Common names | blue pea, butterfly pea

Scientific name | Clitoria ternatea

Used part | Flower

Known active compounds | ternatins, quercetin, kaempferol

Potential benefits in cosmetics | anti-oxidant, slimming

Product name | Blue Pea Flower-APD, Blue Pea Flower-ANB

Plant Story

Blue pea (Clitoria ternatea), also called butterfly pea, Asian pigeonwings, or Blue bell vine, is a perennial evergreen plant native to tropical Asia. As a legume species, roots of blue pea can fix nitrogen by symbiotic association with soil bacteria and blue pea has been used as a cover crop. Blue pea flower has been used in various foods, especially in beverages as a natural coloring. Moreover, it has long been used for medicinal purposes. Blue pea flower has been thought to have anti-stress, anxiolytic, and sedative properties and used to relieve fever, inflammation and pain.

Blue pea flowers contain various phenolic compounds. Flavonoids such as quercetin derivatives and kaempferol derivatives were found to be the major phenolic compounds in blue pea flowers. Acylated anthocyanins, called ternatins, were also found in blue pea flowers. In addition, blue pea flowers showed anti-oxidant activity by inhibiting ROS production in RAW 264.7 cells. Blue pea flowers have also shown slimming effect. Blue pea flower inhibited adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes by suppressing expression of adipogenic transcription factors such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha, downregulating fatty acid synthase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase, inhibiting triglyceride accumulation, and enhancing catecholamine-induced lipolysis.