What is Senna?
Senna can be found all over the tropics. Although they are usually different species, the uses are almost always the same. The leaves and seed pods have powerful purgative and laxative actions, which have been used to treat constipation, infection, and in traditional Chinese medicine for conditions involving too much heat.
The uses of this herb are somewhat limited, and it is no longer used for purging the body as it was in the past. This action is uncomfortable and can be dangerous if misused.
Now Senna is almost exclusively used for treating constipation short term. Long term use is not recommended under any circumstance.
What is Senna Used For?
Senna is primarily used to treat constipation.
Traditional Uses of Senna:
Senna is indigenous to many different countries, and for the most part each individual countries native species have all been used for much the same purposes [4]. Most of sennas traditional usage involves its laxative action, as described in various ways. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is described as downward draining, and purges heat [7].
Senna is also a valuable medicinal plant for constipation in the Ayurvedic traditional medical system [11].
Ellingwood suggested senna for the treatment of temporary constipation [5].
+ Traditional Chinese Medicine
(Leaves used)
Pinyin: Fan Xie Ye
Taste: Sweet and bitter [2, 3, 7]
Energy: Cold [2, 3, 7]
Channel: Large intestine [3, 7]
Actions: Purging (aggressive), drains heat, removes stagnation, promotes defection and urination, relaxes the bowels. This herb drains downwards. [2, 3, 7].
Indications: Heat accumulation and binding, constipation with abdominal pain, edema, fullness, distention [2, 7].
Combinations:
- To break up stagnation: Zhi shi + huo po [7].
- Constipation due to hat accumulationin the intestines: huo xiang + mu xiang [7].
Herb Details: Senna
Herbal Actions:
- Laxitive
- Purgative (Cathartic)
- Antimicrobial
- Styptic (topically)
Weekly Dose
- (1:2 Liquid Extract)
10–40 mL - View Dosage Chart
Part Used
- Leavess and seed pods
Family Name
- Leguminoseae
Distribution
- Located throughout the tropics, some specific species can be found in more temperate climates.
Constituents of Interest
- Anthraquinone glycosides
- Sennosides (A-D)
- Naptheline glycosides
- Tinevellin glycoside
Common Names
- Senna
- Alexandrian senna
- Nubian senna
- Cassia senna
- Egyptian senna
- Sene de la palthe
- Kartoum senna
- Tinnevelly senna
- Indian senna
Pregnancy
Avoid use while pregnant or breastfeeding.
Duration of Use
- Avoid long-term use in therapeutic doses.
Botanical Information
Senna is a member of the Leguminosae family, which is the third largest family of flowering plants, containing roughly 19,000 species and 751 genera.
The Cassia genera contains between 250 and 350 different species (a lot of debate about the actual number).
Harvesting Collection, and Preparation:
Senna comes in a variety of species, but all are used for the same general purposes. The preferred species for medicinal benefit however, is Cassia acutifolia [4]. The leaves and pods are commonly used with all of these species. the leaves are more powerful, however the pods are much less griping. The griping action is suggested to be mainly caused by the resin content of the leaves. [4].
Alcohol and water combination are best used to extract the medicinal constituents of both senna pods and leaves rather than just one or the other [4].
Phytochemistry
Constituents (In the Leaf)
| Chemical class | Chemical Name | % Dried Weight | Solubility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthraquinone glycosides | Sennoside A, B, C, D | Unknown | N/A |
| Flavonoids | Isorhamnetin, Kaempferol | Unknown | N/A |
| Resins | --- | Unknown | N/A |
| Mucilage | N/A | Unknown | N/A |
| Naptheline glycosides | 6-hydroxymusizin glycoside, Tinnevellin glycoside | Unknown | N/A |
| Volatile oil | N/A | Unknown | N/A |
Constituents (Pods)
| Chemical class | Chemical Name | % Dried Weight | Solubility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthraquinone glycosides | Sennoside A, A1, B | Unknown | N/A |
| Flavonoids | --- | Unknown | N/A |
| Mucilage | --- | Unknown | N/A |
| Naptheline glycosides | Tinevellin glycoside, 6-ydroxymusizin glycoside | Unknown | N/A |
| Volatile oil | --- | Unknown | N/A |
Pharmacology & Medical Research
+ Purgative (Cathartic)
The purgative action of senna is reported to act mainly on the lower bowel, through an increase in bulking and increasing peristalsis [4, 5, 7].
The majority of sennas laxative actions are from its sennoside content. It works through a release of endogenous substances in the colon, such as autacoids, and nitric oxide. Sennosides also alter the absorption and secretion of water and electrolytes into the lumen of the colon. [8, 9].
Clinical Applications Of Senna:
Senna is a reliable laxative. It is purgative in higher doses, however, this action is no longer used in modern herbal medicine. Topically, senna is useful for treating wounds and skin irritations.
Cautions:
Never take senna for more than 10 days at a time.
Be very careful about the list of contraindications with this herb (see above).
Senna may turn the urine red during use.
+ Contraindications
- Intestinal obstruction
- Abdominal pain of unknown origin
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Stomach inflammation due to griping
- Appendicitis
- Colitis
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Ulcerative colitis
- Crohns disease
- Pregnancy and lactation
- Haemorrhoids
- Prolapsus
- Chronic constipation (because it can lead to dependency issues)
Synergy
Senna may have synergistic effects with carminatives in order to combat the negative side effect of griping pain and nausea. Some good herbs to combine for this are ginger, cloves, cinnamon or other aromatics.
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References
Barnes, J., Anderson, L. A., & Phillipson, J. D. (2007). Herbal medicines (3rd ed.). London, United Kingdom: Pharmaceutical Press. (Pg. 537-538).
Yang, J., Huang, H., Zhu, Li-Jiang, & Chen, Y. (2013). Introduction to chinese materia medica (3rd ed.). (Pg 158-160).
Wu, J. N. (2005). An illustrated Chinese materia medica. New York: Oxford University Press. (Pg. 164-165).
A Modern Herbal. (1931). Senna. Retrieved from http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/senna-42.html
Hoffmann, D. (2003). Medical herbalism: The science and practice of herbal medicine. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press. (Pg. 582-583)
Wren RC. (N.D). Potters new Cyclopedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations, 8th Ed.
Hempen, C.H., Fischer, T., (2009). A Materia Medica for Chinese Medicine, Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh.
Vitalone, A., Di Giacomo, S., Di Sotto, A., Franchitto, A., Mammola, C., Mariani, P., Mastrangelo, S., Mazzanti, G. (2011). Cassia angustifolia Extract Is Not Hepatotoxic in an in vitro and in vivo Study. Pharmacology, 88(5-6), 252-259. doi:10.1159/000331858
Capasso F, Mascolo N, Autore G, Duraccio MR. (1983). Effect of indomethacin on aloin and 1,8 dioxianthraquinone-induced production of prostaglandins in rat isolated colon. Prostaglandins. 26:557–562.
Marazzi, B.; et al. (2006). Phylogenetic relationships within Senna(Leguminosae, Cassiinae) based on three chloroplast DNA regions: patterns in the evolution of floral symmetry and extrafloral nectaries. American Journal of Botany.93 (2): 288–303. doi:10.3732/ajb.93.2.288
Das PN, Purohit SS, Sharma AK and Kumar T. (2003). A handbook of medicinal plants. Agrobios, Jodhpur, India, 118.
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