Senna (Cassia angustifolia)

What is Senna?

Cassia angustifolia, commonly known as Senna, is a much-branching erect shrub of the family Caesalpinaceae. It occurs naturally and is cultivated across many parts of India, where its leaves and pods have long been collected for their reliable purgative action. The botanical is best known for the way it increases the peristaltic movements of the colon by a local action directly upon the intestinal wall — the mechanism that underlies its traditional and modern use as a laxative.

Where does it grow?

Senna grows both wild and under cultivation throughout many regions of India. As a hardy, much-branched erect shrub it is well suited to the warm, dry conditions of the subcontinent, and India remains a principal source of the leaf and pod material from which standardized extract is prepared.

Chemical constituents

The active compounds responsible for Senna's laxative properties are the sennosides. These are found in the leaves, pods and flowers of the plant and are regarded as the marker actives on which a quality Senna extract is profiled and standardized.

Parts used

The leaves, pods and flowers are the parts used. Each is a reservoir of the sennoside content, and together they supply the material from which the standardized botanical extract is produced.

Traditional & therapeutic uses

Senna has a broad record of traditional use. Beyond its principal role as a laxative, it has been employed as an:

• Expectorant
• Wound dresser
• Antidysenteric
• Carminative
• Laxative

The defining therapeutic action remains the stimulation of colonic peristalsis: by acting locally upon the intestinal wall, Senna promotes movement of the colon and so relieves constipation.