Butterfly Bean Flower Powder

 Butterfly Bean Flower Powder, also known as blue buttercup or bluebell pea, is a perennial vine native to the tropical regions of south-east Asia, famous for its attractive blue petals and unique colour-changing properties. This amazing plant is not only a feast for the eyes, but also a versatile natural ingredient for the food industry and the health sector.

Botanical characteristics and cultivation features 

The Butterbur plant has a climbing habit of growth with a gradual lignification of the base, and its natural flowering period lasts from July to October, and in the tropics it can bloom throughout the seasons. Its fantastic blue or purple flowers with bright yellow centres are highly ornamental. This plant is found in the wild in Guangdong and Taiwan, China, and is now widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries.

Pigment properties and colour-changing principle 

The most striking feature of the Butterfly Bean Flower Powder is the abundance of anthocyanins in its petals, which are water-soluble natural pigments that give the flower its reputation as a "master of natural colour mixing". Anthocyanins are extremely sensitive to acidity and alkalinity, and will change colour according to the pH value of the environment:

Colour spectrum:

Neutral environment (pH≈7): clear blue 

Weakly acidic environment (e.g. with lemon juice): purple 

Strongly acidic environment: pink or red 

Alkaline environment: bluish-greenish tint 

This colour-changing property makes Pteridium an ideal ingredient for food art and creative beverages. Experiments have shown that when the dried flowers are soaked and mixed with lemonade, they produce a gradation of colours from blue to violet, with beautiful layering when ice is added.

Application Areas and Useful Cases 

Food Industry Applications:

Natural food colouring: Butterfly pea flower juice has been widely used for colouring beverages, candies, pastries, noodles and glutinous rice. In Southeast Asian traditional cooking, it is often used to make blue rice, bread and various speciality pastries.

Creative drinks: By adjusting the pH level, a "starry sky drink" can be created with a fantastic gradient effect, which is popular on social media.

Artistic innovation: The Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai has made "edible sculptures" out of sticky rice dyed with butterfly pea flowers, creating gradient layers of colour by controlling the dyeing time, with a price tag of RMB 8,888 for a single piece of work.

Beauty and health products:

A Japanese laboratory study found that butterfly pea flower extract can increase the absorption rate of creams by 27%. 

has developed a "butterfly pea flower glutinous rice mask", which is made from dyed glutinous rice into an edible mask with a water content of up to 98%, which extends the skin's water retention time for up to eight hours after application.

Health Benefits and Precautions 

Butterfly pea flowers are not only visually appealing, but also have certain health values:

Health Benefits:

Rich in antioxidant anthocyanins, which help fight free radical damage 

Traditionally used to make heart and blood vessel health drinks (e.g. Butterfly Pea Flower Lemon Tea) 

May have mild anti-inflammatory and circulatory effects 

Precautions for use:

Pregnant women should avoid consuming large quantities as it may affect blood coagulation 

Caution should be exercised when preparing for surgery, heavy menstruation or taking anticoagulant medication 

Moderate consumption is recommended, as overdose may cause discomfort 

First-time users should be aware of any allergic reactions