senna(redirected from Cassia senna)
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senna,any plant of the genus Sennia (formerly placed in Cassia), leguminous herbs, shrubs, and trees of the family Leguminosae (pulsepulse,
in botany, common name for members of the Fabaceae (Leguminosae), a large plant family, called also the pea, or legume, family. Numbering about 650 genera and 17,000 species, the family is third largest, after the asters and the orchids.
..... Click the link for more information. family), most common in warm regions. Some species are cultivated for ornament, but sennas are best known as medicinal plants. The dried leaves are used as a purgative and are chiefly obtained from S. acutifolia (Alexandria senna) and S. angustifolia (Indian senna); both trees are cultivated especially in S India. The wild senna (S. marylandica), a perennial of the E United States, has been similarly used. Golden shower (S. fistula) of India yields canafistula, a purgative extracted from the fruit pulp. The young shoots of several wild species are used for food and the seeds for a coffee substitute. S. nictitans, a North American herb, is sometimes called wild sensitive plant because its leaves respond to touch as do those of the true sensitive plant, a mimosa. Senna is classified in the division MagnoliophytaMagnoliophyta
, division of the plant kingdom consisting of those organisms commonly called the flowering plants, or angiosperms. The angiosperms have leaves, stems, and roots, and vascular, or conducting, tissue (xylem and phloem).
..... Click the link for more information. , class Magnoliopsida, order Rosales, family Leguminosae.
Leaf tea famously used to relieve constipation. Be very careful, this stuff is very powerful and can cause damage if not used correctly. Contains several glycosides that interact with immune cells in the colon. Pods are much stronger, so avoid them. Senna may cause cramping. Do not take more than one week or colon muscles will atrophy and become dependent on laxatives. Don’t use with licorice root, thiazide diuretics, or steroids because of potassium loss. Don’t use if pregnant or nursing. Each branch has 4-5 pairs of standard shaped pointy oval leaves. Yellow flowers. Legume pod fruit are flat with about 6 seeds.
The dried leaflets of plants of the Cassia genus; used in medicine as a cathartic.
1. any of various tropical plants of the leguminous genus Cassia, esp C. angustifolia (Arabian senna) and C. acutifolia (Alexandrian senna), having typically yellow flowers and long pods
2. senna leaf the dried leaflets of any of these plants, used as a cathartic and laxative
Ayrton . 1960--94, Brazilian racing driver: world champion (1988, 1990, 1991)