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| Departments » Herbal Medicine » Materia Medica » Cassia spp. |
Note - the monographs are provided for informational purposes only, and are not to be used for self-medication.
Cassia spp. Senna
| Botanic Name | Cassia spp |
| Common Name | Senna, Alexandrian Senna, Nubian Senna, Cassia Senna, Egyptian Senna, Tinnevelly Senna, East Indian Senna |
| Family | Leguminosae |
| Parts Used | Dried fruit pods |
| Habitat | Egypt,
Sudan, Jordan, and India (Hoffmann)
Egypt, Nubia, Arabia, Sennar (Grieve) |
| Constituents | Anthraquinones
(including rhein, aloe-emodin, sennosides A&B) (Mills)
Flavonoids (Mills) Resin (Mills) Tartaric acid (Mills) Mucilage (Mills) Tannin (Mills) |
| Actions | Stimulating laxative (Mills) |
| Applications | Flaccid or
atonic constipation (Mills)
Conditions in which easy defecation and soft stool is desirable, such as anal fissures or haemorrhoids (Salmond) |
| Body Systems | Digestive |
| Energetics | Promote
bowel movement and relieve constipation.
Stimulate the liver and gall bladder, break up obstruction and promte bowel movement. Choleretic and cholagogue laxatives. (Holmes) Bitter, sweet, cold(Tierra) |
| Dosage | 0.5 – 2
gms dried pod before retiring (Mills)
Liquid Extract 1:2 0.5 – 2 mls tds |
| Combinations | Aromatic carminitive herbs to increase palatability and reduce griping (Ellataria cardamomum, Zingiber officinalis, Foeniculum vulgare) (Hoffmann) |
| C/I Cautions | Not
recommended for tense or spastic constipation (Mills)
All cautions for anthraquinone containing herbs apply |
| BHP | Constipation |