Pharma Research Library | Pharma Info Index Research | Innovation | Opportunities |
G. Neelamma*1, B. Durai Swamy2, P. Dhamodaran3
1Research Scholar, Department of Pharmacognosy and Phytopharmacy, JSS College of Pharmacy, Ooty-643001, Tamil Nadu, India.
2HOD, Department of Pharmacognosy and Phytopharmacy, JSS College of Pharmacy, Ooty-643001, Tamil Nadu, India.
3Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacognosy and Phytopharmacy, JSS College of Pharmacy, Ooty-643001, Tamil Nadu, India.
A B S T R A C T
Clitoria ternatea L. (CT) (Family: Fabaceae) commonly known as ‘Butterfly pea’, a traditional Ayurvedic medicine, had been used for centuries as a memory enhancer, nootropic, antistress, anxiolytic, antidepressant, anticonvulsant, tranquilizing and sedative agent. A wide range of secondary metabolites including triterpenoids, flavonol glycosides, anthocyanins and steroids had been isolated from Clitoria ternatea Linn. Its extracts possessed a wide range of pharmacological activities including antimicrobial, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, diuretic, local anesthetic, anti diabetic, insecticidal, blood platelet aggregation-inhibiting and for use as a vascular smooth muscle relaxing properties. This plant had a long use in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for several diseases and the scientific studies have reconfirmed those with modern relevance. This review is an effort to explore the chemical constituents, pharmacological and toxicity studies of CT, which had long been in clinical use in Ayurvedic system of medicine along with a critical appraisal of its future ethno pharmacological potential in view of many recent findings of importance on this well known plant species.
Keywords: Memory enhancer, Antidepressant, Nootropic, Secondary metabolites, Local anesthetic
