Senna alexandrina Mill.
CLASSIFICATION
| ORDER | : Fabales |
| FAMILY | : Fabaceae |
| GENUS | : Senna Mill. |
| SPECIES | : alexandrina Mill. |
| BOTANICAL NAME | : Senna alexandrina Mill. |
| SYNONYMS | : Cassia agustifolia Vahl |
| COMMON NAME | : Indian senna. |
| TAMIL NAME | : Alakalam. |
| HINDI NAME | : Hind- sana. |
PLANT DESCRIPTION
| HABIT : A small shrub with angled branches and pale-yellowish-brown bark. |
| LEAVES : Alternate, 5-8 jugate leaflets ovate-lanceolate, glabrous. |
| INFLORESCENCE : Racemes, many-flowered. |
| FLOWER : Bracteate, bracts membranous, ovate, caduceus. Sepals obtuse. |
| FRUIT : Legumes flat, seeds obovate. |
| FLOWERING AND FRUITING TIME : December. |
MEDICINAL USES
| The leaves are useful in constipation, loss of appetite, liver and abdominal troubles. |
| Senna alexandrina was used in the form of senna pods, or as herbal tea made from the leaves, as a laxative. |
| The active ingredients are several senna glycosides which interact with immune cells in the colon. |
| Modern medicine has used extracts since at least the 1950s as a laxative. |
IMAGES
Print this page