Indian Medicinal Plants An Illustrated Dictionary

Action ◮ An adulterant of the true
senna. Leaves and seeds—purgative
and anthelmintic.
Cassia obtusifolia Linn.
Family ◮ Calsalpiniaceae.
Habitat ◮ From Jammu and Himachal
Pradesh to West Bengal, also in
central and western India, up to an
altitude of 1,200 m.
Ayurvedic ◮ Chakramarda, Prapunnaada.
Folk ◮ Chakondaa, Chakwar,
Pumariaa.
Action ◮ Pods—Antidysenteric,
antibacterial, antifungal. Seeds—
used for ringworm and skin diseases
also for cough, cold, asthma, and as
a mild purgative in liver complaints.
Cassia occidentalis Linn.
Family ◮ Calsalpiniaceae.
Habitat ◮ Throughout India, up to
an altitude of 1,500 m.
English ◮ Coffee Senna, Foetid
Cassia, Negro Coffee.
Ayurvedic ◮ Kaasamarda, Kaasaari.
Unani ◮ Kasondi.
Siddha/Tamil ◮ Paeyaavarai, Thagarai.
Folk ◮ Kasondi (bigger var.).
Action ◮ Purgative, diuretic,
febrifugal,expectorant,stomachic.
Leaves—used internally and
externally in scabies, ringworm and
other skin diseases. A hot decoction
Cassia sophera Linn. 129
is given as an antiperiodic. Seeds—
used for cough, whooping cough
and convulsions. Roasted seeds
(roasting destroys the purgative
property) are mixed with coffee for
strength.
The pods contain sennosides and
anthraquinones; seeds polysaccharides,
galactomannan; leaves dianthronic
hetroside; pericarp apigenin; roots
emodol; plant xanthone—cassiolin;
seeds phytosterolin; flowers physcion
and its glucosides, emodin and betasitosterol.
The volatile oil obtained from the
leaves, roots and seeds showed antibacterial
and antifungal activity.
The seeds, when fed to animals, resulted
in weight loss and also were
found to be toxic to experimental animals.
Leaves are preferred to quinine as
a tonic, seeds are considered as a haemateinic
toxic and root is used as a hepatic
tonic.
Dosage ◮ Seed—3–6 g powder;
leaf—10–20 ml juice; root bark—
50–100 ml decoction. (CCRAS.)
Cassia sophera Linn.
Family ◮ Calsalpiniaceae.
Habitat ◮ Ingardensashedge
throughout India.
English ◮ Sophera Senna.
Ayurvedic ◮ Kaasamarda.
Unani ◮ Kasondi.
Siddha/Tamil ◮ Ponnaavaarai.
Action ◮ Leaves, seeds, bark—
cathartic; considered specific for
C