Family

Fabaceae

Genus

Clitoria

Common Name

Butterfly pea

Plant Figure

Description

Clitoria ternatea, a perennial climber of Fabaceae family, commonly known as ‘Butterfly pea’ or Shankhapushpi (in India), has been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine as a memory enhancer, nootropic, antidepressant, anticonvulsant, blood platelet aggregation-inhibitor, tranquilizing and sedative agent. Its extracts possess a wide range of pharmacological activities including antimicrobial, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antidiabetic, etc.