Senna plant is a flowering plant. It is a perennial and small hrub, which grows up to 10 meters. The leaves are pinnate with opposite pair leaflets. The inflorescence is racemes. The fruit is a legume. The flowers have 5 sepals, and usually, 5 yellowish petals. There are 10 stamens, and some of them are developed as staminodes. The leaves and fruit of the plant are used for medicinal purpose. Leaves are bitter, astringent sweet and therogenic. The leaves are more potent than the seeds.
Senna – Cassia angustifolia Vahl.
Family: Leguminosae
Varieties
KKM (Se) 1, ALFT-2, Sona are suitable varieties for cultivation. KKM (Se) 1 is suitable for cultivation under rainfed conditions in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin regions.
Soil and climate
In Tamil Nadu, it is grown in well drained sandy or sandy loam or laterite soils. It is a hardy warm weather crop grown under rainfed and irrigated conditions. The soil pH suited for cultivation is 7.0 – 8.5.
Seed rate
About 15 – 20 kg/ha of seed is required. The seeds are scarified with sand or can be soaked overnight in water and sown in beds at a spacing 45 x 30 cm during February – March or June – July.
Season
The planting spreads from February – March and June – July.
Manuring
Apply FYM 10 – 15 t/ha and N, P and K at 40:40:40 kg/ha as basal. Apply 40 kg N at 40 days after sowing
Aftercultivation
One or two weedings is required.
Plant protection
Pest
Aphids
Spray dimethoate 30 EC or methyl demeton 25 EC at 1 ml/lit of water to control the pest.
Leaf spot
It can be controlled by spraying 0.50 % of Carbendazim at fortnight intervals
Damping off
It can be controlled by seed treatment with Carbendazim (1 g/kg of seed)
Harvest
The first harvest of leaves and pods are done at 2 months after sowing and subsequent harvests at 30 days interval. Leaves and pods are dried for 7 – 10 days.
Medicinal Value
- The leaf of the Senna plant is used for the treatment of constipation traditionally. It is also used to clear the bowel before a colonoscopy.
- Senna plant is also used for treatment of hemorrhoids.
- It is also used for weight loss.
- Senna is used for irritable bowel syndrome.
- Senna also cures leprosy.
- Senna is useful in the treatment of bronchitis.
- It fights against cough, cold, and asthma.
- This is useful in the treatment of skin disorder.
- This is also helpful in the treatment of leucodermia.
- Senna is useful in the treatment of typhoid and cholera.
- It is proved useful in the treatment of gout and jaundice.
- Senna with water pills can decrease potassium in the body.
- Senna is mixed with tea for dieters because it decreases appetite without affecting the body system.
- Senna regulates gastric juice secretion in the body. Senna leaf is anti-inflammatory in nature.
- Senna was originally used for the treatment of fever, indigestion and killing ringworm naturally or any kind of intestinal worm.
- It is used for the treatment of stomach pain by North African traditional healers.
- Senna is used in the case of breathing difficulties.
- Senna leaves are used for alleviating toxin from our body.
