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Hindi Sanay, Sana ka patt
Dosage as laxative: 0.5 to 2 grams.
Philip Miller segregated Senna from Cassia in 1754 in the fourth edition of The Gardeners Dictionary. Until 1982, many authors, following Linnaeus, did not recognize Senna and Chamaecrista, but included them in a broadly circumscribed Cassia sensu lato. Phylogenetic analyses of DNA have shown that Chamaecrista, Cassia, and Senna are all monophyletic, but the relationships between these three genera have not been resolved. They are therefore shown in phylogenetic trees as a tritomy.
Thirunel velli senna
Cassia angustifolia Vahl.
Senna includes herbs, shrubs, and trees. The leaves are pinnate with opposite paired leaflets. The inflorescences are racemes at the ends of branches or emerging from the leaf axils. The flower has five sepals and five usually yellow petals. There are ten straight stamens. The stamens may be different sizes, and some are staminodes. The fruit is a legume pod containing several seeds
English : Indian senna, Thirunelvelly senna
| Cassia angustifolia |
Kannada Nelavarike, Sonamukhi
Malayalam Sunnamukki, Connamukki
Sanskrit Sivarnapatti
Telugu Nela tangedu
Tamil Nilavarai, Nelavakai
Cassia angustifolia is a drought resistant plant. It is a native plant of Saudi Arabia . But, nowadays it is grown widely in India also. It was first grown in India , in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. Now, it is grown in Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram districts of Tamil Nadu and also in Gujarat and Maharastra. The importance of this plant lie in it’s constituent “Sennosides”. It has Sennosides A, B,C,D. But, only A & B are used as medicines.
Alexandrian Senna is a shrubby plant that reaches 0.5–1, rarely two, metres in height with a branched, pale-green erect stem and long spreading branches bearing four or five pairs of leaves. These leaves form complex, feathery, mutual pairs. The leaflets vary from 4 to 6 pairs, fully edged, with a sharp top. The midribs are equally divided at the base of the leaflets. The flowers are in a raceme interior[verification needed] blossoms, big in size, coloured yellow that tends to brown. Its legume fruit are horned, broadly oblong, compressed and flat and contain about six seeds.
When cultured, the plants are cut down semi-annually, dried in the sun, stripped and packed in palm-leaf bags. They are then sent on camels to Essouan and Darao, then down the Nile to Cairo or else to Red Sea ports. For the nomadic Ababda, for example, trade in senna provides a significant source of income.
It can be grown even in waste lands, there is no need for frequent irrigation and maintenance. It is one of the major medicinal plants exported from India .
But, it is not used much by Indians and it’s consumption is less in India .
About 180 tonnes of Calcium sennosides is produced in India per annum. Out of 180, 140 tonne is exported.
Generally leaf extract is used for laxative preparation. Leaf has higher sennoside content. The young leaves are found to have high sennoside quantity than the matured ones.
Dosage as laxative: 0.5 to 2 grams.
Researches are going on for increasing the sennoside content of senna by applying stress (Plant tissue culture)
In medicine
Sennas have for millennia played a major role in herbalism and folk medicine. Alexandrian senna (S. alexandrina) has long been traded commercially.
Senna glycosides, or sennosides, are used in modern medicine as laxatives. Senna drugs contain the dried leaves of S. alexandrina. The glycosides increase gastric fluid secretion and bowel motility, producing laxative action. Senna preparations are available in powders, granules, tablets, oral infusions, and syrups. It is also available in combination with the dietary fiber psyllium to add bulk to the bowel contents. The products are only recommended for short-term use, and chronic use and abuse of senna has been associated with organ failure.
Several Senna species are used as herbal remedies in Nigeria to treat various conditions, including constipation, fungal skin infections, andhemorrhoids.
The senna plant is a small shrub in the cassia genus, which belongs to the fabaceae family, and is native to regions of West Asia. It is not uncommon for people to confuse this plant with the senna genus; however, in 1754, the Scottish botanist Phillip Miller divided the senna from the cassia, but the common name of senna remained with the cassia angustifolia. These plants are erect, branching shrubs that can reach between 2 to 3 feet in height. They are made up of tiny yellow flowers; smooth, light green stems; and long branches that hold four to five pairs of thick, veiny, apexed leaves which are gray-green on top, and yellow-green at the bottom.
The senna plant is best known as one of the most powerful natural laxatives available, but these small, lovely shrubs are used for a variety of applications. Several parts of this plant – including the leaves and the small, green-brown pod fruits – contain a wide array of beneficial agents, including the vitamins A and B, C and D. Its initial usage was brought about by the Arabian doctors Mesue and Serapion; however, it began a wider distribution when in Greece, Achiarius – who had realized the potential of the senna plant – recommended using the fruit pods in place of the leaves, as they do not cause painful “gripping” sensations. Although these plants were used primarily to help cleanse the body, in more modern times, they are used to treat a number of ailments. For instance, these plants aid in expelling worms and parasites from the system; to encourage weight loss, or discourage loss of appetite; they act as a diuretic to help restore proper secretions of vital enzymes; and they may also be useful in treating arthritis, gout and skin inflammation. Although the senna plant is exceptionally useful in a number of ways, it is not, unfortunately, without side-effects. It is not recommended that these plants be used by pregnant or lactating women, as over-use may cause a decrease in nutrients. Over-use by anyone may create a weakening of the colon, sore joints, and a weakness of muscles.
Dried senna plants were once given in sachets to help attract romantic partners. Because of this, they are now considered one of the many symbols of love. As a gift, they may very well make for an original Valentine’s Day or anniversary present, as they are not only lovely in appearance, and useful in a variety of ways, but they are also quite uncommon.
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