Ethnobotanical Characteristics

Description

Erect to ascending-spreading branched shrub, to 1 m high. Leaves paripinnate with 3- 6 pairs of lanceolate, acute, leaflets which are 1.5-3 cm long, up to 1 cm wide. Flowers racemed, on pedicels 3-5 mm long; petals yellow with dark veins, 10 1.7 cm long. Pod flat, curved-oblong, 3-5 cm long, 1-1.8 cm wide, obtuse, pubescent. Seeds 5-7, compressed, obovate, dark brown and nearly smooth.

Habitat & Distribution

Distributed throughout the tropical regions of the world, in deserts, semi deserts and grasslands regions. It is now cultivated in many countries. The plant is widespread in UAE, found in valleys, lower slopes of mountains, and roadsides, along the sand and gravel.

Part(s) used

Leaves & Pods, seeds and roots

Traditional & Medicinal Uses

Cathartic, expectorant, used for gastritis; to be taken mixed with aromatic herbs like anise, ginger etc. In U.A.E the powdered leaves or decoction of leaves and fruits, mixed with sugar and lemon to treat constipation. The plant used for hemorrhoids headache, itchy skin, hair fall and coloring, scabies and pimples.

Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry

Microscopical Description

A transverse section of the lamina shows an isobilateral structure where the upper and lower epidermises are similar in appearance. The epidermal cells are polygonal but those over the veins are more elongated and have striated cuticle. The epidermal cells have thin straight cell walls and some of them contain mucilage. The paracytic stomata are numerous and they are distributed on both epidermises. Attached to the epidermal cells are unicellular, conical, warty, covering trichomes and some are curved or appressed to the epidermis. The palisade cells underlying the upper epidermis are longer and larger than those underlain by the lower one and they have straight cell walls. The spongy mesophyll is composed of loosely held parenchyma cells of different shapes some of which are incompletely surrounded by a sheath of fibers accompanied by rows of cells containing calcium oxalate prisms. The vascular strands comprise phloem and xylem tissues; the xylem vessels are spirally thickened or border pitted. The fibres are found in groups and they are thick-walled and lignified (DPS ZCHRTM unpublished results). 

• (a). TS of a the leaf showing the general aspects of it isobilateral nature with upper and lower palisade layers.
• (b). Surface view of the upper epidermis of the leaf showing the upper epidermal cells with oval paracytic (mostly) stomata and a cicatrix of a detached covering trichome.
• (c). Surface view of the lower surface of the leaf showing the lower epidermal cells with oval paracytic stomata and a cicatrix of a detached covering trichome (Magnifications: x 100, x 400, and x 400, respectively).

Organoleptic characteristics

Solid powder:                                                                           Appearance
Light green:                                                                              Colour
Aromatic:                                                                                  Smell
Tasteless:                                                                                 Taste

Physicochemical constituents

Loss of weight drying at 10°c ( % ):                                        4.20

Solubilities (%)

Alcohol solubility:                                                                       < 3
Water solubility:                                                                         < 25

Ash values (%)

Total ash                                                                                    > 14
Acid insoluble ash:                                                                     > 2

Successive extractives

(%Petroleum ether (60-80°c):                                                   5.2
Chloroform:                                                                                2.0
Absolute alcohol:                                                                       11.10

pH values

pH of 1% aqueous solution:                                                        6.23
pH of 10% aqueous solution:                                                      5.84

The above results are under process of publication( DPS, ZCHRTM unpublished results).

Chemical constituents

Anthracene derivative's, sennoside A and sennoside B, C and D, rhein, alol-emodin, aloe emodin. (Bruneton 1999; DPS, ZCHRTM unpublished results).

Pharmacological and Toxicological studies

The effects of 0.5%, 0.3% and 0.1% w/w concentrations of Senna occidentalis seeds mixed with commercial ration were studied in different groups of 32 broiler chicks each, from 1 day to 49 days of age. Degenerative changes were found in the striated skeletal muscle in the chest, in the myocardium and in the liver in the animals that received the higher concentrations of such seeds (Haraguch et. al., 2003). Senna containing laxatives in young children reported to cause severe diaper rash, blisters, and skin sloughing. (Spiller et. al., 2003). The pharmacological effects of Fu Kean Tablet on gastrointestinal tract were studied. The results showed cured the diarrhea induced by rhubarb or Senna, prominently reduced the quantity of faces and delayed the time of excreting charcoal powder in the diarrhea induced by rhubarb or Senna (Zhou et. al., 1999).The toxic effects of diet containing 10% of Senna fruits or 10% of Nerium oleander leaves or their 1:1 mixture (5% 5%) on male Wistar rats treated for 6 weeks showed decrease in body weight gains, inefficiency of feed utilization, dullness and enterohepatonephropathy. These findings accompanied by leukopenia and anemia were corelated with alterations of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities and concentrations of total protein, albumin, urea and other serum constituents. In both toxicology studies, the ability of the liver to excrete bilirubin remained unchanged (Al-Yahaya et al., 2002). The laxative potency of Senna was reported reasonably uniform (Grote and Wods. l944). Oral dose caused informed feces (Collier et. al., l948). The purgative action of Senna has been attributed, in part, to the release of histamine in the gut (Erspamer 1946).
The pharmacological and toxicological studies have been carried out in ZCHRTM laboratory and the results in brief, on Cassia angustifolia (Aqueous extract).

The results presented without references showed unpublished data (unpublished data, ZCHRTM, DBMS).

Summary of the results

The plant showed laxative activity. The laxative property was found reasonably uniform. No mortality reported at the dose tested. No toxic signs and symptoms observed.

References

• Alami, R.& Macksad, A medicinal plant of Kuwait. Al –assriya Printing Press, Kuwait.
• Al-Yahya MA, Al-Farhan AH, Adam SE (2002) Toxicological interactions of Cassia senna and Nerium oleander in the diet of rats. IS J Chin Med. 30
• Bruneton,J.(1999), PharmacognosyPhytochemistry Medicinal Plants,2nd Ed.,Intercept Ltd., Paris,London,PP.427-430.
• Collier, H.O.J., Fieller, E.C. and Paris, S.K. (l948) A biological evaluation of the purgative activity of senna extracts. Quart. Joour. Pharmacol. 21(2), 225-31.
• Department of Biomedical Sciences, Zayed Complex for Herbal Research and Traditional Medicine, Unpublished results.
• Department of Pharmacognostic Sciences, Zayed Complex for Herbal Research and Traditional Medicine (ZCHRTM) unpublished results.
• El Ghazali, Gamal, E. B et al. Medicinal Plants of Sudan, Part II, Medicinal Plants of White Nile Province. (1994) Khartoum Univ. Press.
• El-Ghonemy, A. A. Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants of the United Emirates. (1993) 1st Edition, University of UAE.
• Erspamer, E and Paolini, A (l946) histamine, a positive conditioner of the purgative action of some drastic agents. Experientia 2, 455-458.
• Grote, I.W. and Woods M. (l944). Laxative action of mice of tinnevelly and Alaxandria senna and several botanically related plants. J. Am. Pharm. Assoc. Sci. 33 (8) 266-270.
• Haraguchi M, Dagli ML, Raspantini PC, Gorniak SL. (20030 The effects of low doses of Senna seeds on broiler chickens. Vet Res Commun. 27(4): 321-8.
• Jongbloed, M.V. The Comprehensive Guide to the Wild Flowers of the united Arab Emirates, Erwda, (2003) Emirates Printing Press, Dubai, U.A.E.
• Kotb, T. F. Medicinal Plants in Libya.(1985) Arab Encyclopedia House. Tripoli-Libya.
• Miller A.G., Morris M. Plants of Dhofar, The southern Region of Oman: Traditional, Economic and Medicinal Uses.(1987) Office of the Advisor for conservation of the Environment, Sultanate of Oman.
• Nadkarni, A. K. (1992 ) Indian Materia Medica; vol1.Popular Prakashan Private Press, India.
• Spiller HA, Winter ML, Weber JA, Krenzelok EP, Anderson DL, Ryan ML., (2003) Skin breakdown and blisters from senna-containing laxatives in young children. Ann Pharmacother. 37(5): 636-9.
• Western, A. R. The Flora of United Arab Emirates, an introduction. (1986) Publication of the UAE University.
• Zhou J, Li R, Ye M, Huang G, Liao H. (1999) Experimental study on pharmacological action of fukean tablet on gastrointestinal tract Zhong Yao Cai. 22(9): 465-7.
• أحمد طبال ( ) معجم النباتات الشافية، دار الشمال، طرابلس - لبنان
• هانئ عرموش ، الأعشاب فى كتاب : الاستخدامات الطبية العلاجيلة التجميلية التصنيعية . (1999) دار النفائس، دمشق، سوريا