Herbs & Herbal Remedies @ Green Papaya

A Powerful Laxative

Family: Caesalpinioideae; (includes Brazilwood)

Genus and Species: Cassia Senna, C. Acutifolia (Alexandrian and Khartoum), C. Angustifolia (Indian or Tinnevelly), C. Marilandica (American)

Also known as: Cassia

Parts used: Leaflets, seed pods

Senna is a powerful laxative-so powerful, in fact, that many authorities call it a cathartic. Arab physicians first wrote of its bowel-stimulating action in the 9th century, but their descriptions suggest it had been widely used for centuries from the Middle East to India.

Senna was introduced into European herbal Healing before the Crusades and has been widely used ever since.

Internal Cleanser

Seventeenth-century English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper, who came close to prescribing every herb for every ill, could not resist claiming senna “cleanses the stomach, purges melancholy and phlegm from the head, brain, lungs, heart, liver, and spleen, cleansing those parts of evil humour; strengthens the senses, procures mirth, purifies the blood [treats venereal diseaseJ, and is also good in chronic agues [fevers].” Other herbalists generally recommended senna only as a laxative.

The American Indians recognized native American senna’s laxative action but used it primarily to treat fever. The 19th-century Eclectics, influenced by Indian medicine, called senna “very useful in all forms of febrile [fever-producing] diseases in which laxative action is desired.”

Contemporary herbalists all tout senna’s laxative action but warn of its terrible taste and side effects-primarily intestinal cramps.

Not for Toast

Both senna and cinnamon come from trees with peelable bark, in Arabic, quetsiah, meaning to cut, which became cassia in English. Both are sometimes called cassia today. But these two herbs have very different actions and should not be confused.

Senna does not treat fever, nor does it “purge melancholy and procure mirth.” Quite the contrary. If you’re not careful with this herb, you’ll live to regret using it.

Laxative - Like aloe, buckthorn, and cascara sagrada, senna contains chemicals that stimulate the colon (anthraquinones). The herb is an ingredient in many over-thecounter laxatives: Fletcher’s Castoria, Gentlax, Sennexon, Senokap, Senolax, Black Draught, Innerclean Herbal Laxative, and Dr. Caldwell’s Senna Laxative.

Senna and the other anthraquinone laxatives, however, should be considered a last resort for constipation. First, increase the fiber in your diet, drink more fluids, and exercise more. If that doesn’t work, try the bulk-forming laxative, psyllium. If that doesn’t help, try a gentler anthraquinone, cascara sagrada. And if you still need relief, try senna in consulation with your physician.

Rx for Senna

Because of senna’s disgusting taste, herbalists generally discourage using the plant Material and instead recommend over-the-counter products containing it.

Those game enough to try the unprocessed herb can brew an infusion from 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried leaves per cup of boiling water. Steep 10 minutes. Drink up to 1 cup a day in the morning or before bed for no more than a few days. The taste of senna is nauseating; add sugar, honey, and lemon, and mix it with such taste-masking herbs as anise, fennel, peppermint, chamomile, ginger, coriander, cardamon, and licorice.

Some sources say the pods have milder action. Steep four pods in a cup of warm water for 6 to 12 hours. Drink up to 1 cup a day in the morning or before bed for no more than a few days.

In a tincture, use ½ to 1 teaspoon in the morning or before bed for no more than a few days.

Senna should not be given to children under age 2. For older children and people over 65, start with a low-strength preparation and increase strength if necessary.

Senna’s powerful action means it should not be used by those with chronic gastrointestinal conditions, such as ulcers, colitis, or hemorrhoids.

Pregnant and nursing women should not take senna. Senna should never be used for more than two weeks because over time it causes lazy bowel syndrome, which is an inability to move stool without chemical stimulation.

Large amounts of senna cause diarrhea, nausea, and severe cramps with possible dehydration.

Long-term use may cause enlargement of the fingertips (clubbing). An article in Lancet described this effect in a woman who had taken up to 40 senna laxative tablets a day for years. Her fingers returned to normal when she stopped using the herb.

Senna leaves may cause a skin rash in sensitive individuals.

Other Cautions

The Food and Drug Administration considers senna an herb of “undefined safety.” For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults, senna is considered relatively safe when used only occasionally in amounts typically recommended.

Senna should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor. If senna causes cramping, use less or stop using it. Let your doctor know if you experience unpleasant effects or if the symptoms for which the herb is being used do not improve significantly in two weeks.

Rare in the United States

Senna is not a garden herb in the United States. It’s a small, woody shrub that reaches 3 feet and has branching stems, pointed leaves, and seeds encased in a leathery pod. The species generally used in herbal medicine is grown in the Tennevelly region of India, near the subcontinent’s southern tip. One species grows in the eastern United States, however.