Hummingbird Tree

Scientific name of Hummingbird Tree: Sesbania grandiflora

Names of Hummingbird Tree in different languages:

Sanskrit: Agasti, Varnari, Munipriya

Hindi: Gaach munga - गाछ मूंगा

Malayalam: Agathy Agasthy (അകത്തി, അഗത്തി, അഗസ്തി.)

Plant description:

This a fast growing small ornamental flowering tree with red or white flowers resembling with little birds, growing up to 12-15 feet high with straight trunk and small leaves foliage, it's flowering season starts from November and end in June. Flowers are large and curved shaped. Young leaves, green fruit, and flowers are edible. Bark, leaves, gums, and flowers are useful in the Ayurveda treatments.

Leaf Arrangement

Shape-Bi-pinnate	Margin-Entire	Venation-pinnate

Useful plant parts:

Bark, Leaf, and Flower.

Medicinal uses:

To reduce Kapha and Pitha, to heal wounds, treat Headache, improving appetite, smallpox, pain, bronchitis, anemia, tumors, colic, jaundice, Rheumatism, Expectorant and Painful swelling.
Chemical contents: Antipyretic- Oleanolic Acid, Histidine, Isoleucine, Phenylalanine, Arginine, Cysteine, Tryptophan, Valine, Threonine, Alanine, Aspargine, Tannin, Vitamin c, Oleanolic Acid.

How to prepare medicines

Hummingbird tree’s leaves with other ingredients are useful in Nasya treatment; which is effective to reduce inflammation and Kapha and it can reduce the headache, Pensam, cough etc. Leaf fry in ghee and used daily to reduce eye diseases, because it has rich with vitamin A source. Seeds grind in cow milk and apply on the affected area  is helpful to cure wounds, and it is also useful to treat mouth ulcer and peptic ulcers.