Butterfly Pea Flower

Blue Butterfly Pea flowers are native to Thailand, Malaysia and can be found in other parts of SE Asia. The scientific name of the plant is "Clitoria ternatea" as the flowers resemble the female genitalia. The flowers have a high content of anthocyanin, a beneficial antioxidant. The flowers have a nootropic effect and may trigger vivid dreams, enhanced memory and brain function. In Thailand, the flowers have been used for centuries for hair and scalp health in ancient types of shampoo.

Nowadays, the flowers are very popular in tea and herbal blends because they easily infuse their vivid blue pigment. The flowers are infused in water, sugar, milk or oil as a natural food color. The blue infusion color can change before your eyes to purple and fuchsia with the addition of lemon, lime or other ingredients that change the pH of the infusion (displayed in the image gallery above). Many new cocktail recipes and cool, color changing herbal teas are being created with this wonderful flower from Thailand.