Butterfly Pea Flower (Clitoria ternatea) - Properties and Benefits.

Butterfly Pea Flower - Blue

The Butterfly Pea plant which is scientifically named as Clitoria ternatea is a valuable plant with many health benefits. This plant, which produces flowers of blue and white color, is a vine with small leaves. This butterfly pea plant is generally divided into two varieties. These are blue flowered butterfly pea and white flowered butterfly pea. The blue color of this flower is due to the anthocyanin pigment. The plant has pods which contain seeds and once the pods are grown enough they are suitable for seeds germination.

The flowers of this plant are used in Ayurvedic medicine to alleviate many diseases. Therefore, it has a special value in Ayurveda. It is an herb that has been used for many ailments since ancient times.

All five elements - The roots, flowers, leaves, bark, and seeds of this plant are used as medicine. 

A very colorful blue flower, it seems that it is becoming popular again nowadays because of its medicinal properties. In addition to medicinal uses, this flower is also used in religious activities, beauty activities and food coloring. In fact, butterfly pea is a very good natural colorant.

There is a belief that planting a 'Butterfly Pea Flower' plant in front of the house will bring good luck.

Apart from this, the butterfly pea flower is used for many other culinary uses. Since ancient times, people in  Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam,  and Sri Lanka have used various foods, drinks, medicines and cosmetics made from this flower. This plant, which occurs widely in these countries in South Asia, belongs to the legume family. Therefore, the soil where the butterfly pea plant grows is fertile. And this plant can be called a soil-fertilizing plant. It is said that it has been used as a source of nitrogen to a nitrogen-deficient soil.

In the past, it has been used as an insect repellent in agriculture. 

It is because of an ultra-stable macrocyclic peptide contained in this flower which is known as an Eco-friendly insecticide, that it has been able to be used as an insecticide.

In Ayurveda, the butterfly pea flower called by the names 'Aparijita', 'Ge Kuruni' etc.,  belongs to the genus 'Fabaceae'. Some books of Ayurveda in Sri Lanka and "Sarartha Sangraha" written by King Buddhadasa, who was a physician king, mentions about this butterfly pea medicine. According to the view of the Ayurvedic doctors (Vedas) of the past, this butterfly pea is the best medicine to eliminate diseases such as blood defects, air defects, inflammatory diseases, and swelling. It has been mentioned in historical texts that this is good for eliminating toxins from the body and that it is possible to get rid of rashes on the body and clean the wounds with Butterfly Pea medicine. Also, in the case of insect and snake bites, the decoction of Butterfly Pea root is good for killing the poison in the body. 

When a poison enters the body and for pain in the joints, for the swollen areas of the body you can get beneficial results by grinding the leaves of the plant and applying it to the affected areas. 

This plant is known to be a good medicine to preserve youth.

The blue flowered plant is helpful in controlling uterine diseases and the plant with white flowers is helpful in controlling goiter. 

It has the ability to cure phlegm. 

A toothache can be relieved by grinding the root of the butterfly pea with a peppercorn and placing it on the painful area.

Butterfly Pea tea is a powerhouse of antioxidants. It also contains significant amounts of catechins as well as compounds and immune-boosting components such as flavonoids, tannins and polyphenols.

The constituents of this flower have been scientifically researched. Constituents contained in the juice of the butterfly pea flower - Tannin, Carbohydrate, Saponin, Flavonoid, Alkaloid, Anthocyanin, Steroids etc. Some of these ingredients act as antioxidants. These components have the ability to prevent cancer - Anti Cancer effective.   Some of them act as anti-parasitic: It contains compounds that can fight a parasite if it enters your body from outside. 

This plant Has the ability to act against the HIV virus.

It also helps in solving liver problems. It has detoxifying properties. Butterfly Pea flowers are rich in Calcium, Potassium, Zinc, Iron, Sodium and many vitamins. 

By drinking the all five elements' decoction of butterfly pea, you can cure urethritis, ureteral stones, ureteral obstruction and all diseases of the urinary tract. 

Butterfly pea flower tea is a drink made from infusion of the flower petals.Talking about butterfly pea tea, the impressive nutritional value of this drink makes it a refreshing drink to cool the body and also a wonderful weight loss drink. Like paracetamol, it can reduce fever. Butterfly Pea tea is actually naturally caffeine-free and completely herbal. 

It also has a wonderful ability to increase physical and mental well-being. So here are some of the medicinal properties of drinking this delicious butterfly pea tea.

1. Boosts brain activity; butterfly pea  helps improve brain function, cognitive function, memory, creativity, and has the ability to induce positive mood. Not only that, studies have shown that butterfly pea tea has the ability to reduce oxidative stress and relieve anxiety. In ayurvedic medicine, the Butterfly Pea plant is used to treat diseases like mania and Rabies. 

Mental health is obtained due to the good effect of the antioxidants contained in butterfly pea on the central nervous system.

2. Reduces the risk of cancer; As mentioned above, butterfly pea is a powerful antioxidant, so it has many health benefits. In general, you know that antioxidants help our body's cells to reduce cell damage. Hence, this helps in reducing the risk of cancer.

3. Facilitates digestion; butterfly pea tea is rich in antioxidants, making it a great drink to include in your diet during the hot summer months. Moreover, drinking a cup of butterfly pea flower tea on an empty stomach once or twice a week removes toxins accumulated in the digestive system and thus greatly improves digestive health.

Butterfly Pea is very beneficial for the alimentary system. This can even heal stomach ulcers. For that, grind the dry root bark of Butterfly Pea well and make a paste and eat it with honey or ghee. It has the property of preventing stomach ulcers.

Also butterfly pea is good for hemorrhoids. It is mentioned in 'Hela - Traditional Sri Lankan' medicine that the medicine made by grinding the whole plant is a short-term effective medicine for this issue.

4. Improves skin health; The flavonoids in butterfly pea flowers help stimulate collagen production and help develop and maintain skin elasticity. Regularly drinking a cup of warm butterfly pea flower tea will flush out undigested food particles from the system and cleanse the stomach, liver and kidneys.

It is advisable to grind and apply the roots of the plant for vitiligo. 

5. Stimulates hair growth; butterfly pea  flowers contain anthocyanin, which helps increase blood circulation to the head. It helps to maintain a healthy scalp and it also stimulates hair growth. Not only that, drinking butterfly pea tea also helps in strengthening the hair.

6. Improves eyesight; butterfly pea tea is rich in proanthocyanidin complexes, which act as a refreshing and nourishing drink to improve eyesight. Also, the pain-relieving properties of butterfly pea are especially helpful in reducing discomfort, redness, and swelling associated with common eye infections. Not only that, this drink is rich in many essential nutrients and will help cure glaucoma and improve vision by stimulating blood circulation.

7. Alleviates the condition of diabetes; Drinking a cup of warm butterfly pea flower tea daily is very effective in preventing the smooth digestion of food in patients with type 2 diabetes as well as preventing high blood sugar levels. It helps to increase insulin secretion, regulate glucose metabolism and prevent excessive absorption of sugar by the body's cells. Hence, butterfly pea flower tea is definitely a good healthy addition to the diet of a person suffering from diabetes. 

Research has been done on the butterfly pea plant. Drinking butterfly pea juice increases the amount of antioxidants in the blood. This helps to maintain the blood sugar level at a proper level.

8. Promotes heart health; butterfly pea tea is rich in heart-healthy antioxidant properties and potent bioflavonoid compounds. Therefore, it reduces the concentration of harmful triglycerides and bad cholesterol (LDL - low-density lipoprotein) and increases the amount of good cholesterol (HDL-  High-density lipoprotein). This reduces the risk of many heart diseases like atherosclerosis, heart attacks, dangerous blood clots in the arteries, high blood pressure.

You will find this information about butterfly Pea flowers very useful. The solutions to various diseases and problems that are very common among many people are found in this precious flower.

Note: This description is provided for your information.

Take medical advice before using this as a medicine.