AGATHI KEERAI ( BOTANICAL NAME:SESBANIA GRANDIFLORA)

 In English,  this spinach variety is called as august tree leaves or humming bird tree

 leaves. There are two varieties of agathi leaves. One variety has white flower and the other  one has red flower called as red august tree leaves. 

The common variety is white flower august tree leaves. Taste of agathi leaves is bitter but has bunch of healthy values. The edible parts in this variety are flower and leaves of the tree. Leaves, stem, root and flower of august tree leaves are used for medicinal purposes. The agathi leaves can be consumed in the form of juice, cooked spinach or medicine. The thin stem is used as a ingredient for good health medicines in siddha and ayurveda. It is advisable to take agathi leaves two to three times in a month.

It’s believed that Sesbania grandiflora is named after the Vedic sage, Agastya. Considered the father of Tamil literature, Agastya likely lived between 6 and 7^thcentury BC, and he specialized in siddha medicine, spirituality and lyric and grammar of Tamil language.

In India, the plant grows in abundance throughout many states, including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Assam, Gujarat, and Bengal. They thrive in hot, humid areas and can grow like weeds in close quarters.

They manage a humble existence growing in the banks near major crops, and in gardens. Sometimes, bunches of the leaves appear in local produce stalls, likely to appease the older generation who insist on the plant’s numerous health benefits. 

It is a fast growing tree. Leaves are regular and opposite foliate leaves with round tip and the flowers are white or red according to species. The fruits look like flat long and thin green beans. The tree thrives under full hot sunlight and extremely frost sensitive. Leaves are 15 to 30 cm long, leaflets 10 to 20 pairs oblong. racemes 2 to 4 flowers. suture thick seeds. pods slender

The vernacular names of Agathi Tree are as follows:

In HIndi Gaach munga In Malayalam Akati In  Kannada adase In Telegu Avisi

In Marati Hadga flower IN Bengali. Bokful or Herron flower a its white and hangs like a heron from the tree.

Agathi leaves taste bitter, sour, and mildly tart. Most cooks counteract this bitterness with coconut milk, and some swear by the addition of garlic to combat the stomach pain arising from consuming too much agathi.

The flowers are also bitter and astringent, but the white are less so than the red. It’s possible to reduce the bitterness by removing the stamen. The flower’s texture is mildly crunchy and fibrous, but pressure cooking or steaming for ten minutes will soften it. It’s also best to choose the flowers that have not yet bloomed, as these too will be softer and less leathery.

The leaves are an excellent source of calcium and iron. The abundance of these nutrients is one reason for its reputation as a bone strengthener.the leaf is also an anthelmintic, diuretic, laxative, and can aggravate pitta. It has the potential to treat toxicosis, itching, and excess kapha. The flowers are acrid, bitter, and astringent. Local healers use the flowers to treat night blindness, headaches, catarrh, cough, and fever.

Medicinal Uses:

Strong bones are the main contribution of agathi leaves. The vitamins and rich calcium, iron content in the keerai or spinach supplies strength to bones. By consusming the juice of agathi leaves prevent the weak bones of older agers and patient of arthritis. It strengthens optical  nerves.

When you cook these leaves for food, you should add garlic and little jaggery. It has the side effect of indigestion and stomach pain. So Check this spinach by eating little.

If it is digestable to you, you can eat more but at intervals.Contispation, Complication caused by drinking more cups of coffee and tea, feeling of burning in palms, heart and foot, body heat are controlled by taking agathi leaves at frequent intervals. 

The burning sensation of body, eyes, stomach, legs and feet are drastically reduced by adding agathi leaves in your diet. 

Agathi leaves are boiled fully and added to the mother of new born baby for healthy breast feeding. It has a power of throwing out the stomach worms and leaves your stomach happy for a long time. The high content of vitamin A and calcium is the reason behind this health benefit.

It has a unique power of healing wounds, itches and bruises and sprains fastly with the help of antibacterial properties. The root of the agathi leaves  are used to cure malaria

The leaves  of agathi supplies all the nutrition that makes strong body, healthy blood, healthy functions of all organs of the body. But it is strictly warned that it has to be consumed monthly twice or thrice.

1. It is prescribed in siddha medicine as a good spinach variety which reduce the fever.
2. It is prescribed in siddha medicine as a good spinach variety that reduce the fever as well as it has a unique power of reducing the effect of poison and medicine.
3. To cure night blindness, the extract of humming bird tree leaves is used as a medicine.
4. 
   

   Add small onions with these Sesbania leaves leaves for good functions of intestine Store the water used for boiling the agathi leaves and Consume it as the soup. It has all the vitamin and mineral content of the agathi leaves.

      

AGATHI SOUP

AGATHI PORIAL

Stomach pain and diarrhea can be caused by taking agathi leaves. 

The flowers are used to make bajji or fritters in Tamil Nadu Villagers Home. They are more tasty than leaves and loved by all. The Taste is also good. The flowers contain all the  nutrients , the leaves have. You can dip the flowers in the thick bajji batter of rice flour and besan flour and asafoetida one pinch, red chilly powder one spoon and cooking soda one pinch and required quantity of water and fry them in cooking oil and serve to the children and elders. They will like very much.

You can make porial of the flowers of Sesbania and consume as the preparation of the other types vegetable porial.

The leaves of the Sesbania Grandiflora is useful for the cows which induces the milk production. So the villagers feed the cows with agathi leaves.