Clitoria Ternatea

Clitoria Ternatea

Other Names : Asian pigeonwings, bluebellvine, blue pea, butterfly pea, cordofan pea and Darwin pea, Kembang Telang, Koyala, Dintena, Sangupushpam, Asphota, Girikarni, Visnukrãntã, sankhapuspi, Sephanda, svetã, Mahãsvetã, Kittelbloem, Blue Matcha
This flower plant is native to Indonesia and Malaysia, but right now due to its benefits for human health, this flower plant has been introduced as far as Australia, America and Africa. Known for its luminous indigo colour, Butterfly Pea has traditionally been used as a vegetable in cooking, to colour deserts or to make a strikingly vibrant coloured tea.

Special Precautions of Clitoria Ternatea

• Clitoria Ternatea has blood sugar lowering properties so diabetic patients should be cautious when using this herb.
• This herb has been proven as a safe herb and there was no any major side effects or mortality even at doses of up to 3000 mg per kg of body weight when tested on rats for a period of 4 days.

Health Benefits and Uses of Clitoria Ternatea

Butterfly Pea is jam-packed full of health promoting antioxidants, flavonoids and peptides and has shown considerable promise in animal studies as a natural remedy for a range of health complaints.

• External Uses:
  • It alleviates swelling and pain.
  • It has haemostatic action and hence it is useful in bleeding piles. Piles are cleaned with the **decoction and the paste of the whole plant is applied over it.
  • Leaf juice is used as nasal drops in a headache.
  • The decoction is used for gargling in stomatitis
  • for cleaning wounds : prevents infection.
  • Treats Insect Bites or Poisonous Bites of Snake : Among Asian people, poisonous bites of snake and insect could be treated naturally by this beautiful flower plant though seeing a doctor immediately is still highly recommended to prevent further issue.
  • Hair Loss : In ancient Thai medicine, Butterfly Pea herb has been used for centuries to treat male pattern baldness and premature greying. A key ingredient in Butterly Pea is Anthocyanin, thought to increase blood flow in the scalp and sustain and fortify hair follicles
  • Many beauty products have also been derived from Butterfly Pea because of the effects of the flavanoid, quercetin has on skin and hair.
• Internal uses
  • Brain Health : a powder made from the ground-up leaves of the butterfly pea can enhance memory and brain power. A team of researchers in India found that butterfly pea increases the levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is important for communication in your brain. And it’s one of the brain chemicals that decreases the most as you age.
  • It has a tranquilizing effect on the brain and hence used in vertigo and brain weakness.
  • Dementia : Some animal studies have shown how effective Clitoria ternatea in improving ability of a mouse in memorizing, so it is possible to treat dementia in human.
  • Effective in treating infertility problems in male and female. Being spermatogenic, it is given in semen debility.
  • Anti-diabetic Effect – Hypoglycemic Effects and Anti-diabetic activeness by suppressing glucose intake from the diet.
  • Aphrodisiac – sex enhancer
  • Respiratory system: It is used in common cold, cough, asthma as it acts as an expectorant and reduces the irritation of respiratory organs. Besides this, the whole plant is used for smoking. The decoction is used for gargling in throat manifestations.
  • Cough – Effective in treating whooping cough
  • Fever : Clitoria Ternatea is thought to bring down fever (anti-pyretic) by expanding the blood vessels just beneath the skin, which increases blood flow where it can be more easily cooled.
  • Asthma – possess anti-asthmatic effects
  • Memory enhancer – enhances the brain function.
  • Digestive Health – cures ulcer and protects the digestive system
  • Improves Circulatory System : Being haemostatic and blood purifier, it is useful in haemorrhagic disorders and vatarakta. A hot infusion of dhamasa is given to prevent small pox.
  • Mansavahasrotas: Dhamasa is applied over neck stiffness.
  • Stomach : Kapha and pitta work together in the lower part of the stomach. It is used in healing ulcers of pylorus duodenum etc.
  • Constipation – a mild laxative and effective against constipation
  • emesis
  • dyspepsia
  • jaundice
  • Anti-fungal
  • Antioxidant
  • Antidote to poisonous bites
  • Stress Reliever
  • Menstrual disorders
  • Urinary system : It increases urination. The decoction is used in dysuria.
  • Anti-Convulsive Effect
  • Strengthens Nerve System
  • Anti-anxiety and depressive disorder with indication that high dosages may possibly be adaptogenic
  • Antiepileptic
  • Antitumor powers subsequent to cyclotides that cause necrobiosis by interrupting cell wall unity. A recent study in China found butterfly pea to be very effective against certain lung cancer cell lines.