Plant names
Scientific name: Cassia senna L.
Syn: Cassia acutifolia Delile & Cassia angustifolia Vahl.
Generic name: Folium Sennae
English names: Senna, Tinnevelly senna, Alexandrian senna, Khartoum senna
Farsi names: Sana, Sanae eskandarie, Sanae khartom, Sanae tinweli.
Arabic names: Al-sena, Senae al-kalb.
Plant specification
Plant family: Fabaceae.
Organs Used: Leaves.
Type of active substance: The main constituents are sennoside A and sennoside B (2.5%), which are rhein-dianthrone diglucosides. Smaller amounts of other diglucosides, monoanthraquinone glucosides and aglycones are also present.
Senna health benefits: Senna is a laxative herb and it used to treat constipation and also to clear the bowel before diagnostic tests such as colonoscopy. Senna is also used for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), hemorrhoids, and weight loss.
Geographic Distribution: Senna is indigenous to tropical Africa. It grows wild near the Nile river from Aswan to Kordofan, and in Arabian Peninsula, India and Somalia. It is cultivated in India, Pakistan, Iran and Sudan.
