Product Introduction

Butterfly pea flower, also known as Blue Butterfly, with the English name “Butterfly Pea” and the Latin name *Clitoria ternatea*, is called “Dok Anchan” in Thai. It is a typical tropical vine that blooms year-round and is mainly distributed in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Yunnan, China, with some distribution in Xishuangbanna. The petals can be used for dyeing and consumption. The flower is rich in vitamins A, C, and E, and high in anthocyanins, which boost immunity, promote skin elasticity, collagen production, and have antioxidant properties. The Thai and Dai people in Xishuangbanna often use it to brew tea and make blue-colored foods.

The bright blue color of butterfly pea flowers is due to their high anthocyanin content, which is ten times higher than that of most plants. It is now widely used in food, medicine, and cosmetics.

Main Active Ingredients

Natural blue pigment.

Product Applications, Usage, and Dosage

The bright blue color of butterfly pea flowers is due to their high anthocyanin content, which is ten times higher than that of most plants. It is now widely used in food, medicine, and cosmetics.

The Thai and Dai people of Xishuangbanna have been consuming butterfly pea flowers for centuries. During the annual Songkran Festival in March, locals pick the flowers to make a traditional purple rice dish, symbolizing good fortune.

Many beverage shops create various innovative butterfly pea flower products, such as butterfly pea milk tea, butterfly pea milk, butterfly pea sago, and butterfly pea Sprite. The flower has become a “star” in the beverage industry. Some restaurants also serve butterfly pea tea as a premium welcome drink for distinguished guests.

As butterfly pea flowers have become more popular, consumers have created a variety of dishes using them, including nourishing desserts (such as bird’s nest soup and peach gum), tea blends (with hibiscus, lemon, peach blossom, and other teas), beverage combinations (Sprite, milk, milk tea, jelly), pastries (toast, cakes), and meals (noodles, rice balls, dumplings).

Note: Women who are menstruating or pregnant should avoid consuming butterfly pea flowers.

Butterfly peas can also be used as fodder, with the fresh stems and leaves during the flowering period containing up to 30.57% crude protein and only 21.29% crude fiber, making it a highly nutritious legume forage. The tender pods are edible, and the roots can be used medicinally. Butterfly pea plants are also used as green manure. In landscaping, they are often used for flower beds, garden fences, potted plants, and hanging baskets, especially in coastal areas of Guangdong, China, where they are popular as ornamental vines.

Origin, Distribution, and Growth Environment

Originally from India, butterfly pea is widely cultivated in tropical regions around the world. In China, it is grown in Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan (Xishuangbanna), Taiwan, Zhejiang, and Fujian. It prefers warm, humid environments, tolerates partial shade, and is frost-sensitive, requiring good sunlight. It grows well in well-drained, loose, fertile soils, with an optimal growth temperature of 18-30°C.

Butterfly pea is a climbing herbaceous vine. Its stems and branches are slender and covered with short, fine, appressed hairs. Leaves are 2.5-5 cm long with small, linear stipules. The leaf stalk is 1.5-3 cm long, with a grooved upper surface. The leaflets are usually 5, sometimes 7, thin and papery, or nearly membranous, broadly oval, or sometimes nearly ovate, 2.5-5 cm long, and 1.5-3.5 cm wide, with a blunt, slightly notched tip, often with a small point, a blunt base, and both surfaces sparsely covered with short, appressed hairs or sometimes hairless, drying to a green or green-brown color. The petiolules are 1-2 mm long, with short, fine hairs on both the petiolules and the rachis.

Harvesting, Processing, and Storage

Store in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated place.