Abstract

REVIEW ON VARIOUS SPECIES OF CASSIA AVAILABLE AND THEIR PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES.

S. A. Bilawar*, P. S. Raghu, S. P. Girhepunje, D. M. Vitthale and P. K. Lanje.

ABSTRACT

Senna consist of the dried leaflets or fruit of Cassia Senna (C. acutifolia) known in commerce as Alexandrian Senna and of Cassia angostifolia commonly known as tinevelly Senna. The Senna plant are small shrubs of leguminosecea cultivated either in Somalia, the Arabian pemimsula and near the mile river. Tinevelly Senna is obtained from cultivated plant mainly in south India and Pakistan. Owing to carefully way in which the plant is harvested, the leaflet of durg are usually broken. Damaged leaves and lower quality products are often used for making galenicals. The Senna pods (fruit) are collected during the same period as the leaves, the dried and separated into various quantities. The active principle of Senna was first isolated and characterized by stoll in 1941. The first two glycoside were identified and altributed to the anthraquinone family. These were found to be dimeric product of aleo emodin and/ or rhein which were name sennoside A and sennoside B. Both hydrolyse to give a glycones sennoside A and B and two molecule of glucose. Later work confirmed these finding and further demonstrated. The presence of sennoside C and D. Small quantities of mono metric glycoside and free anthraquinone seem to be presence as well the active constituent of the pods are similar to those but present in larger quantities. Both component can be utilized to distinguish between Alexandrian Senna and Indian, since tinnevellin glycoside is only found in the latter and the first only in the C. Senna. Cultivation of Senna does not require much expense on irrigation, manuring, pesticides, protection and other pre- and post- harvesting care. This makes the plant an ideal crop for arid regions where water provision, wasteland development, desertification control, sand dune stabilization are the major challenges. The distribution, medicinal applications, chemical and pharmacological studies and various aspects of Senna cultivation are reviewed in the paper.

Keywords: Cassia, anti-pyretic, anti-inflammatory, constipation, purgative.