|
Botanical Name |
Clitoria
ternatea Linn. |
|
Family |
Fabaceae |
|
Sanskrit Name(s) |
Aparajita
Girikarnu
Asphota
Vishnukranta
|
|
English Name(s) |
Butterfly Pea
Mazerion
Winged Leaved Clitoria
|
|
Local Name(s) |
Aparajita (Hin)
Aparajita (Beng)
Gorani (Guj)
Gokarna (Mar)
Buzrula (Arabic)
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 |
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| |
| Habitat |
| Indian flood plains and plateaus & cultivated
in hedges. |
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| |
| Phytography |
| Perenial climbers with slender, terete, downy
stems. Leaves inparipinnate, leaflets 5-7, subcoriaceous.
Elliptic-oblong, obtuse. Flowers blue, white or
very rarely, pale green, solitary. Pods 5-10 cm
long, flattened, nearly straight, sharply beaked,
Seeds 6-10, yellowish brown, smooth. |
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| Phenology |
| Planting season
|
Mid-Monsoon |
| Flowering &
Fruiting |
Constant, after maturity |
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| Parts Used |
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| |
| Ayurvedic Properties |
| Rasa |
Kashaya, Tikta, Katu |
| Guna |
Laghu, Ruksha |
| Vipaka |
Katu |
| Veerya |
Sheeta |
|
| |
| Actions & Uses |
| The roots are bitter, refrigerant, ophthalmic,
laxative, intellect promoting, alexeteric, diuretic,
strong cathartic, anthelmintic, depurative, aphrodisiac,
and tonic, useful in ophthalmology, tubercular
glands, amentia, hemicriana, strangury, helminthiasis,
leprosy, leucoderma, bronchitis, asthma and fever,
also used in poultices for swollen joints. The
leaves are useful in otalgia, hepatopathy and
eruptions. Seeds are cathartic, and useful in
visceralgia. Powdered seeds mixed with ginger
are powerful laxative. |
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| Chemical Constituents |
| Roots contain Taraxerol and taraxerone while
seeds contain cinnamaic acid and an anthoxanthin
glucose. Palmitic, Stearic, Oleic, Linoleic and
Linolenic acids are said to be found from the
seed oil. Leaves contain glycosides of kaempferol.
Flowers furnished with a blue anthocyanin and
flavonols. A lactone, aparajitin and clitorin
can also be found on the leaves. |
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