Kasamarda

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)

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