Wild Senna
Wild Senna (Cassia hebecarpa)
Cassia hebecarpa is an herbaceous perennial legume that can grow as tall as 6 feet. It grows in the eastern part of North America, from Ontario to Georgia. It is mostly found in areas with moist soils, but it can also occasionally be found in drier locations. Senna varieties are found all over the world, but many of their medicinal properties are similar. Several Senna species are widely used as laxatives, both historically and in modern medicine, due to the presence of compounds called anthraquinones (Belt, 2002). The laxative effect is derived from the leaves or fruit pods of the plant. In traditional medicines, Senna is used as a tea, an extract, or syrup. Modern uses provide the extract in pill form. (Cirillo & Capasso, 2015)
Historical Use
Historical information on the use of senna can be found in Nicholas Culpeper’s English Physician; and Complete Herbal written in 1789. The leaves of Senna (usually the Senna alexandrina/Cassia senna variety) were used as a laxative and emetic. It was also thought to cleanse the body and blood by purging “obstructions,” melancholy, and phlegm. Jacob Bigelow’s American Medical Botany highlights Cassia marilandica, a close cousin of Cassia hebecarpa. Although demonstrating similar medicinal virtues to that of Senna alexandrina, Cassia marilandica required a third more to have the same effect. Thus, Senna alexandrina was preferred and imported to America.
Latest Research
- Cleaning effect and tolerance of 16 bowel preparation regimens on adult patients before colonoscopy: a network meta-analysisby Ming Sun on March 11, 2023 at 11:00 am
CONCLUSION: PEG + Asc + Sim regimen is more effective at cleaning the bowel. PEG + SP/MC will be helpful to increase CIR. For ADR, PEG + Sim regimen will be more helpful. In addition, PEG + Asc + Sim is the least likely to cause abdominal bloat, while Senna regimen is more likely to cause abdominal pain. Patients prefer to re-use the SP/MC regimen for bowel preparation.
- Computational Search for Potential COVID-19 Drugs from Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants to Identify Potential Inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 Targetsby V Alagarsamy on November 25, 2022 at 11:00 am
CONCLUSION: Molecular ADMET profile estimation showed that the docked phytochemicals were safe. The present study suggested that active phytochemicals from medicinal plants could inhibit RdRp and spike protein of SARS-CoV-2.
- Determination of Total Sennosides and Sennosides A, B, and A1 in Senna Leaflets, Pods, and Tablets by Two-Dimensional qNMRby Serhat Sezai Çiçek on November 11, 2022 at 11:00 am
In the present work, a two-dimensional qNMR method for the determination of sennosides was established. Using band-selective HSQC and the cross correlations of the characteristic 10-10′ bonds, we quantified the total amount of the value-determining dianthranoids in five minutes, thus, rendering the method not only fast, but also specific and stability indicating. The validation of the method revealed excellent accuracy (recovery rates of 98.5 to 103%), precision (RSD values of 3.1%), and…
- Gut-Kidney Impairment Process of Adenine Combined with Folium sennae-Induced Diarrhea: Association with Interactions between Lactobacillus intestinalis, Bacteroides acidifaciens and Acetic Acid, Inflammation, and Kidney Functionby Xiaoya Li on October 27, 2022 at 10:00 am
CONCLUSIONS: Adenine combined with Folium sennae-induced diarrhea, altered the structure and function of the gut content microbiota in mice, causing the enrichment of the characteristic bacteria Lactobacillus intestinalis and Bacteroides acidifaciens. The interactions between Lactobacillus intestinalis, Bacteroides acidifaciens and acetic acid, intestinal inflammation, and kidney function might be involved in the process of gut-kidney impairment in adenine, combined with Folium sennae-induced…
- Sennoside A is a novel inhibitor targeting caspase-1by Jiasi Wu on September 13, 2022 at 10:00 am
The assembly of inflammasomes drives caspase-1 activation, which further promotes proinflammatory cytokine secretion and downstream pyroptosis. The discovery of novel caspase-1 inhibitors is pivotal to developing new therapeutic means for inflammasome-involved diseases. In our present study, sennoside A (Sen A), a popular ingredient in multiple weight-loss medicines and dietary supplements, is found to potently inhibit the enzymatic activity of caspase-1 in vitro. Sen A considerably decreased…
References
Belt, S. (2002). Wild Senna Plant Guide. Retrieved from https://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_sehe3.pdf
Cirillo, C., & Capasso, R. (2015). Constipation and Botanical Medicines: An Overview. Phytother Res, 29(10), 1488-1493. doi:10.1002/ptr.5410
Other Resources
Natural Medicines record: Senna (Access to UI only)