Introduction
A legume known as the butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea L.) is utilized in salads, tea, decorative plantings, feed and medicine. There is little information available on the variations in seed and blossom colour, which vary from white to dark purple. Butterfly pea flower, commonly known as Clitoria ternatea, is a promising plant that can withstand many environmental conditions. Additionally, C. ternatea provides crucial phytochemicals for the culinary, textile, pharmaceutical and medical sectors.
Tropical Asian nations are the source of C. ternatea, which is extensively distributed across Asia. Owing to the presence of bioactive chemicals, butterfly pea flowers have lovely petal colours. Further, with the presence of bioactive ingredients, including anthocyanins, alkaloids, steroids, tannin, reducing sugars and flavonoids, C. ternatea is said to be used in the treatment of a variety of diseases, which also contains strong antioxidant properties (Zairi N J et al., 2018). As a possible medicinal plant, Clitoria ternatea has been studied for its potential antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and cardiovascular protection properties.
The extremely appealing feed legume butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea) is frequently chosen by animals above other legumes. It produces great yields and shows outstanding regrowth following cutting or grazing in a short amount of time. Any tall grass may be grown with it for rotational grazing, hay or silage. As a cover crop, green manure and medicinal plant, butterfly pea is also useful. Due to the lovely blossom colours, it is often farmed for decorative purposes in addition to its fodder value.
Nutritional components of Butterfly Pea Flower
The vibrant blue hue of the butterfly pea flower petals are due to the presence of anthocyanin components called ternatin. Ternatins have been shown in test tube tests to reduce inflammation and they may inhibit the development of cancer cells. (Nair et al., 2015)
The plant also includes a number of other antioxidants, such as
a) Kaemphferol – A lot of research has been done on the capacity of this component to fight cancer. Studies in test tubes suggest that it could inhibit the development of cancer cells. (Imran e tal.,2019)
b) p-Coumaric acid – This component may have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral properties that might aid in disease prevention. (Chayaratanasin at al., 2015)
c) Delphinidin-3,5-glucoside – This antioxidant may aid in enhancing immune response and causing colorectal cancer cells to die.
Potential Medicinal Value of Butterfly Pea Flower
A plethora of health benefits are associated with the butterfly pea flower petals, such as these petals support skin and hair health, aids in weight loss and normalize blood sugar levels. The butterfly pea, also known as Shankupushpam, is a popular brain tonic in traditional Indian medical systems and is thought to improve memory and intelligence. The efficacy of butterfly pea blossoms in everything from skin care serums to hair mists and shampoos is bragged about by cosmetic producers.
According to a 2012 animal research, the standard hair loss treatment minoxidil may not be as efficient in promoting hair growth as butterfly pea extract. By controlling certain cell development pathways, a test-tube study reveals that butterfly pea flower extract may inhibit the production of fat cells.
The ternatin content in the flower also possesses the ability to block the synthesis of fat cell in the human body. For instance, despite the beverage’s high sugar content, a study of 15 men found that consuming a beverage containing butterfly pea flower extract raised antioxidant levels and decreased blood sugar and insulin levels. One study even claimed that the antioxidant properties of butterfly pea flower may prevent cell damage and complications related to diabetes. In addition, an animal study found that giving butterfly pea flower extract to diabetic rats significantly reduced their blood sugar levels in comparison to a control group. (Chusak et al., 2018)
According to a study in rats, C. ternatea root extracts work similarly to pyritinol to raise the amount of acetylcholine in the brain and the activity of the enzyme acetylcholine esterase. The plant is regarded as an excellent brain tonic and is beneficial for skin conditions, ulcers, urinary problems in humans and animals, throat and eye infections and skin illnesses. In addition to its therapeutic value, butterfly pea is an excellent source of phytochemicals. It has been demonstrated that it is homologous to plant defensins and includes antifungal proteins.
Blue Tea
An herbal infusion that is indigenous to South Asia is called blue tea, often referred to as butterfly pea flower tea or blue pea tea. Blue tea is popularly drunk for its therapeutic qualities, including being able to serve as a natural food colouring. According to reports, Blue Tea contains anti-diabetic and anti-cancer properties and also serves to promote heart and brain health.
Butterfly Pea, also known as Clitoria ternatea L., is used to make blue tea, a herbal infusion. Frequently, flavours such as mint, ginger, lemongrass or cinnamon are added to the infusion. Depending on the pH or acidity level of the tea, it may turn red, violet or green after being brewed. The drink is antioxidant rich. Free radicals are harmful chemicals that are scavenged by antioxidants. Free radical overpopulation can cause oxidative stress, which might hasten the onset of several illnesses. Additionally, there is proof that delphinidin, an anthocyanin responsible for the dark blue colour of the petals, guards against lipid peroxidation, which weakens cell membranes, speeds up ageing and produces the carcinogen malondialdehyde. (Tilavech et al., 2021)
Since blood pressure and cholesterol levels can be lowered by drinking blue tea, it can also serve as a way to improve heart health. According to tests conducted on animals, butterfly pea flower extract has the potential to decrease blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels to improve blood flow. It also offers antithrombotic properties. This indicates that it could lower the danger of blood clots, which increase the chance of a stroke (Khoo et al., 2017). Habit of drinking blue tea also stabilizes the blood sugar levels by inhibiting carb-digesting enzymes such as intestinal alpha-glucosidase, pancreatic alpha-amylase and intestinal sucrose. (Gamage et al., 2021)
Other potential health benefits of drinking blue tea are that it possesses anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties and also acts as a caffeine-free alternative. While the advantages of blue tea have been the subject of promising study, brewed tea has received less attention than extracts and antioxidants. The majority of the study is based on results from test-tube and animal experiments. Hence, there is also a clear absence of human investigations. Therefore, more studies on humans are required to comprehend the advantages of drinking this tea. Incorporation of these kinds of edible flowers in the new product development is also being addressed.
References:
1. Chayaratanasin, P., Barbieri, M. A., Suanpairintr, N., & Adisakwattana, S. (2015). Inhibitory effect of Clitoria ternatea flower petal extract on fructose-induced protein glycation and oxidation-dependent damages to albumin in vitro. BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 15(1), 1-9.
2. Chusak, C., Thilavech, T., Henry, C. J., & Adisakwattana, S. (2018). Acute effect of Clitoria ternatea flower beverage on glycemic response and antioxidant capacity in healthy subjects: a randomized crossover trial. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 18(1), 1-11.
3. Gamage, G. C. V., Lim, Y. Y., & Choo, W. S. (2021). Anthocyanins from Clitoria ternatea flower: Biosynthesis, extraction, stability, antioxidant activity, and applications. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12.
4. Jamil, N., Zairi, M. N. M., Nasim, N. A. I. M., & Pa’ee, F. (2018). Influences of environmental conditions to phytoconstituents in Clitoria ternatea (butterfly pea flower)–A review. Journal of Science and Technology, 10(2).
5. Imran, M., Salehi, B., Sharifi-Rad, J., Aslam Gondal, T., Saeed, F., Imran, A., & Estevinho, L. M. (2019). Kaempferol: A key emphasis to its anticancer potential. Molecules, 24(12), 2277.
6. Khoo, H. E., Azlan, A., Tang, S. T., & Lim, S. M. (2017). Anthocyanidins and anthocyanins: Colored pigments as food, pharmaceutical ingredients, and the potential health benefits. Food & nutrition research, 61(1), 1361779.
7. Nair, V., Bang, W. Y., Schreckinger, E., Andarwulan, N., & Cisneros-Zevallos, L. (2015). Protective role of ternatin anthocyanins and quercetin glycosides from butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea Leguminosae) blue flower petals against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in macrophage cells. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 63(28), 6355-6365.
8. Thilavech, T., Adisakwattana, S., Channuwong, P., Radarit, K., Jantarapat, K., Ngewlai, K.,… & Chusak, C. (2021). Clitoria ternatea Flower Extract Attenuates Postprandial Lipemia and Increases Plasma Antioxidant Status Responses to a High-Fat Meal Challenge in Overweight and Obese Participants. Biology, 10(10), 975.
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