Cassia acutifolia Delile; C. angustifolia Vahl; Cassia senna L. Fabaceae (Leguminosae) Senna pods; senna leaf; Alexandrian or Khartoum senna; Tinnevelly senna Sennae fructus; Sennae folium Fruit (pods); leaf The main constituents of both the leaf and fruit are anthraquinone glycosides such as sennosides A, B, C and D and palmidin A, rhein-anthrone and aloe-emodin glycosides (Williamson et al. 2013). Other compounds present include kaempferol, mucilage polysaccharides, resin and calcium oxalate (Franz 1993). Alexandrian senna pods contain not less than 3.4% of glycosides, calculated as sennoside B whereas Tinnevelly senna pods contain not less than 2.2%. Licensed preparations including tablets and granules are available, standardised to the total content of sennosides, expressed as sennoside B (usually 7.5 mg per tablet). Several clinical studies have assessed the efficacy of senna preparations in the treatment of constipation and there is clear evidence of laxative effect, but not for bowel cleansing, and senna is not suitable for treating irritable bowel syndrome. Importantly, there have been reports of possible genotoxic or tumourigenic risk from anthranoid-containing laxatives and pharmacovigilance is necessary (see below; EMA 2007).
Senna
Senna alexandrina Mill.
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