseases could be treated with drugs based on plants [2, 3, 4, 5]. In contrast, synthetic drugs, which generally contain pure substances, have gained prominence due to their low price, consistency, scalability and ability to modify chemical structures to enhance efficacy [6]. However, despite the advantage of targeting specific pathways with high precision, they often lack the diverse interactions found in natural products that can lead to a broader therapeutic effect. Recent research continues to report the presence of value and even the discovery of new molecules in medicinal plants, which has demonstrated great potential for applications in modern medicine. Medicinal plants are of great importance worldwide and hold global significance, whether used independently or as an adjunct to conventional treatments. Numerous studies have investigated their effects on human health, demonstrating their roles as antimicrobial, anticancer, antiviral, antioxidant, enzyme inhibitor, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, neuroprotective and anticoagulant agents [4; 7]. It is widely believed that approximately 30% of the therapeutic pharmaceuticals on the market are derived from natural sources, primarily microorganisms and plants [5]. In certain therapeutic domains, such as oncology, the drugs derived from plants can exceed 60% [2; 4]. Much research has been focused on studying the positive effects of new and unexplored medicinal plants on human health and their application in the development of new natural products [8]. The _Passiflora_ species were introduced in Europe during the 17 th century and have been greatly appreciated for their therapeutic effects [9]. For more than two centuries, these plants and their extracts have been used as a sedative for neurosis in several European countries, as well as in the United States and Canada [10]. The chemical composition of the species demonstrates the presence of various compounds, such as phenolics, cyanogenic acids, saponins, flavonoid-C-glycos, alkaloids, etc., which are recognized as its main constituents [11]. Vitexin, luteolin and apigenin, along with other flavones, have been pointed out as the main candidates responsible for the observed biological activities of the _Passiflora_ species and particularly for the prominent \"benzodiazepepine-like\" anxiolytic effect [12]. Because of this specific composition, different _Passiflora_ plants have been widely adopted by traditional medicine and applied in healing practices in numerous countries. The predominant pharmacological characteristics of plant extracts have been linked to their inhibitory effects on the central nervous system [13]. In addition, anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive properties, along with anxiogenic and anticonvulsant effects, hypoglycemic activity, sedative qualities, antibacterial efficacy, photoprotective activity, cytotoxic effects and anti-obesity potential, have been reported for some _Passiflora_ species [2; 9; 14; 15; 16]. _P. caerulea_ has been cultivated all over the world as an ornamental plant but also has been used in ethnopharmacology because of its nutritional benefits and medicinal properties [17]. The aerial parts, including the leaves, stems and tendrils, have been used in traditional medicine for years [18]. _P. caerulea_ contains various compounds that contribute to its medicinal and industrial uses, including phenolics, alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids and saponins [19].