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Agro Products
Senna Leaves
(Botanical Name: Cassia angustifolia)
Part Used : Leaves, Pods, Stem & Seeds
Description and composition:
Senna was first used medicinally by Arabian Physician as far back as the 9th century A.D. It has long found use in traditional Arabic and European medicine as well, primarily as a cathartic. The leaves have been brewed and the tea administered for it strong laxative effect.
Cassia angustifolia is native to India and cultivated mainly in India and Pakistan.
Healing power and curative properties
Constipation :
Senna is a powerful cathartic used in the treatment of constipation, working through a stimulation of intestinal peristalsis. It is vital to recognize, however, that the constipation is a result of something else and not the initial cause and that this has to be sought and dealt with. Senna is mainly for severe constipation, the constipation following a fever or for clearing Pitta from the small intestines. However, it cannot be used where there is inflammation in the G.I. Tract itself because of irritation.
Inflammatory skin conditions :
The leaves were sometimes made into a paste and applied to various skin diseases. Ringworm and acne were both treated in this way.
It is also used in hypertension and obesity.
- Senna leaf is a strong anthraquinone- containing purgative that is used only in acute constipation.
- Though senna is a laxative, which theoretically should be good for vata, it is a peristalsis enhancer that will provoke vata in the long run through its bitter taste and cold energy.
- Because of its substantial squeezing action, senna is usually used along with carminative herbs, such as ginger and fennel.
Senna is a strong purgative that should be taken with care and in proper dosage. It has an irritant effect upon the intestinal membrane, and may cause griping, pain or nausea, along with liquid stools or diarrhea. It can be corrected by adding 1/4 amount of stomachic herbs, like ginger or fennel seeds, with its dosage.
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