Cassia Absus - 0.5 kg Seeds

Chaksu (Cassia absus) is a small, erect, sticky-hairy annual herb of the legume family, growing through the rainy season and bearing small yellow-to-orange flowers followed by short flat pods that hold hard, shiny black seeds. It is grown and gathered chiefly for those seeds, which are an esteemed traditional remedy in Ayurveda and Unani medicine, particularly for eye complaints.

Native to India and the wider tropics, it occurs commonly as a weed of open wastelands, fallow fields and grassy ground across the plains. Beyond its medicinal seed (Chaksu), the plant is of minor value as fodder, and it establishes easily on poor, disturbed soils.

• Family: Fabaceae (Caesalpinioideae)
• Native region: India and the tropics
• Mature height: 15-60 cm
• Growth rate: Fast

The hard-coated seeds germinate more reliably after soaking in water for about 24 hours. Sow them shallowly, around 1 cm deep, directly into a moist, well-drained seedbed at the start of the monsoon; germination usually takes 1-2 weeks. Thin the seedlings to give each plant room, and the crop matures within a single rainy season.