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240 alexandrina Mill. Mill. Family : /Leguminoceae Synonyms: Cassia acutifolia Delile Cassia alexandrina (Garsault) Thell. Cassia angustifolia M. Vahl Cassia lanceolata Collad Cassia lenitiva Bisch Cassia senna L. Senna acutifolia (Delile) Batka

Senna alexandrina Garsault Senna angustifolia (Vahl) Batka Common names: Senna, Sana Maki Parts used: and the Description Distribution: It is an Arabic ornamental . It grows natively in upper , especially in the Nubian region, and near (), where it is cultivated commercially. It is also grown elsewhere, notably in and . Plant Description: Alexandrian Senna is a by plant that reaches 0.5–1, rarely two, meters in height with a branched, pale-green erect stem and long spreading branches bearing four or five pairs of leaves. These leaves form complex, feathery, mutual pairs. The leaflets vary from 4 to 6 pairs, fully edged, with a sharp top. The midribs are equally divided at the base of the leaflets. The flowers are in a interior blossoms, big in size, coloured yellow that tends to brown. Its fruit are horned, broadly oblong, compressed and flat and contain about six . Anthraquinone glycosides: In the ; sennosides A and B based on the aglycones sennidin A and B, sennosides C and D which are glycosides of heterodianthrones of aloe-emodin and rhein. Others include palmidin A, rhein anthrone and aloe-emodin glycosides, some

free anthraquinones and some potent, novel compounds of as yet undetermined structure. C. senna usually contains more of the sennosides. Anthraquinone glycosides: In the fruit; sennosides A and B and a closely related glycoside sennoside A1. Naphthalene glycosides: Tinnevellin glycoside and 6- hydroxymusizinglycoside Miscellaneous: mucilage, flavonoids, volatile oil, sugars, resins, etc Main Effective Constituents: Sennoside A, Sennoside B. Other Phytochemicals: Sennoside C; Sennoside D; Rhein; Chrysophanol; aloe-modin; Chemical constituents kampferol; myricyl alcohol; salicvlic acid; palmitic acid; stearic acid; isorhamnetin; barbaloin; kaempferol etc.

241 Structures of chemical constituents of C. senna

Chemical Structure

242 Actions of herb: Cathartic, blood purifier, anthelmintic, weight reducer. It is antioxidant and antimicrobial agent.

Figure: Antimicrobial activity of C. angustifolia for gram positive bacteria

Actions herb of

Figure: Antimicrobial activity of C. angustifolia for gram negative bacteria

Figure: Antifungal activity of C. angustifolia

243 Historically, Senna alexandrina was used in the form of senna pods, or as herbal tea made from the leaves, as a . Modern medicine has used extracts since at least the 1950s as a laxative. If accidentally ingested by infants, it can cause side effects such as severe diaper rash. The active ingredients are several senna glycosides which interact with immune cells in the colon. Senna is also used for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), hemorrhoids, and weight loss. Effective in purging malhumors from the body, relieving fever, rheumatism, backache, sciatica, gout. Regarded as an effective blood purifier and therefore prescribed in chronic skin ailments. Also effective in loss of appetite, constipation and liver complaints.

Sana Makki also known as Senna Leaves is a miraculous remedial herb. It is used to cure constipation, hemorrhoids and post-anal operations. It is considered best to eat either with honey or butter.

Sana makki (senna leaves) in tibbe nabvi: Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also used to take Senna leaves and it is a part of Tib e Nabvi treatment. It is also used for weight loss in some places.

Sana Makki (senna leaves) is a true miracle of my Allah's creations & it is one of the valuable herbs of Tibb-e-Nabwi, Ibraheem ibn e abi laila narrates that Rasululllah sallalalhu alaihi w sallam says necessarily use Sana and sanoot; because there is a cure in both of them from every disease except the “saam” some one asked ya Rasulalah what is saam?

Replied that death! (Ibn e maja hadeeth no 3457). when you take sana alone, it creates pain in the stomach which is caused due to contraction Uses of stomach / intestinal walls, the contraction itself results in separation of old toxins & layers of putrefied ~ un-digested food. Prophet Muhammad Sallalalhu Alaihi Wasallam directed to take Sana with "SANOOT". About sanoot there is several opinions (1) honey. (2) Zeera (3) sonf/badiyan

So the best is to take with honey which is mixed with butter.

The leaf is a very effective laxative and purgative and is a particularly useful remedy for the occasional bout of constipation and is useful for evacuation relief in cases of fissures, hemorrhoids, after recto anal operations, and in preparation of diagnostic intervention in the gastrointestinal tract. It irritates the lining of the large intestine, causing the muscles to contract strongly resulting in bowel movement in about 10 to 12 hours after ingestion and also stops fluid being absorbed from the large bowel helping to keep the stool soft. It is sure and safe even for children (over 12 years of age) and weak and elderly persons. To prevent griping pains in the intestines, it is best when combined with a smaller amount of a warming stimulant and antispasmodic such as ginger or some other suitable herb. Sana leaf is approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) for short-term use in occasional constipation. Senna is also approved in the United States and in European countries as an ingredient in over-the-counter and prescription laxative preparations. The herb is approved by the German government for any condition in which alleviating constipation or softening stools is desirable.

244 Clinical studies suggest that Senna is effective in managing constipation associated with a number of causes including surgery, childbirth, and use of narcotic pain relievers. A study in the medical journal Diseases of the Colon and Rectum showed that Sana was able to prevent or treat postoperative constipation after proctologic surgery. The South African Medical Journal shows that treatment with sana was successful in 93%-96% of women suffering from postpartum constipation. By comparison, only 51%-59% of women in the placebo group experienced relief. Sana is considered to be one of the more effective agents for relieving constipation caused by such narcotic pain relievers as morphine. In another study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, researchers recommended the use of sana in terminal cancer patients with opiate-induced constipation, Clinical studies citing the effectiveness of the herb and its relatively low cost. A study published in the medical journal Pharmacology suggests that a combination of sana and bulk can alleviate chronic constipation in geriatric patients. Also useful in intestinal worms, rheumatism, sciatica, gout, hip pain and lumbago.

Side effects & Toxicity: Senna is safe for most adults and children over age 2 when taken by mouth, short-term. Senna is an FDA-approved nonprescription medicine. Senna can cause some side effects including stomach discomfort, cramps, and diarrhea.

Contraindications : Pregnancy and breast-feeding, Electrolyte disturbances, potassium

deficiency, heart diseases in which there is electrolyte imbalance, dehydration, Gastrointestinal (GI) conditions like abdominal pain, intestinal blockage, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, appendicitis, stomach inflammation, anal prolapsed.

Drug interactions: Senna has interaction with warfarin as it causes diarrhea that can also be responsible for bleeding. It has interaction with digoxin and certain diuretics because they can cause decrease potassium level and it also cause hypokalemia.

Dose: Side effects Side Toxicity & effects Senna is an FDA-approved nonprescription orally administered drug. For constipation in adults and children age 12 and over: the usual dose is 17.2 mg daily. Don't take more than 34.4 mg per day. For constipation in children: 8.5 mg daily increased just enough to cause one bowel movement daily has been used. For constipation in elderly people: 17 mg daily has been used. For constipation following pregnancy: 28 mg in 2 divided doses has been used.

Morphology/Macroscopical Characters: Senna are low branching (3 feet) with a straight woody stem and yellow flowers. Leaflets of senna have stout petiolules, entire margin lamina with an asymmetric

base and an acute apex. It has a characteristic odor (faint) and bitterish unpleasant taste.

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Table: Distinct morphological characteristics Table: Characteristics of senna powder of Cassia angustifolia :

: Microscopical characters: Upper epidermis: Single layer with polygonal cells covered on the outer side by a thick warty cuticle. Some epidermal cells contain mucilage. Only covering trichomes emerge from the epidermis layer. Trichomes are non-glandular short, thick, unicellular, non-lignified, warty and curved at the bulbous base. Stomata are seen at regular intervals. Mesophyll: It is differentiated into palisade and spongy parenchyma. Being a unifacial or isobilateral leaf; palisade is further differentiated into upper and lower palisade. Upper palisade: Single layered, compact with elongated, narrow, columnar cells and this

continues also over the midrib region. Spongy parenchyma: Thin, narrow, loosely arrange between the upper and lower palisade. Vascular strands are seen very frequently. Few sphaeraphides are also seen in the parenchyma Lower palisade: It is restricted, unlike upper palisade, to lamina region only. Cells are smaller than those of upper palisade, loosely arranged and their wall are wavy. Lower epidermis: it is very similar to upper epidermis Midrib: It presents a flat ventral surface and convex dorsal surface. The epidermal layers are continuous over the midrib. The cells of the lower epidermis however are small with

Pharmacognostic Feature thick cuticle. The cells of the upper palisade, a tissue that appears below the upper epidermis in the midrib region, are relatively smaller Collateral vascular bundle is prominent occupying the central portion of the midrib. Xylem as usual is towards the ventral surface and phloem towards the dorsal surface. The vascular bundle is covered on both the sides (dorsal and ventral) by patches of sclerenchymatous fibrous. Characteristics of folia senna is that these fibres are unsheathed by a layer of parenchyma, the individual cells of which contain calcium oxalate prisms. Such fibres with crystal sheath can also be seen, if not frequently, in the lamina region.

246 Powder analysis of Senna 1. Trichomes: They are only covering type, short, thick, unicellular, warty and frequently cured near the base. 2. Stomata: Rubiaceous or paracytic type meaning thereby the two subsidiary cells are parallel to the stomal pore. 3. Calcium oxalate: They are occurring as cluster crystals in the cells of the mesophyll and as prism in a sheath of the cell around the fibres and as well freely distributed in powder. 4. Epidermis: With polygonal epidermal cells in surface view 5. Mesophyll: Fragments of leaf showing isobilateral arrangement Organoleptic characters: (a) Colour: Greyish- green or yellowish- green powder. (b) Odour: Faint, characteristic. (c) Taste: Mucilaginous, slightly bitter.

Preliminary Phytochemical Screening:

Figure: Chromatographic profile of a water-alcohol extract of Cassia acutifolia leaves;1 - water-alcoholic

247 extract of Cassia acutifolia leaves; 2 - kaempferol- 3-O-gentiobiose; 3 - 1,7-dihydroxy-3-carboxyanthra- quinone; 4 - torachrysone-8-O-glucoside . Figure: UV spectra of aqueous-alcoholic extract from the leaves of Cassia acutifolia : 1 - aqueous-alcoholic extract from the leaves of Cassia acutifolia ; 2 - 3-O- gentiobiose of kaempferol. Table: Physicochemical characteristics of C. angustifolia

Table: Comparative phytochemical analysis of whole plant of C. angustifolia

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Agarwal V, Bajpai M. Pharmacognostical and biological studies on senna & its products: an overview. IJPBS, 2010;VI(2):1-10. Duncan, As (Feb 1957), "Standardized Senna as a Laxative in the Puerperium", British Medical Journal (Free full text), 1 (5016): 439–41, doi :10.1136/bmj. 1.5016.439 , ISSN 0007-1447 , http://biomaqherbalcare.blogspot.com/2011/08/sana-makki-senna-leaves-in-tibbe-nabvi. html http://www.desiherbal.com/sana-makki-senna-leaves-aur-tibb-e-nabvi/ http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/biology/glycoside/tinnevelly-senna-leaves-sources-collection-and- uses/49740/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senna_alexandrina https://www.mdidea.com/products/new/new04005.html Kinnunen, O; Winblad, I; Koistinen, P; Salokannel, J (Oct 1993), "Safety and efficacy of a bulk laxative containing senna versus lactulose in the treatment of chronic constipation in geriatric patients", Pharmacology (Free full text), 47 Suppl 1: 253–5, Lemli, J (Nov 1995), "Mechanism of action of sennosides", Bulletin de l'Academie nationale de médecine , 179 (8): 1605–11. References Spiller, Ha; Winter, Ml; Weber, Ja; Krenzelok, Ep; Anderson, Dl; Ryan, Ml (May 2003), "Skin breakdown and blisters from senna-containing laxatives in young children", The Annals of pharmacotherapy, 37 (5): 636–9, doi :10.1345/aph.1C439 , ISSN 1060-0280 , Trease and Evans’ Pharmacognosy, 16e (Evans, Trease and Evans Pharmacognosy) Elsevier: New York, 2009. Vijayasekhar VE, Prasad MS, Joshi DSDS, Narendra K, Satya AK, Rao KRSS. Assesment of Phytochemical evaluation and in-vitro antimicrobial activity of Cassia angustifolia. IJPPR, 2016; 8(2):305-312. Vladimir A. Kurkin and Anna A. Shmygareva. The development of new approaches to standardization of Cassia acutifolia leaves. Journal of Pharmacognosy and 2014; 3 (3): 163-167.

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