Botanical Name : Cassia occidentalis Linn
Family : Calsalpiniaceae.
Identification No.– SDACH/HG/123
Introduction :
Latin name : Cassia = the word is derived from the name kashan in Bible. The name is derived from the name of mountain cassia in North Seria.
Names in different Indian languages :
English : Coffee Senna, Foetid Cassia, Negro Coffee
Hindi : Kasaumdi, barikasaundi
Kannada : Doddaagace
Malayalam : Ponnaviram, ponnariviriram
Sanskrit : Kasamardah
Tamil : Paeyaavarai, Thagarai
Telugu : kasinda
Unani : Kasondi.
Folk : Kasondi (bigger var.)
Synonyms :
Kasamarda Rajavruksha, Kasaghna, Peetapushpaka, Deepana, Kanak, Jaranakala, Kartakasaghna, Anjan
Morphology :
A shrub 0.5 – 1 mts. high.
Leaves – compound and alternate. Each leaf has 5 pairs leaflets.
Flowers – yellow
Fruit – pod, Legumes – long, thin and round.
Each one has 10 – 30 seeds.
Distribution & Habitat :
All over India
Chemical constituents :
Anthraquinone,glucoside, barbaloin, aloin, formic acid, butyric acid, ceryl alcohol, kaempferol,bianthraquinone,glycoside, fistulin,rhein,sennosides A and B.
Properties :
Guna : ruksha, laghu, tikshna;
Rasa : tikta, madhur;
Veerya : ushna;
Karma :
Kasaghna, kandughna, deepana,pachana
Purgative, diuretic, febrifugal, expectorant, stomachic
Internal uses :
It is used in dermatoses and poisons. Useful as an analgesic in vata disorders. Being carminative and cholagogue, it is used in ascites, loss of appetite and constipation . Effective in cough and asthma.
Part used :
Leaf, seed, root
Dosage :
Leaf juice – 8 to 10 seeds – 1 to 2 gm; decoction of roots – 50 to 100 ml.
Therapeutic Uses :
Leaf juice + honey is used in whooping cough. Also useful in dysuria, ikshumeha, swelling, dermatoses and filarial.
Seed powder—used in amoebiasis.
IUCN Status : Least Concern
Research Updates (past 5 years)
1. Study on hepatoprotective potential of Cassia occidentalis in rats (2020, IJPSR)
2. Anthelmintic activity of seeds in vitro studies (2021, Journal of Ethnopharmacology)
3. Evaluation of antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Cassia occidentalis extracts (2022, Pharmacognosy Journal)
