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==Pharmacognostic and Standardisation Data (API)==
===Macroscopic===
The drug consists of a stout tap root with a few tortuous branches, cylindrical, 1-5 mm in thickness. A few places show cracks due to the presence of lenticels. Colour light-brown, fracture fibrous, taste bitter.<ref name="API1999" />
===Microscopic===
The root shows 10-20 or more layers of rectangular, thin-walled, tangentially elongated exfoliating cork cells. The secondary cortex consists of 10-12 rows of large, polygonal, thin-walled cells filled with starch grains, a few containing prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate. Single or grouped (2-10) lignified cortical fibres lie in the lower half of the cortex. Phloem fibres occur in groups of 2-8, with a few solitary fibres; the xylem has vessels with oblong bordered pits, and medullary rays are 1-5 cells wide. Simple and compound starch grains (2-6 components), the single grains measuring 3-13 µ in diameter, are found in the secondary cortex, phloem and xylem parenchyma. The powder is yellowish-brown and shows simple and compound starch grains (3-13 µ in diameter), vessels with oblong bordered pits and fragments of fibres.<ref name="API1999" />
===Identity, purity and strength===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Standards for Aparajita root<ref name="API1999" />
|-
! Sr.no. !! Parameter !! Limit
|-
| 1 || Foreign matter || Not more than 2 per cent
|-
| 2 || Total ash || Not more than 5 per cent
|-
| 3 || Acid-insoluble ash || Not more than 2 per cent
|-
| 4 || Alcohol-soluble extractive || Not less than 5 per cent
|-
| 5 || Water-soluble extractive || Not less than 8 per cent
|}
===Thin layer chromatography (T.L.C.)===
T.L.C. of the alcoholic extract on Silica gel 'G' using chloroform : ethyl acetate : formic acid (5:4:1 v/v) shows one spot at Rf 0.79 (dull yellow) in visible light and a blue spot at Rf 0.79 under U.V. (366 nm). On exposure to iodine vapour, two yellow spots appear at Rf 0.54 and 0.79. On spraying with 10% aqueous ferric chloride and heating at 105°C for about fifteen minutes, one grey spot appears at Rf 0.79.<ref name="API1999" />


==Therapeutic Efficacy: Scientific Evidence==
==Therapeutic Efficacy: Scientific Evidence==

Latest revision as of 09:26, 31 October 2026

Clitoria ternatea L.

Aparajita
Section/Chapter Herb database/Aparajita
Botanical name(s) Clitoria ternatea L.
Family Fabaceae
Availability Available
Contributors Team Dravyaguna
Year of publication 2026
Publisher Charak Samhita Research, Training and Skill Development Centre
DOI Awaited

Clitoria ternatea L., popularly known as Aparajita, is a perennial climber with a slender, downy stem, found throughout the tropical regions of India. It is cultivated in gardens everywhere and is often found growing over hedges and thickets. The dried root is the part used medicinally.[1] In Ayurveda it is described among the drugs used for Shirovirechana (errhine therapy), Dhuma varti and Visha chikitsa (treatment of poisoning). It is a commonly used medicinal plant.

English name

Clitoria[1]

Therapeutic Use

Shula (pain), Shotha (inflammation/swelling), Kushtha (diseases of skin), Mutraroga (urinary disorders), Vrana (wounds/ulcers)[1]

Synonyms in Charak Samhita

Aparajita, Shankhapushpi, Girikarnika, Vishnukranta, Sephanda

Ayurvedic pharmacological properties

Properties[1]
Sr.no. Pharmacological criteria Properties
1 Taste (rasa) Pungent (katu), Bitter (tikta), Astringent (kashaya)
2 Potency (veerya) Cold (sheeta)
3 Post digestion effect (vipaka) Pungent (katu)
4 Qualities (guna) Light (laghu), Dry (ruksha)
5 Actions (karma) Kanthya (beneficial for throat and voice), Kaphahara, Pittahara, Vatahara, Medhya (promotes intellect), Vishahara (anti-poisonous), Buddhiprada (intellect promoting), Chakshushya (beneficial for eyes)
6 Extra ordinary effect (prabhava) --

Reference in Charak Samhita and its actions

Herbs and their activities
Sr.no. Reference in Charak Samhita Activity
1 Cha.Sa.Sutra Sthana 1/77 Mulini for Sirovirechana (Errhine therapy)
2 Cha.Sa.Sutra Sthana 2/4 Shirovirechana
3 Cha.Sa.Sutra Sthana 5/26 Vairachanika Dhuma varti dravya
4 Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 23/95 As an ingredient of Rishabhakadi agada
5 Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 23/195 Used in the treatment of Darvikara damsha
6 Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 23/210 Used in the treatment of fish poison, as a lepa prayoga
7 Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 26/69 As an ingredient of Karpasmooladi yoga
8 Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 30/91 As an ingredient of Pushyanuga churna

Dose

1-3 gm of the drug in the powder form.[1]

Important Formulations

As per A.P.I.[1]

  • Mishraka Sneha
  • Vataraktantaka Rasa

Constituents

Tannin, starch, resin, taraxerol and taraxerone.[1]

Phytoconstituents

Sr.no. Class Major compounds / Remarks
1 Anthocyanins (ternatins) Polyacylated anthocyanins of the blue flowers. Eight new anthocyanins (ternatins C1-C5 and D3, and preternatins A3 and C4) were isolated from the flowers.[2]
2 Flavonol glycosides Glycosides of kaempferol, quercetin and myricetin, including malonylated forms, isolated from the petals.[3]
3 Cyclotides (cliotides) Heat-stable cyclic cysteine-rich peptides; 15 were isolated, of which 12 (cliotide T1-T12) were novel. They occur in every plant tissue examined, including flowers, seeds and nodules.[4]
4 Triterpenoids Taraxerol is the marker triterpenoid of the root; it was quantified at 12.4 mg/g in the hydroalcoholic root extract by an HPTLC method.[5]

Therapeutic Efficacy: Scientific Evidence

The studies below were carried out on extracts of different parts of Clitoria ternatea (root, flower or the whole extract named in each study) in animals, in healthy volunteers or by computer modelling. They are not identical to classical Ayurvedic preparations of Aparajita and should be read as supportive evidence only.

Memory and learning (Medhya)

Neonatal rat pups (7 days old) were given an aqueous root extract (50 or 100 mg/kg body weight) by oral intubation for 30 days. Open field behaviour did not change, but retention in the passive avoidance test and spatial learning in the T-maze improved, both immediately after the treatment and 30 days later, indicating a memory-enhancing effect.[6]

Anxiolytic, antidepressant and anticonvulsant effects

A methanolic extract of Clitoria ternatea was tested in rodents. It showed nootropic activity, increased open-arm occupancy in the elevated plus maze by 160% and occupancy of the lit box by 157% (anxiolytic effect), decreased immobility in the tail suspension test (antidepressant effect), reduced stress-induced ulcers and reduced convulsions induced by pentylenetetrazol and maximum electroshock.[7]

Anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic effects (Shotha, Shula)

A methanol extract of the roots, given orally to rats, inhibited carrageenin-induced paw oedema and acetic acid-induced vascular permeability, and reduced yeast-induced fever. In mice, doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg orally markedly reduced acetic acid-induced writhing.[8]

Glycemic response

In a randomized crossover trial in 15 healthy men, a flower extract (1 g or 2 g in water) taken with 50 g sucrose suppressed the rise in plasma glucose and insulin 30 minutes after ingestion. The extract alone did not change fasting glucose or insulin. This study used the flower, not the root described by the API.[9]

Anti-venom potential (Visha)

In a computational study, 27 compounds of Clitoria ternatea were screened against phospholipase A2 of Daboia russelii venom. Only kaempferol interacted well with the catalytic site residues His48 and Asp49 and stayed stably bound in a 100 ns molecular dynamics simulation. This is an in silico finding and has not been confirmed by laboratory or clinical studies.[10]

Research gaps

Studies on the other API indications (Kushtha, Mutraroga and Vrana), human trials on root preparations, and laboratory or clinical confirmation of the anti-venom potential are not included here. Further well-designed studies using classical Aparajita preparations are needed.

Current availability

Available

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Anonymous. The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India. Department of Ayush, Ministry of Health and Family welfare, Govt. of India, New Delhi, Part I. 1999; Volume II, Monograph 5 (Aparajita): 10-11
  2. ↑ Terahara, N.; Toki, K.; Saito, N.; Honda, T.; Matsui, T.; Osajima, Y. (1998). "Eight new anthocyanins, ternatins C1-C5 and D3 and preternatins A3 and C4 from young Clitoria ternatea flowers". Journal of Natural Products. 61 (11): 1361–1367. 
  3. ↑ Kazuma, K.; Noda, N.; Suzuki, M. (2003). "Malonylated flavonol glycosides from the petals of Clitoria ternatea". Phytochemistry. 62: 229–237. 
  4. ↑ Nguyen, G. K. T.; Zhang, S.; Nguyen, N. T. K.; Nguyen, P. Q. T.; Chiu, M. S.; Hardjojo, A.; Tam, J. P. (2011). "Discovery and characterization of novel cyclotides originated from chimeric precursors consisting of albumin-1 chain a and cyclotide domains in the Fabaceae family". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 286 (27): 24275–24287. 
  5. ↑ Kumar, V.; Mukherjee, K.; Kumar, S.; Mal, M.; Mukherjee, P. K. (2008). "Validation of HPTLC method for the analysis of taraxerol in Clitoria ternatea". Phytochemical Analysis. 19 (3): 244–250. 
  6. ↑ Rai, K. S.; Murthy, K. D.; Karanth, K. S.; Rao, M. S. (2001). "Clitoria ternatea (Linn) root extract treatment during growth spurt period enhances learning and memory in rats". Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology. 45 (3): 305–313. 
  7. ↑ Jain, N. N.; Ohal, C. C.; Shroff, S. K.; Bhutada, R. H.; Somani, R. S.; Kasture, V. S.; Kasture, S. B. (2003). "Clitoria ternatea and the CNS". Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior. 75 (3): 529–536. 
  8. ↑ Devi, B. P.; Boominathan, R.; Mandal, S. C. (2003). "Anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic properties of Clitoria ternatea root". Fitoterapia. 74 (4): 345–349. 
  9. ↑ Chusak, C.; Thilavech, T.; Henry, C. J.; Adisakwattana, S. (2018). "Acute effect of Clitoria ternatea flower beverage on glycemic response and antioxidant capacity in healthy subjects: a randomized crossover trial". BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 18: 6. 
  10. ↑ Suveena, S.; Saraswathy, V.; Junaida, M. I.; Vinod, M. P.; Laladhas, K. P.; Nair, A. S.; Sudhakaran, P. R.; Oommen, O. V. (2023). "In silico screening of the phytochemicals present in Clitoria ternatea L. as the inhibitors of snake venom phospholipase A2 (PLA2)". Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics. 41 (16): 7874–7883. 
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