Clitoria ternatea
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| Clitoria ternatea vine | |
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C. ternatea
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| Clitoria ternatea |
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Clitoria ternatea, common names including butterfly pea, blue pea, Cordofan pea and Asian pigeonwings, is a plant species belonging to the Fabaceae family. The flowers of this vine have the shape of human female genitals, hence the Latin name of the genus "Clitoria", from "clitoris". (Synonyms: Clitoris principissae.).[1]
Names in other languages include bunga telang (Malay), อัญชัน `anchan (Thai), đậu biếc (Vietnamese), अपराजिता Aparajita in Hindi and 蝶豆 dié dòu (Mandarin Chinese), 'Sankhu Poolu/Sankham Poolu' in Telugu, "Shankupushpam" in Malayalam language and অপরাজিতা (Aparajita) in Bengali.
Contents
Distribution
This plant is native to tropical equatorial Asia, but has been introduced to Africa, Australia and America.
Description
It is a perennial herbaceous plant, with elliptic, obtuse leaves. It grows as a vine or creeper, doing well in moist, neutral soil. The most striking feature about this plant is the color of its flowers, a vivid deep blue; solitary, with light yellow markings. They are about 4 cm (1.6 in) long by 3 cm (1.2 in) wide. Some varieties yield white flowers.
The fruits are 5–7 cm (2.0–2.8 in) long, flat pods with six to ten seeds in each pod. They are edible when tender.
It is grown as an ornamental plant and as a revegetation species (e.g., in coal mines in Australia), requiring little care when cultivated. As a legume, its roots form a symbiotic association with soil bacteria known as rhizobia, which transform atmospheric N2 into a plant-usable form, therefore, this plant is also used to improve soil quality through the decomposition of nitrogen rich plant material.
Uses
Food
In Southeast Asia the flower is used as a natual food colouring. In Malay cooking, an aqueous extract is used to colour glutinous rice for kuih ketan (also known as pulut tai tai or pulut tekan in Peranakan/Nyonya cooking) and in nyonya chang. In Kelantan, east part of Malaysia, by adding a few buds of this flower in a pot while cooking white rice will add bluish tint on the rice which is served with other side dishes and such meal is called nasi kerabu. In Thailand, a syrupy blue drink is made called nam dok anchan (น้ำดอกอัญชัน), it is sometimes consumed with a drop of sweet lime juice to increase acidity and turn the juice into pink-purple. In Burmese and Thai cuisines, the flowers are also dipped in batter and fried.
Traditional medicine
In traditional Ayurvedic medicine, it is ascribed various qualities including memory enhancing, nootropic, antistress, anxiolytic, antidepressant, anticonvulsant, tranquilizing, and sedative properties.[2] In traditional Chinese medicine, due to its appearance similar to the female reproductive organ, and consistent with the Western concept of the doctrine of signatures,[3] the plant has been ascribed properties affecting this organ. It was used traditionally in an attempt to treat sexual ailments such as infertility and gonorrhea, to control menstrual discharge, and also as an aphrodisiac.[citation needed]
Chemical constituents
Chemical compounds isolated from C. ternatea include various triterpenoids, flavonol glycosides, anthocyanins and steroids.[2] Peptides known as cliotides have been isolated from the heat-stable fraction of C. ternatea extract.[4]
Gallery
C. ternatea, Isla Margarita, Venezuela
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Thai khao tom sweet colored blue with C. ternatea flowers
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.JPG)
A less common "double-flowered" C. ternatea
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References
- ↑ Pharmacopia Indica Awl
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External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to [[commons:Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).|Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).]]. |
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- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Contains a detailed monograph on Clitoria ternatea (Shankhapushpi) as well as a discussion of health benefits and usage in clinical practice. Available online at http://www.toddcaldecott.com/index.php/herbs/learning-herbs/330-shankapushpi
- Comparative Evaluation of in vitro Antioxidant Activity of Root of Blue and White Flowered Varieties of Clitoria ternatea Linn.
- Picture Gallery of Clitoria ternatea
- Antihistaminic activity of Clitoria ternatea L. roots
- Clitoria ternatea in West African plants – A Photo Guide.ca:Clitòria
