Common Name: Italian Senna

General Information

Italian senna is a deciduous, perennial herb or small shrub growing up to 60 cm tall, often with prostrate stems[].
The plant has a long history of medicinal use and is both harvested from the wild and cultivated in several countries in the drier tropics[]. Both dried leaves and pods of are traded locally as a purgative. The dried, powdered leaves for use as a hair conditioner are nowadays traded internationally[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa, through Arabia, Iraq, Iran to the Indian subcontinent.

Habitat

Grassland of the drier regions of tropical Africa, from sea-level up to elevations of 1,850 metres[]. It is often found close to streams and in disturbed habitats such as roadsides and waste places[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	0.60 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Plants succeed in drier areas of the tropics and subtropics.
Prefers a deep, well-drained, moderately fertile sandy loam and a position in full sun[].
Flowering usually takes place during the rainy season[].
The economic life of the crop is 3 years at the most[]. The crop can be rejuvenated by natural regeneration[].
Senna italica is a host of the root lesion nematode (Pratylenchus penetrans)[].
In experiments, the growth of Senna italica was enhanced by inoculation with a mixture of vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) inoculum[].
Although many species within the family Fabaceae have a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria, this species is said to be devoid of such a relationship and therefore does not fix atmospheric nitrogen[].

Edible Uses

Although mature seeds have a purging activity, young seeds are eaten as a snack or as a vegetable in the Sahel region[].

Medicinal

Throughout its range the leaves, pods and mature seeds of Italian senna are used in traditional medicine, mainly as a purgative. Research has shown the presence of medically active compounds in the plant that support this use[].
A number of anthraquinones have been isolated from the leaves and pods which are responsible for the purgative effect[] Some of the anthraquinones have also show activity against several gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, as well as anticarcinogenic activity in vitro[]. The anthraquinone content of the leaves ranges from 1.1 - 3.8% on a dry weight basis[]. The pods have a lower anthraquinone content than the leaves[]. The leaves also contain flavonoids and steroids[].
An ethanol extract of the whole plant has shown anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties[].

The leaves, pods and mature seeds are taken, usually as a decoction or maceration, to cure stomach complaints, fever, jaundice, venereal diseases and biliousness[]. They are also used as an abortifacient and against intestinal worms[].
The leaves, either fresh or dried and pulverized, are used externally as a dressing for skin problems such as burns and ulcers[].

A tea made from the flowers is used as a purgative and to induce labour[].

A maceration of the roots is taken to cure colic and influenza[]. The roots also enter in treatments of indigestion, liver complaints, gall bladder disorders, nausea, vomiting and dysmenorrhoea[]. A root infusion is given to infants to cure diarrhoea[].
The boiled roots are used externally as a wound dressing[]. A root infusion is used as eye drops for sore eyes[].

Other Uses

The leaves, traded as ‘neutral henna’ or ‘blonde henna’, are used as a hair conditioner to make the hair glossy[]. They may impart a yellowish colour rather than a reddish one[].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soaking for 12 hours in warm water, or abrading the seed with sand can improve germination rates and reduce germination time[]. The seed germinates easily and is often sown in situ, placing 5 seeds per station and then thinning to the best three plants[].

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