PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CLITORIA TERNATEA- A REVIEW

Abstract

Medicinal and aromatic plants have been used over the ages for its potency and minimal side effects. Due to this, the exploration is at its highestpeak. Seeing this phenomenon the climbing plant Clitoria ternatea (CT) belonging to the Fabaceae family and commonly known as 'Butterflypea' and Shankpushpi, has been taken up which is used in Traditional Ayurvedic Medicine, because of its varied uses over centuries as a memoryenhancer, nootropic, antistress, anxiolytic, antidepressant, anticonvulsant, tranquilizing and sedative agent. A wide range of secondarymetabolites including triterpenoids, flavonol glycosides, anthocyanins and steroids has been isolated from Clitoria ternatea Linn. Its extractspossess a wide range of pharmacological activities including antimicrobial, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, diuretic, local anaesthetic,antidiabetic, insecticidal, blood platelet aggregation-inhibiting and for use as a vascular smooth muscle relaxing properties. This plant has a longuse in traditional. Ayurvedic medicine for several diseases and the scientific studies has reconfirmed those with modern relevance. The pantcontains many active constitutes like alkaloids, glucosides, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, carbohydrates etc. This review is an effort to explorethe phytochemical constituents and pharmacological studies of CT, which have been in clinical use in the Ayurvedic system of medicine alongwith a critical appraisal of its future ethno pharmacological potential in view of many recent findings of importance on this well-known plantspecies.