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Clitoria ternatea (L.): Old and new aspects

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 Jagbir Chahal et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2010, 3(11),2610-2614
Review Article
ISSN: 0974-6943 Available online through
www.jpronline.info
Clitoria ternatea (L.): Old and new aspects
Girish Kumar Gupta*, Jagbir Chahal, Manisha Bhatia
*Maharishi Markandeshwar College of Pharmacy, Mullana, Ambala ,Haryana-133203
Received on: 06-07-2010; Revised on: 11-08-2010; Accepted on:10-09-2010

ABSTRACT
Clitoria ternatea (L.) native to tropical Asia is a perennial, twining herbal medicinal plant, has a long tradition of use as a memory enhancer and anxiolytic agent.
Various constituents are found in different parts of the plant. The active chemical constituents reported from this plant are tannins, resins, starch, taraxerol,
taraxerone, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, proteins, anthocyanins and carbohydrates. In traditional medicine, the plant is used in treatment of jaundice, migraine,
throat, eye infections, skin diseases, asthma, swollen joints, ear-ache, eruptions, fever, urinary tract infections, constipation, snake-bites, head-ache, indigestion,
leprosy and central nervous system disorders. Its various extracts possess reported number of pharmacological activities such as nootropic, anxiolytic, anti-
convulsant, sedative, anti-pyretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-oxidative, anti-stress, immunomodulatory, larvicidal, proteolytic, antihelmintic, di-
uretic, anti-microbial and memory enhancing. The present review is therefore, an effort to give a detailed survey of the literature on its pharmacognosy,
phytochemistry, and its traditional uses along with special emphasis given on pharmacological activities.

Key words: Clitoria ternatea, Fabaceae, Butterfly pea, Biological activities, Phytochemistry.

INTRODUCTION
Clitoria ternatea commonly known as Butterfly pea belonging to the family
Fabaceae and sub-family Papilionaceae is a perennial leguminous twiner, which
originated from tropical Asia and later was distributed widely in South and
Central America, East and West Indies, China and India, where it has become
naturalised. [1] Clitoria ternatea commonly also called Clitoria, blue-pea, kordofan
pea (Sudan), cunha (Brazil or pokindong (Philippines) is a vigorous, summer
growing, legume of old world origin. Clitoria L. comprises 60 species distrib-
uted mostly within the tropical belt with a few species found in temperate
areas. The mostly frequently reported species is Clitoria ternatea. It is
characterised as a woody genus with showy, papilionaceous flowers, an in-
fundibular calyx with persistent bracteoles, stipules and stalked ovaries. People
use different species of Clitoria as a medicinal agent to enhance fertility, to
control menstrual discharge, to treat gonorrhea and as a sexual stimulant.[2]
Fantz reported economic uses for 23 species of Clitoria as antihelmintic,
diuretic, refrigerant etc.[3] This plant is known as Aparajit (Hindi), Aparajita
(Bengali), and Kokkattan (Tamil) in Indian traditional medicine. [4] It has
several synonyms in ayurvedic scriptures like: Sanskrit names: Aparajita,
Girikarnu, Asphota and Vishnukranta. English names: Butter-fly pea, Mazerion
and Winged leaved Clitoria. Local names: Aparajita (Hin), Aparajita (Beng),
Gorani (Guj), Gokarna (Mar) and Buzrula (Arabic).[5] The plant is mainly used
as a forage as it is highly palatable for live-stock and it is well adapted to
various climates. [6] Native to the island of Ternate in the Molluca archipelago,
this species is now widely grown as ornamental, fodder or medicinal plant.[7] It
is found commonly as an escape in hedges and thickets throughout India to an
altitude of 15cm and in Andaman Islands. It can be grown as a forage legume
either alone or with perennial fodder grasses in Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar
Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya-Pradesh, Andhra-Pradesh and
Karnataka. The plant is also suitable as a green manure and cover crop.
Besides suppressing many perennial weeds, it enriches the soil by fixing nitro-
gen.[8] Clitoria ternatea is now widely distributed throughout the humid, low-
land tropics occurring both naturally and in cultivations although no improved
pasture cultivars have been developed. [9,10] Clitoria ternatea is cultivated through-
out India but is naturalized in the more tropical regions. [11] The juice of flowers
is reported to be used in insect bites and skin diseases. [12] The roots are useful in
asthma, burning sensation, ascites, inflammation, leucoderma, leprosy, hemi-
crania, amentia, pulmonary tuberculosis, ophthalmology and reported as bit-
*Corresponding author.
Girish Kumar Gupta
Maharishi Markandeshwar College of Pharmacy,
Mullana, Ambala ,Haryana-133203
Tel.: + 91-9896188905
E-mail:girish_pharmacist92@rediffmail.com
ter, refrigerant, ophthalmic, laxative, diuretic, cathartic, aphrodisiac, tonic. [13]
Consequently they are used in the treatment of a number of ailments including
body-aches, infections, urinogenital disorders and as antihelmintic and anti-
dote to animal stings. [8] Seeds are cathartic and useful in visceralgia. They are
considered safe for colic, dropsy and enlargement of abdominal viscera.[14] The
root, stem and flower are recommended for the treatment of snakebite and
scorpion sting in India.[15]
Extensive studies within the last half a century have demonstrated Clitoria
ternatea to be an effective natural remedy for variety of ailments. So the
present review deals with the evidence-based information regarding traditional
uses and pharmacological profile of Clitoria ternatea.
HISTORY
From ancient times “Shankhpushpi” is known as reputed drug of Ayurveda and
reported as a brain tonic, nervine tonic and laxative. It is considered as a
MEDHYA-RASAYANA in Ayurvedic texts. It comprises of entire herb with
following botanicals viz Convolvulus pluricaulis (Convolvulaceae), Evolvulus
alsinoides (Convolvulaceae), Clitoria ternatea (Papilionaceae) and Conscora
decusata (Gentianaceae). It is an Ayurvedic drug used for its action on the
CNS, especially for boosting memory and improving intellect.[11]
The flowers of the plant Clitoria ternatea resemble a conch shell; therefore it
is commonly called “SHANKPUSHPI” in the Sanskrit language where it is
reported to be a good “MEDHYA” (brain tonic) drug and, therefore, used in
the treatment of “Masasika Roga” (mental illness). [16] Extracts of this plant
have been used as an ingredient in MEDHYA-RASAYANA, a rejuvenating
recipe used for treatment of neurological disorders. [17]
CULTIVATION
Clitoria ternatea is a deep-rooted, tall slender, climbing legume with five leaf-
lets and a deep blue flower. It is well adapted to a variety of soil types (pH 5.5-
8.9) including calcareous soils. It is surviving in both the extended rainfall
regions and prolonged periods of drought. Propagation is done through seed. It
exhibits excellent regrowth after cutting or grazing within short period and
produce high yields also.[6] Clitoria ternatea L. is well adapted to heavy crack-
ing clay soils in northern Australia.[11] It is also used as a cover crop and green
manure. The seeds are normally sown from the beginning until the middle of
the wet season. It persists best when grazed lightly during the wet season.[6]
DESCRIPTION
Clitoria ternatea has twining fine stems, 0.5-3 m long. The leaves are pinnate,
with 5-7 elliptic to lanceolate leaflets, 3-5 cm long and shortly pubescent
underneath. Flowers are solitary, deep blue to blue mauve; very short pedicel-
late and 4-5 cm long. Pods are flat, linear, beaked, 6-12 cm long, 0.7-1.2 mm

Journal of Pharmacy Research Vol.3.Issue 11.November 2010 2610-2614

 Jagbir Chahal et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2010, 3(11),2610-2614
wide and slightly pubescent with upto 10 seeds. The seeds are olive, brown or
black in colour, often mottled, 4.5-7 mm long and 3-4 mm wide.[9] The root
system of Clitoria ternatea consists of a fairly stout taproot with few branches
and many slender lateral roots. Multicellular trichomes, with two basal cells
smaller than the terminal cells are present. In Transverse section leaf shows a
dorsiventral structure. All along the veins prismatic crystals of calcium ox-
alate are present. The vein–islet number is 7.5 and palisade ratio is 6.0. The
pods are (5-10 cm) long, flat and 6-11 seeded. [18,19] Cortex is composed of 10-
12 layers of thin-walled almost polygonal or tangenially elongated cells, packed
with mostly compound starch grains. [18,20] All the ray cells are fully packed with
starch grains and few contain calcium oxalate crystals. [18,21,22]
PHYTOCONSTITUENTS
Roots, seeds and leaves are the reported plant part used from ancient times. [5]
The major phytoconstituents found in Clitoria ternatea are the pentacyclic
triterpenoids such as taraxerol and taraxerone. [23,24] Phytochemical screening
of the roots shows the presence of ternatins, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins,
tannins, carbohydrates, proteins, resins, starch, taraxerol and taraxerone. [25]A
new simple, sensitive, selective and precise High Performance Thin Layer
Chromatography method has been developed for the determination of taraxerol
in Clitoria ternatea Linn. which was being performed on Thin Layer Chroma-
tography aluminium plates. [17] A wide range of secondary metabolites including
triterpenoids, flavonol glycosides, anthocyanins and steroids has been isolated
from Clitoria ternatea Linn. [18] Four kaempferol glycosides I II, III and IV were
isolated from the leaves of Clitoria ternatea L. Kaempferol-3- glucoside (I),
kaempferol-3 -rutinoside (II) and kaempferol-3-neohesperidoside (III) were
identified by Ultra Violet, Protein Magnetic Resonance and Mass
Spectrometry. (IV), C33H40O19, mp: 198, was characterized as Kaempferol-3-o-
rhamnosyl glucoside from spectral data and was named clitorin.[26]
The seeds contain nucleoprotein with its amino-acid sequence similar to insu-
lin, delphinidin-3,3,5-triglucoside, essential amino-acids, pentosan, water-
soluble mucilage, adenosine, an anthoxanthin glucoside, greenish yellow fixed
oil,[27] a phenol glycoside, 3,5,7,4-tetrahydroxy-flavone-3-rhamoglycoside,
an alkaloid , ethyl D-galactopyranoside, p-hydroxycinnamic acid polypep-
tide, a highly basic protein-finotin, a bitter acid resin, tannic acid, 6% ash and
a toxic alkaloid. [8,28] According to Yoganarasimhan seeds contain γ-sitosterol,
ß-sitosterol, and hexacosanol and anthocyanin glucoside.[29,30] It also contains
anti-fungal proteins and has been shown to be homologous to plant
defensins. [31]Aabgeena et al. reported a lectin present in the seeds of Clitoria
ternatea agglutinated trypsin-treated human B erythrocytes. [32] Since the puri-
fied lectin was found to be potential tool for cancer studies so an attempt was
made for the alternate high yielding purification method for Clitoria ternatea
lectin designated CTL, present in the seeds of this member of leguminosae
family. [33] Another study demonstrated that minor delphinidin glycosides, eight
anthocyanins (ternatins C1, C2, C3, C4, C5 and D3 and preternatins A3 and
C4) were isolated from the young Clitoria ternatea flowers. [34] Recent study
showed that malonylated flavonol glycosides were isolated from the petals of
Clitoria ternatea with different petal colors using LC/MS/MS. [35] It was also
reported that five new anthocyanins, ternatins A3, B3, B4, B2 and D2 were
isolated from Clitoria ternatea flowers. [36]
Ranaganayaki and Singh (1979) reported kaempferol and Saito et al. (1985)
detected kaempferol-3-glucoside, kaempferol-3-robinobioside-7-rhamnoside,
quercetin and quercetin 3-glucoside.[35,37,38] Six ternatins A1, A2, B1, B2, D1 and
D2 in Clitoria ternatea flowers were isolated by reversed phase High Perfor-
mance Liquid Chromatography and their structures were partly characterized
as highly acylated delphinidin derivatives. [39] Clitoria ternatea was powdered
and evaluated quantitatively for the analysis of total soluble sugars, protein,
phenol, starch, carbohydrate and lipid. [40]
TRADITIONAL USES
Clitoria ternatea is known to as a very bioactive plant and used in various
diseases as folklore medicine. The roots are being used as diuretic and seeds as
cathartic. [41] In the traditional system of medicine particularly in Ayurveda, the
roots, seeds and leaves of CT have long been widely used as a brain tonic and
is believed to promote memory and intelligence.[42] According to Kancheepuram
district of Tamil-nadu CT locally known as Sangu Pushpam, root powder is
mixed with water and taken orally to treat indigestion, eye diseases and head-
ache. [43]
According to Chhattisgarh state, it is used as a diuretic, crushed fresh root bark
is taken with a cup of warm milk 20 days for 2 weeks. It is used as a purgative,
Journal of Pharmacy Research Vol.3.Issue 11.November 2010
50 gm crushed seeds is taken with a cup of water once a day for 3 days. [44]
According to Rajshahi district in Bangladesh CT are boiled in water and the
water strained through cloth. 1/32 kg of the strained water is to be taken for 7
days in urinary problems. [45] In Assam, juice of leaves is mixed with salt and
applied around ears in headache and swelling of adjacent gland to relieve pain.
Juice is used as an anti-dote against snake–bite.[46] According to Irulas of the
Kodiakkarai CT paste of flowers is applied to cure infections of eye and for
headache. Entire plant is used as antidote for snake-bites. [47] In Tamil-nadu the
potential of medicinal plants for anti-viral activity was evaluated and CT
extract exhibited most potent activity and this provides more support for the
concept of scientific validation of traditional plant medicines in the fight
against infectious diseases. [48] Clitoria ternatea seed powder mixed with pepper
was given in constipation. This was information given by villagers from
Dharapuram Taluk, Tamil-nadu. [49] According to Tripura tribe of Bangladesh
CT leaves and roots are being used in UTI, burning sensation in urinary tract,
lack of urination and frequent urination.[50] In Uttara Kannada district,
Karnataka, India root juice is smeared over the body to reduce fever. [51] Infu-
sion of leaves is used for eruptions. Warm leaf juice mixed with common salt
is applied around the ears for ear-ache. Leaves are used as poultices for swollen
joints. Seeds are used as mildly laxative, purgative and antihelmintic. For
hiccups, the seeds are burned for fume inhalation, also for asthma. Also used
for throat, eye infections, skin diseases. Root ash is used for facial care. Root
powder is used for jaundice. Root juice applied in the nose for migraine. For
painful boils mix the root juice with vinegar and apply to the boils. Overall CT
is a traditional Ayurveda medicine used as a brain tonic, memory and intelli-
gence enhancer, anti-depressant, anxiolytic, sedative and anti-convulsant.[18,6]
PHARMACOLOGICAL PROFILE
Pharmacological studies have confirmed that Clitoria ternatea exhibit a broad
range of biological effects, some of which are very interesting for promising
future development.
Memory enhancement activity studies
The oral treatment of Clitoria ternatea roots extract at doses significantly
increased memory in rats. [11,52] The alcoholic extracts of aerial parts and roots
of CT was reported to attenuate electroshock induced amnesia. The acetyl-
choline (AcH) content of the whole brain and acetyl cholinesterase activity at
different regions of the rat brain viz cerebral cortex, mid-brain, medulla ob-
longata and cerebellum was evaluated. [53] It was suggested that an increase in
(AcH) in rat hippocampus may be the neurochemical basis for improved
learning and memory. [54,55] Rai et al by using passive avoidance test and spatial
learning T-maze have also shown that the aqueous root extract of Clitoria
ternatea enhances memory in rats. [56] In another reported study the effect of
aqueous root extract on the dendritic cytoarchitecture of neurons of the
amygdale was studied. [57] This improved dendritic arborisation of amygdaloidal
neurons correlates with the increase passive avoidance learning and memory
in the Clitoria ternatea treated rats. [58]
Anti-epileptic activity studies
Methanol extract from the aerial parts of Clitoria ternatea was screened by
using pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) and maximum electroshock (MES) – induced
seizures in mice at the dose of 100 mg/kg p.o. CT significantly delayed the
onset of convulsions and also delayed the duration of tonic hind limb exten-
sion in MES-induced convulsions. [11]
Anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-pyretic activity studies
The study was obtaining the anti-inflammatory activity of the methanolic
extract from the roots of Clitoria ternatea Linn. using rat models. In the same
study the ethanolic extract was also evaluated for analgesic activity in mice
with the acetic acid-induced writhing response and mechanical stimulus by tail
clip method. [4] In another study, the methanol extract of CT was evaluated for
its anti-pyretic potential in albino rats and the anti-pyretic effect of the ex-
tract was comparable to that of paracetamol (PCM) (150 mg/kg b.w. p.o) a
standard anti-pyretic agent.[59]
Anti-oxidative studies
It has been established that oxidative stress is among the major causative
factors of many chronic and degenerative diseases. [60] CT petals have been
recognised to possess anti-oxidant activity. [61-64] Extracts of Clitoria ternatea
flowers are used in Thailand as a component of cosmetics and the chemical
composition of the flowers suggest that they may have anti-oxidant activity.
Aqueous extracts were shown to have stronger anti-oxidant activity than
ethanol extracts. [65] The antioxidant potential of aqueous leaf extracts of
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 Jagbir Chahal et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2010, 3(11),2610-2614
Clitoria ternatea were evaluated by determining the levels of enzymatic and
non-enzymatic antioxidants. In vitro antioxidant capacity was also deter-
mined using different assays such as Ferric reducing power assay (FRAP),
Reducing activity assay, diphenypicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and Hydroxyl
radical scavenging activity and the results were comparable with standard
antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyl toluene (BHT), ascorbic acid and
rutin. [66]
Blood platelet aggregation inhibition studies
An anthocyanin ternatins D1 isolated from petals of Clitoria ternatea was
evaluated for in vitro platelet aggregation inhibitory activity in rabbits and the
results of various reported studies showed significant inhibition of collagen
and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) induced aggregation of platelets. [18,67]
Anti-diabetic studies
Oral administration of aqueous extract of CT leaves (400mg/kg body weight)
and flowers (400mg/kg body weight) for 84 days showed significantly reduced
serum glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, urea,
creatinine and the activity of gluconeogenic enzyme glucose-6-phosphatase,
but increased serum insulin, HDL-cholesterol, protein, liver and skeletal muscle
glycogen content and the activity of glycolytic enzyme glucokinase. For all
the above biochemical parameters investigated, Clitoria ternatea leaves treated
rat showed a little better activity than Clitoria ternatea flowers treated dia-
betic rats. [36,68]
Local anaesthetic activity studies
The local anaesthetic effect of an alcoholic extract of Clitoria ternatea aerial
part was studied by Kulkarni et al using corneal anesthesia in rabbits and plexus
anesthesia in frogs. The results were almost as effective as xylocaine in induc-
ing local anesthesia.[18,69]
Anxiolytic activities
In another study the effect of alcoholic extract of aerial parts of Clitoria
ternatea on spatial discrimination in rats followed by oral treatment with
alcoholic extract at a dose of 460 mg/kg significantly prolonged the time
taken to traverse the maze, which was equivalent to that produced by chlor-
promazine. [11] The oral administration of CT (100-400mg/kg) dose depen-
dently increased the time spent in the open arm, the time spent in the lit box
and decreased the duration of time spent in the dark box. The oral administra-
tion of CT (30mg/kg) failed to show any significant effect in both animal
models of anxiety. The animals treated with CT (100mg/kg) showed a signifi-
cant increase in the inflexion ratio and discrimination index which provides
evidence for the species nootropic activity. [18]
CNS depressant activity studies
The Clitoria ternatea was studied for its effect on cognitive behavior, anxiety,
depression, stress and convulsions induced by (PTZ) and (MES). The extract
decreased time required to occupy the central platform (transfer latency,TL)
in the elevated plus maze (EPM) and increased discrimination index in the
object recognition test, indicating nootropic activity. It decreased the dura-
tion of immobility in tail suspension test, reduced stress induced ulcers and
reduced the convulsing action of PTZ and MES. The extract exhibited ten-
dency to reduce the intensity of behavior mediated via serotonin and AcH.
The effect on DA and noradrenalin mediated behavior was not significant. In
short, the extract was found to possess nootropic, anxiolytic, antidepressant
and anti-stress activities. [7] The nootropic drugs facilitate intellectual perfor-
mance, learning and memory. [70]
Anti-stress activities of Clitoria ternatea
The anti-stress activity of aerial parts was assessed using cold restraint stress
(CRS) induced ulcers, lithium-induced head twitches, clonidine-induced hypo-
thermia, sodium nitrite-induced respiratory arrest and haloperidol-induced
catalepsy in rat and mice. [7]
Effect of Clitoria ternatea on general behaviour
Ethanol extract of the root of Clitoria ternatea was evaluated for different
neuropharmacological actions in rats and mice, such as general behavior,
exploratory behavior, muscle relaxant activity and phenobarbitone induced
sleeping time. The ethanol extract at doses of 100 and 150 mg/kg caused
reduction in spontaneous activity, decrease in exploratory behavioral pattern
by the head dip and Y-maze test, reduction in the muscle relaxant activity by
rotarod, 30 0C inclined screen and traction tests indicating significant neurop-
harmacological activity. [71]
Journal of Pharmacy Research Vol.3.Issue 11.November 2010
Immunomodulatory effects
This study evaluated the immunostimulatory activities of aqueous extracts of
Clitoria ternatea leaf and flower. The studies were conducted on oral adminis-
tration of aqueous extract of CT to alloxan-induced diabetic rats for a duration
of 60 days which significantly decreased the in serum glucose and cholesterol
levels. The total white blood cells, red blood cells, T-lymphocytes and B-
lymphocytes were significantly increased in treated animals, while monocytes
and eosinophils showed an opposite trend. These results further indicate that
these plant extracts have immunomodulatory effects that strengthen the
immune system. [72]
Larvicidal activities
The methanol extracts of Clitoria ternatea seed extract was effective against
the larvae of all the three species with LC50 values 65.2, 154.5 and 54.4 ppm,
respectively for A. stephensi, A. aegypti and C. quinquefascitus. CT was
showing the most promising mosquito larvicidal activity. [73,74]
Proteolytic activities
The activities of endopeptidases (hemoglobin pH 3.5 and azocasein pH 6.0),
carboxypeptidase benzyloxy carbonyl (CBZ-Phe-Ala Ph 5.2), and arylamidases
lysophosphatidic acid and a-N-benzoyl-L-arginine P-nitro-analide (LPA 7.0
and BAPA 7.6) were assayed in extracts of cotyledons and axis of resting and
germinating seeds of Clitoria ternatea but the endopeptidases at pH 3.5 and
the arylamidase at 7.0 were high in cotyledons. The activities of carboxypep-
tidase and the arylamidase increased in cotyledons reaching a maximum at the
day 9, while the endopeptidases showed an increase at the day 3 followed by a
decrease. In the axial tissue the endopeptidases and carboxypeptidase activi-
ties showed an increase until the day 9 followed by a decrease and arylamidase
were low. The increase of acidic endopeptidases and carboxypeptidase activi-
ties in germinating cotyledons is an indication of their participation in the
degradation of the storage proteins. [73,75-79]
Antihelmintic activities
There were so many studies which have been reported on antihelmintic activ-
ity of Clitoria ternatea. It was indicated that crude alcoholic extract of CT and
its ethyl acetate and methanol fractions significantly demonstrated paralysis
and also caused death of worms especially at higher concentration of 50 mg/
ml, as compared to standard reference piperazine citrate. [80) Inhibitory effect
of CT leaves on free-living nematodes was evaluated using aqueous and metha-
nol extract.[81] In another study, flowers, leaves, stems and roots of CT were
evaluated for anti-helmintic activity on adult Indian earthworms Pheretima
posthuma. Methanol extract of root is most potent and required very less
time to paralysis and death of worms as compared to other extracts. The
potency increases from flowers, leaves, stems to roots. [82]
Diuretic activity
The powdered form of dried whole root and ethanol extract were evaluated for
diuretic activity and only single I.V. dose of extract produce moderate increase
in urinary excretion of Na, K and decrease in Cl but no change in urine volume.
Also so appreciable effect seen on oral dosing. [83]
Anti-microbial activities
The methanolic extracts of the leaves and root of Clitoria ternatea were
tested for their antibacterial activity against different pathogenic drug resis-
tant Gram-positive and Gram-negative clinical isolates and minimum inhibi-
tory concentration was determined by agar dilution technique followed by
estimation of zone of inhibition against the selected strains by disc diffusion
technique and comparison was done with reference to the standard antibiotic
ciprofloxacin. The leaf was found to possess powerful antibacterial activity
against E. coli and V. cholera, known for causing dysentery, and S. aureus,
causative agent of fever. The leaf extract showed stronger antibacterial activ-
ity than root extract. Both extracts were shown to be bactericidal in their
mode of action. Quercetin may contribute to the activity of leaf extract.[84]
In another study, it was reported that crude extract from seeds of CT showed
maximum zone of inhibition (22±0.5 mm) against E. coli at 0.75 mg concen-
tration and minimum with M. flavus of (14±1 mm) and the callus extract
showed maximum zones of inhibition (16±2mm) against S. typhi while the
lowest with E. coli and S. aureus (12±1 mm and 12±0.9mm) respectively. [85]
Alcoholic and Aqueous extracts from in vitro raised calli were tested for
antibacterial activity by agar well diffusion method against Gram-negative
bacteria. Antibacterial activity was shown against Salmonella spp. and Shigella
dysenteriae; organisms causing enteric fever. [86] In addition, the methanol crude
extracts showed anti-bacterial activity against K. pneumonia and P.
aeruginosa .[87]
2610-2614
 Jagbir Chahal et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2010, 3(11),2610-2614
The crude extract from seeds of CT showed strong antifungal activity on the
test fungus A. niger and A. ochraceous followed by other organisms. [85] The
presence of small molecular weight, cystein rich protein, finotin obtained
from seeds of the plant CT has been demonstrated for its antifungal prop-
erty. [88] The extract which was prepared from CT leaves, was assessed for
antifungal activity against selected fungi (Aspergillus niger) by method. The
extract showed a favorable antifungal activity with a minimum inhibitory
concentration (MIC) 0.8 mg/ml and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC)
1.6 mg/ml respectively. [89]
Miscellaneous
The plant of interest was found to be active as nitrogen supplements to Napies
grass basal diet in relation to the performance of lactating Jersey crows. [11,90,91]
Polar (ethanol) and non polar (benzene) extracts of Clitoria ternatea seeds at
dose of 75 and 100 mg/kg, i.p. was evaluated on milk induced leucocytosis and
milk induced eosinophilia in mice and found significant inhibition. The etha-
nol and benzene extracts showed milk induced leucocytosis in dose dependent
manner. But in milk induced eosinophilia ethanol extracts showed inhibition
eosinophilia in dose dependent manner while benzene extract does not showed
dose dependent inhibition. This inhibition of leucocytosis and eosinophilia
indicates the anti-allergic potential of Clitoria ternatea.[92]
CONCLUSION
Major thrust by whole of the pharmaceutical industry is focused towards design
and development of new plant based drugs through investigation of leads from
traditional system of medicines. In the study of Clitoria ternatea alcoholic
extracts of roots, leaves and flowers gives different pharmacological activities
like antileprosy, anti-inflammatory, antihelmintic, immunomodulatory,
antiasthamatic, antidepressant, anticonvulsant, analgesic, antipyretic, anti-
fungal, proteolytic and antihyperlipidemic. Many important phytoconstituents
responsible for the activity were isolated. The scientific research on Clitoria
ternatea suggests a huge biological potential of this plant. Though the re-
ported evidences supports the safety and efficacy of CT, but the quality of the
evidence is limited in respect to its bioactive secondary metabolites,
bioavailability, pharmacokinetics and therapeutic importance including clini-
cal trials, which are not known with sufficient details. It is strongly believed
that detailed information as presented in this review might provide detailed
evidence for the use of this plant in different medicines. At the same time, the
organic and aqueous extracts of Clitoria ternatea could be further exploited in
the future as a source of useful phytochemicals compounds for the pharmaceu-
tical industry.
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