392. Clitoria Ternatea, Linn. H.F.B.I., II. 208, Roxb. 566.
Sans. :—Aparâjitâ, asphota.
Vern. :—Kalizer, visnukranti, kava-thenthi (H.) ; Aparâjitâ (B.) ; Kâjali, gokaran (Bomb.) ; Kakkanam-kodi (Tam.) ; Dhanattar (Pb.) ; Garani (Guz.) ; Dintana, tella, mella, tella-dintana, nila-dintana (Tel.) ; Vishnu, kantisoppu, kirgunna, gokarna-mul (Kan.).
Habitat :—A common garden flower all over India.
A climber, with terete, slender downy stems. Stipules, linear, petioles ½-1in. Leaflets ovate or oblong-obtuse, subcoriaceous, 1-2in. long. Bracteoles roundish, obtuse, ¼-½in. long. Calyx ½-¾in. ; teeth lanceolate, half as long as the tube. Corolla 1½-2in. Standard 1in. broad, bright blue or white with an orange centre. Pod 2-4in. long, flattish, the valves not keeled on the face ; 6-10 seeds.
Parts used :—The root, seeds, leaves and juice.
Use :—Sanskrit writers describe the root as laxative and diuretic, useful in ascites, fevers, &c. (Dutt).
In the Concan, 2 tolas of the root-juice are given in cold milk to remove the phlegm in chronic bronchitis ; it causes nausea and vomiting. The juice of the root of the white-flowered variety is blown up the nostrils as a remedy for hemicrania (Dymock).
Mr. Mooden Sheriff speaks highly of the infusion of the root-bark as a demulcent in the irritation of the bladder and urethra ; it acts at the same time as a diuretic, and in some cases as a laxative.
The seeds are purgative and aperient (Ph. Ind.).
The infusion of the leaves is used for eruptions (Watt).
The juice of the leaves, mixed with that of green ginger, is administered in cases of colliquative sweating in hectic fever (Taylor).
The juice of the leaves mixed with common salt is applied warm all around the ear in ear-aches, especially when accompanied with swelling of the neighbouring glands (A. C. Mukerji, in Watt’s Dictionary.)
Nothing is left out. Words hyphenated across a line break are joined; printed fractions are given as ½, ¼ and ¾.