Cassia Tora Seeds JuMingzi
LATIN NAME: SENNA TORA
COMMON NAME: Sickle Senna, Sicklepod, Foetid Cassia, Ju Ming Zi
Sickle senna is a sturdy plant of the tropical wayside, and its seeds are one of the best-known herbs of Asian medicine. It grows as a bushy annual or short-lived perennial, reaching a metre or more, with pinnate leaves of several pairs of leaflets that fold up at night, and in summer, small, yellow flowers, followed by long, slender, curved pods, which is how it got its name. It grows wild in most of the tropics, a tough plant of roadsides and cultivated ground, and its seeds, known as jue ming zi in Chinese medicine, have been used for centuries as a traditional remedy, while the plant is also used as a green manure and forage in some regions.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
Sickle senna has a distinguished and growing place in pharmaceutical and traditional-medicine research. The seeds have been used in traditional Asian medicine for centuries, and modern researchers have studied their chemistry in depth, identifying a range of bioactive compounds, including anthraquinones and other substances, and examining their traditional uses and their potential biological activity, while the plant is best kept as a subject of study and a traditional herb rather than a casual home remedy, and the seeds are not for the casual eating. The plant has also been studied in agriculture and weed science, since it is a widespread weed of the tropics, and researchers have examined its growth, its spread and its management, while in some regions it is also grown as a green manure and forage. The species has also been studied in ecology for its role in the disturbed ground where it thrives. For a plant of such humble appearance and such long medicinal use, sickle senna has a rich and growing record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
To grow the Sickle Senna from seed, ecologically, sickle senna is a generous plant of the tropical wayside. Its yellow flowers feed bees and other pollinators, its seeds feed birds, and it grows quickly on disturbed, cultivated ground, covering and holding the soil. Its economic value is real, especially in Asia: the seeds are one of the best-known herbs of traditional Asian medicine, used for centuries and still collected and traded today, and the plant is also used as a green manure and forage in some regions, while researchers continue to study the compounds in its seeds. To start sickle senna along, nick the hard-coated seeds lightly, soak them in warm water overnight, then sow them in pots of free-draining compost and keep them warm and bright.
nick the hard-coated seeds lightly, soak them in warm water overnight, then sow the young sennas in pots of free-draining compost and keep them warm and bright.
LATIN NAME: Senna tora
COMMON NAME: Sickle Senna, Sicklepod, Foetid Cassia
Sickle senna is a sturdy plant of the tropical wayside, and its seeds are one of the best-known herbs of Asian medicine. It grows as a bushy annual or short-lived perennial, reaching a metre or more, with pinnate leaves of several pairs of leaflets that fold up at night, and in summer, small, yellow flowers, followed by long, slender, curved pods, which is how it got its name. It grows wild in most of the tropics, a tough plant of roadsides and cultivated ground, and its seeds, known as jue ming zi in Chinese medicine, have been used for centuries as a traditional remedy.
Sickle senna belongs to the pea family, Fabaceae, and it is native to Central America. It has spread throughout the tropics, and it is considered a weed in many places, though its seeds are an important traditional medicine, valued across Asia.
Positive & Encouraging Seed Germination Guide
Growing sickle senna from seed is easy and very rewarding. The seeds sit inside the long, curved pods, and they have a hard coat, so soak them in hot water overnight, or nick them gently, before sowing. Sow them in pots of free-draining compost, about a centimetre deep, and keep them warm, bright and lightly moist. Germination usually begins within one to three weeks. Pot the seedlings on as they grow and plant them out in a sunny, well-drained spot in ordinary soil. The plants are tough and fast-growing, and within a season they will produce their yellow flowers and curved pods.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
Sickle senna has a distinguished and growing place in pharmaceutical and traditional-medicine research. The seeds have been used in traditional Asian medicine for centuries, and modern researchers have studied their chemistry in depth, identifying a range of bioactive compounds, including anthraquinones and other substances, and examining their traditional uses and their potential biological activity. The plant has also been studied in agriculture and weed science, since it is a widespread weed of the tropics, and researchers have examined its growth, its spread and its management, while in some regions it is also grown as a green manure and forage. The species has also been studied in ecology for its role in the disturbed ground where it thrives. For a plant of such humble appearance and such long medicinal use, sickle senna has a rich and growing record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, sickle senna is a generous plant of the tropical wayside. Its yellow flowers feed bees and other pollinators, its seeds feed birds, and it grows quickly on disturbed, cultivated ground, covering and holding the soil.
Its economic value is real, especially in Asia. The seeds are one of the best-known herbs of traditional Asian medicine, used for centuries and still collected and traded today, and the plant is also used as a green manure and forage in some regions, while researchers continue to study the compounds in its seeds. For a grower, sickle senna is an easy and useful plant, and for a gardener it brings yellow flowers and a plant with a long place in Asian pharmacy.
Senna obtusifolia seeds The most popular use of cassia seed is for medicinal purposes. It most commonly treats problems with the liver,kidney, intestinal, and vision. For example, it can be used to treat constipation and remove heat from the liver. Cassia seed paste is popular to treat various skin disorders and other parasites, such as ringworm. Senna is used widely as a laxative. There are two primary types of herbal laxatives. One is called a purgative and includes herbs such as senna, rhubarb, leptandra, buckthorne and cascara. These often contain bitter principles in the form of anthroquinones that work by stimulating the peristaltic action of the intestinal lining, either directly or by promoting the secretion of bile through the liver and gall bladder. Senna leaf is a purgative and while it has remarkable effects, it should be used carefully. Usually 30 mg of sennosides per day is the recommended dose, for no longer than ten days.