Butterfly Pea Flower
Clitoria ternatea
A vivid blue flower used as a colour-changing tea and food colouring, and traditionally in South Asia to boost memory and for headache and eye infections.
Safety at a glance
- PregnancyNothing recorded
- BreastfeedingNothing recorded
- MedicinesNothing recorded
- Who should avoid itNothing recorded
- AllergiesNothing recorded
- Toxicity1 note →
Tap a box to read the safety notes below. “Nothing recorded” means our sources don't cover it, not that it's safe.
What is Butterfly Pea Flower?
- Plant family
- Fabaceae, the pea and bean family
- Parts used
- The deep blue flowers, usually as tea or a natural food colouring
- Where it grows
- Tropical Asia and Africa
- Genus
- Clitoria
- Species
- ternatea
Also called
Butterfly Pea, Blue Pea, Asian Pigeonwings, Clitoria
Traditionally used for
- Tea and food colouring
- Memory (traditional)
- Eye infections (traditional)
Traditionally described as
- Antioxidant (in lab studies)
Health topics
Where Butterfly Pea Flower appears in symptom search, and why. Being listed doesn't mean it's a proven treatment.
- Memory and Thinking
Traditionally used in South Asia to boost memory and intellect. Not tested in trials.
Traditions that use it
- Ayurveda
Used in South Asia to boost memory and intellect and for mental illness, headache and eye infections.
How it's prepared
Common ways Butterfly Pea Flower is prepared or sold. This isn't advice on how to take it; see Safety below.
- Culinary Preparation
The flowers have been used as a food dye and vegetable in Southeast Asia.[1]Study
Safety
Toxicity testing
Some studies have reported possible toxic effects from extracts of butterfly pea and a few other edible flowers.[2]Study
What does the research say?
Traditional use
These are traditional uses, not proven treatments.
Butterfly pea is a climbing vine from tropical Asia and Africa with vivid blue flowers. Traditional uses include:
- South Asia: boosting memory and intellect, mental illness, nerve disorders, eye infections and headache
- Indonesia: eye disease and fever, and cleaning babies' eyes
- India: snakebite and scorpion stings
- Cuba: to bring on periods, as a vaginal wash, and for liver and gut problems
Its flowers are rich in blue anthocyanin pigments, and are used to colour drinks, bread, cakes, noodles and other foods. The colour changes with acidity.[2]Study
Laboratory & animal research
Lab and animal results show what might be worth studying in people. They don't show that the herb has these effects in humans.
In lab and animal studies, butterfly pea extracts acted as antioxidants, reduced inflammation and pain in rats and mice, and killed several kinds of bacteria. These haven't been confirmed in people.[1]Study
Research in people
In a small Thai study, 15 healthy young men drank sugar water with or without 1 to 2 g of butterfly pea flower extract. Adding the extract lowered the rise in blood sugar and insulin after 30 minutes and raised antioxidant levels in the blood. The extract on its own didn't change fasting blood sugar.[3]Study
In short
Some studies report possible toxic effects from extracts.
Sources
- [1] Traditionally Used Edible Flowers as a Source of Neuroactive, Antioxidant, and Anti-Inflammatory Extracts and Bioactive Compounds: A Narrative Review · DOI: 10.3390/molecules30030677Peer-reviewed study
- [2] A Comprehensive Review of Edible Flowers with a Focus on Microbiological, Nutritional, and Potential Health Aspects · DOI: 10.3390/foods14101719Peer-reviewed study
- [3] Acute effect of Clitoria ternatea flower beverage on glycemic response and antioxidant capacity in healthy subjects: a randomized crossover trial · DOI: 10.1186/s12906-017-2075-7Peer-reviewed study
This information is educational and traditional in nature, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Unfamiliar word? See what these words mean.