Description

Sesbania grandiflora, also known as Agathi Keerai or the vegetable hummingbird, is a small loosely branching tree belonging to the family Fabaceae and genus Sesbania. Agathi Keerai typically means the green leaves of the plant, a fast-growing tree which grows in a hot humid climate and the tree is indigenous to India, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and also widely grown in Mexico, South West USA. The leaves are round, and flowers range from yellow, white, blue to red colour. The red and white flowers are used as vegetables while the yellow and blue are mostly used in medicines.

Agathi leaves have been used extensively in Ayurveda for treating several ailments including migraine, sinusitis, fever and respiratory woes. The leaves possess powerful anthelmintic, diuretic and laxative property. The flowers are valuable in curing headache, night blindness and cataracts. Apart from these, the bark of the tree is used to treat diarrhea, gonorrhea, malaria and smallpox. Agathi leaves are known to aggravate Pitta dosha, calms down aggravated Vata dosha and clears out excess Kapha dosha. Agati does best in warm humid areas, it does not tolerate temperatures below 10°C. It will grow in a wide range of soils, even poor ones and will tolerate a wide pH range and salinity.