Clitoria ternatea ,-The memory booster and intellect promoter, Clitoria ternatea (shankhapushpi, ശങ്ഖുപുഷ്പം)

Shankhupushpam-Clitoria ternatea

It is one of those drugs which is effective in promoting intellect and in enhancing memory. Acharya says thus about shankhapushpi, “मेधा विशेष्येण तु शङ्खपुष्पी “.It is included in the Medhya group of drugs by Charaka.

Family : Fabaceae

Scientific name : Clitoria ternatea

In other parts of India the herb called Convulvulus microphyllus which belongs to the convulvulaceae family is considered as Shankhapushpi.

Nomenclature in other languages

Sanskrit : Shankhapushpi, Gavakshi, Shankhahva, Mangalya, Devakusumam, Girikarnika, Aparajita

Hindi : Khagin, Khagin

Bengali : Aparajita

Tamil : Kuruvilai

Telugu : Gilarnika, Dintaan

English : Butterfly bean, Butterfly pea

Distribution : Seen in tropical areas of India. Grown commonly in gardens for its flower.

Botanical description : It is a perennial herbaceous plant, with elliptic, obtuse leaves. It grows as a vine or creeper, doing well in moist, neutral soil. The most striking feature about this plant are its vivid deep blue flowers; solitary, with light yellow markings. They are about 4 cm long by 3 cm wide. There are some varieties that yield white flowers.

The fruits are 5 – 7 cm long, flat pods with 6 to 10 seeds in each pod. They are edible when tender.

It is grown as an ornamental plant and as a revegetation species (e.g., in coal mines in Australia), requiring little care when cultivated. As alegume, its roots form a symbiotic association with soil bacteria known as rhizobia, which transform atmospheric N₂ into a plant usable form, therefore, this plant is also used to improve soil quality through the decomposition of N-rich tissue.

Uses :

In traditional Ayurvedic medicine, it has been used for centuries as a memory enhancer, nootropic, antistress, anxiolytic, antidepressant, anticonvulsant, tranquilizing and sedative agent.

In Southeast Asia the flowers are used to colour food. In Malay cooking, an aqueous extract is used to colour glutinous rice for kuih ketan(also known as pulut tai tai in Peranakan/Nyonya cooking) and in nyonya chang. In Kelantan it is used to colour white rice for Nasi Kerabu. In Thailand, a syrupy blue drink is made called nam dok anchan (น้ำดอกอัญชัน), it is sometimes consumed with a drop of sweet lime juice to increase acidity and turn the juice into pink-purple. In Burmese and Thai cuisine the flowers are also dipped in batter and fried.

In animal tests the methanolic extract of Clitoria ternatea roots demonstrated nootropic, anxiolytic, antidepressant, anticonvulsant and antistress activity.^[3] The active constituents include tannins, resins, starch, taraxerol and taraxerone.

Recently, several biologically active peptides called cliotides have been isolated from the heat-stable fraction of Clitoria ternatea extract. Cliotides belong to the cyclotides family and activities studies show that cliotides display potent antimicrobial activity against E. coli, K. pneumonia, P. aeruginosa and cytotoxicity against Hela cells. These peptides have potential to be leading compounds for the development of novel antimicrobial and anti-cancer agents.

In traditional medicine: Owing to its similarity to a human body part, this plant has been ascribed properties affecting the same (a phenomenon also found in connection with the mandrake, among other plants). It was used traditionally in an attempt to treat sexual ailments, like infertility and gonorrhea, to control menstrual discharge, and also as an aphrodisiac. This practice aligns with an ancient belief recorded in the Doctrine of Signatures.

Action _ Root—cathartic like

jalap. Roots cause gripe and

tenesmus, hence not recommended

as purgative. Used in ascites. Root

bark—diuretic (infusion used in

irritation of bladder and urethra).

Root juice—given in cold milk

to liquefy phlegm in chronic

bronchitis. The root, bark, seeds

and leaves—used for gastric acidity.

The root is administered with honey

as a general tonic to children for

improving mental faculty.

The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of

India recommends the dried leaf in

migraine, psychoneurosis and mania.

An alcoholic extract of the plant

showed sedative and hypothermic effect

in rodents.

Rats, fed with ethanol extract of

flowers, showed a significantly lowered

serumsugar level in experimentally induced

diabetes.

The seeds contain a nucleoprotein

with its amino acid sequence similar

to insulin, but for the absence of histidine,

threonine, proline and crystine.

Seeds gave cinnamic acid, flavonol glycoside.

Leaves contain glycosides of

kaempferol.

In South India, the seeds and roots

constitute the drug Shankhapushpi,

used as a nervine tonic. In other regions,

Canscora decussata, Convolvulus

pluricaulis, Evolvulus alsinoides and

Lavendula bipinnata are used as Shankhapushpi.

Ayurvedic Pharmacological Properties

Rasa : tikta, kashaya

Guna : teekshna, sara

Veerya : ushna

Vipaka : katu

Medicinal properties : Increases memory and intellectual ability. Is febrifuge. Regulates sleep. Flower of this plant reduces uterine bleeding. Is used in mental disorders. Improves strength and vigour. Root is anti-toxic.

Therapeutic single drug usage :

-roots of shankhapushpi made into a paste taken 1-3gms , when intaken with ghee or butter as adjuvant improves memory and intellect in children

-the same is used in goitre as said in the text Chakradatta

-roots of this plant made into a paste with milk taken 3 gms twice daily reduces cervical lymphadenitis or called as apachi in sanskrit

-the root of white variety if this plant is an antidote for snake poisoning

-the whole part of blue variety of shankhapushpi made into decoction or kashaya is useful in dysentry, insomnia, insanity, alcoholism, respiratory disorders

-the flowers of this plant 1gm taken with honey as an adjuvant cures uterine bleeding.

Referance :

1.Nesamanis text of ayurvedic med plants in malayalam

2.Springers text of Indian med plants

3.Wikipedia.