It grows like a weed. There are a few people selling it (as plants) in the flower market. Once it produces seeds it’s dead easy to grow more. My plants are flowering at the moment, so if you want seeds, I can probably send you some in a month or so.
The “tea”, incidentally, is basically tasteless. Personally I use the flowers in salads. They have a mild green-pea flavour. It’s also good for cocktails and fruit-juice drinks because it changes colour with pH.
And of course the name is good for lots of schoolboy jokes.
In traditional Ayurvedic medicine, it is ascribed various qualities including memory enhancing, nootropic, antistress, anxiolytic, antidepressant, anticonvulsant, tranquilizing, and sedative properties.[8] In traditional Chinese medicine, the plant has been ascribed properties affecting female libido due to its similar appearance to the female reproductive organ.[9]
The Chinese version says it’s not widely known among TCM doctors.
Just noticed this thread, what a shame. Human sexual connections aside, one cannot deny the genus’ latin name and a resemblnce to the female body part. There are actually numerous species in taiwan that have flowers kind of similar in appearance to human vaginal parts. Temping this thread based on that would be pretty sad, as this biology…just dont be immature about it. Penis. Vagina. Cover the childrens ears!
On butterfly pea, fantastic plant. We have been exporting it from taiwan for over a decade. It grows fantastically well here, everywhere below the frost lines. So basically island wide under 1000m without issue and higher elevations deepends on their micro climate. Basically above freezing it will live here.
There are numerous varieties, namely white, lavender and blue. Single and double flowers of each.
A note for taiwan as per FDA regulation. They can no longer be sold as a food item under the terms of actual ingestion. They were going to outright ban it but thankfully some people arent too lazy to fight for basic rights. As the law seems to stand now, if it is whole flower fresh or dried, can be sold as a dye. We stopped manufacturing powder for the taiwan market because powder is obviously going to be swallowed. And as such i will leave this thread with one last point: Government regulations requires one to spit, not swallow. In all seriousness. This logic brought to you by the pig gut throwing think tanks that be. Thank you FDA and Clitoria