The plant is a small procumbent herb found in open grassy places almost throughout India, ascending to 6,000 ft., in the Himalayas. It is a fulvous hairy herb, woody at the base and leaves are linear to oblong, small and sub-sessile with trichomes on both surfaces. One to three pink flowers occur together, which are axillary and pedicelled. The sepals are linear to lanceolate and hairy. Fruit capsules are oblong-globose, pale brown containing tiny brown seeds.

Figure 9.3 Convolvulus pluricaulis

Figure 9.4 Clitoria ternata

Clitoria ternata is a perennial climber with cylindrical stems and branches with compound leaf bearing 5–7 imparipinnate leaflets. Flowers, blue or white with an orange center, are solitary or axillary, followed by flattened pods containing 6–10 yellowish-brown seeds. It is found throughout India and South East Asia. 
Canscora decussata is an erect branching annual of up to 60 cm height found in moist areas all over India up to a height of about 1500 m. Leaves are simple, ovate, opposite and sessile.

Evolvulus alsinoides is a procumbent perennial with a small woody root stock, with simple elliptic-oblong or oblong-ovate leaves, alternately arranged. The flowers are light blue in colour, solitary or in pairs, borne in the leaf axils, giving rise to globose four-valved capsules. E. alsinoides is found throughout India up to 1800 m in elevation.

Constituents

The plant contains alkaloids convolvuline, convolamine, phyllabine, convolidine, subhirsine, scopoline, betaine, evolvuline, flavonoids—Kaempferol, kaempferol-3-glucoside, 6-methoxy-7-hydroxy coumarin, long chain fatty alcohols-n-hexacosanol, n-octacosanol, n-triacontanol and dotriacontanol, in addition to 3,4,dihydroxycinnamic acid, sugars-glucose, rhamnose, sucrose and β & γ-sitosterol.

Traditional uses

The plant is considered a bitter tonic, febrifuge, and a vermifuge indicated in dysentery. It is a reputed “medhya rasayana” or a memory-improving drug. The juice of the plant along with those of Centella asiatica, Beninca hispida, Acorus calamus, and Sausserea lappa is given in psychosis as a psycho-stimulant and tranquillizer. It also promotes digestion, physical strength, and improves skin complexion. It is reported to remedy hypertension.

Leaves of E. alsinoides are made into cigarettes and smoked for relief from bronchial asthma.

Clitorea ternata is used as a diuretic and laxative. Root juice is used in chronic bronchitis and is used as a decoction in the irritation of the bladder and urethra. It is used in the treatment of headache in the form of snuff.