Gollen B, Mehla J and Gupta P
The present review draws attention to pharmacological actions of Clitoria ternatea Linn (Family Fabaceae). It is a twining evergreen garden flowering plant which is commonly known as Aparajita (Hindi) or Butterfly pea (English). It has been used anciently as medhya (brain tonic) in Ayurvedic system of medicine. Various primary and secondary plant metabolites including aparajitin, clitorin, triterpenoides, anthocyanins, steroids and flavonol glycosides have been isolated from Clitoria ternatea Linn. This article reviews various pharmacological activities of Clitoria ternatea including nootropic, anti-convulsant, anti-depressant, anti-anxiety, anti-stress, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antihyperlipidemic, anti-diabetic, analgesic, cytotoxicity, platelet aggregation inhibitory and hepatoprotective. The reported activities of Clitoria ternatea make it a potential source of drug molecules for treatment of various ailments.