Witnessed by: Ayurveda
Butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea), of the Fabaceae family. Slender perennial twining vine; native range: tropical Asia. Globally recognized as aparajita, shankhapushpi (blue-flowered) in Sanskrit, aparajita, koyal in Hindi, and butterfly pea, blue pea, Asian pigeonwings in English. The part used is root, seed, flower, whole plant. Vivid blue keel-shaped flowers; the root is bitter, acrid and slightly nauseating, marking its cleansing action.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
BUTTERFLY PEA
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- butterfly pea
- Scientific name
- Clitoria ternatea L.
- Family
- Fabaceae
Form
- Part used
- root, seed, flower, whole plant
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- bitter (tikta) · astringent (kashaya)
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- cooling (sheeta virya)
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- nootropic and mind-clearing (medhya), nervine (vatahara of the mind), purgative-cleansing (shodhana), anti-inflammatory (shothahara)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- root in excess is emetic and purgative; keep to small doses
- Toxicity
- high doses of root or seed cause nausea, vomiting and griping
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