| Latin Names |
English Names |
Sanskrit Names |
Hindi Names |
Cassia occidentalis
Linn. (Caesalpiniaceae)
|
Coffee Senna, Foetid Cassia, Negro Coffee, Rubbish
Cassia,
Stinking Weed |
Kasamarda, Arimarda,
Kasari |
Badikasondi, Chakunda, Kasonda |
|
| |
 Habitat
Found throughout India up to an altitude of 1,500
m.
Morphology Description (Habit)
C.occidentalis is an erect, annual herb or
undershrub. The leaves
are lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate,
the leaflets, 3-paired, membranous, glaucous, ovate or
lanceolate; the flowers, yellow, in short racemes; the pods,
recurved, glabrous and compressed; the seeds, dark olive
green, ovoid, compressed, hard, smooth and shining. |
Principal Constituents
The seeds yield an oil. They also contain 1, 8-dihydroxy-2-
methylanthraquinone, 1, 4, 5-trihydroxy-7-methoxy-3-
methylanthraquinone, physcion, its glucoside, rhein, aloe-emodin,
chrysophanol, its glycoside, N-methylmorpholine, glucosides
of campesterol and ß-sitosterol, and a galactomannan1.
Pharmacology
The seed powder is externally applied in cutaneous diseases
and eruptions. The extracts showed positive response on
guinea pig-ileum, rat-uterus, rabbit-heart, and a
depressor-effect on the blood-pressure of dogs2.
Indications
The seed is bitter and has tonic, febrifugal and purgative
properties. It is considered to be a blood tonic and
excellent diuretic. The seeds are useful in cough and
whooping cough, convulsions and in heart diseases.
References
- Kirtikar & Basu, II, 861; Budhiraja & Garg, loc. cit.;
Watt & Breyer- Brandwijk, 572; Stewart, 62; Haines, Pt
III, 305; Feng et. al. , J Pharm Pharmacol, 1962, 14, 556;
Durand et. al., ibid, 1962, 14, 562; Dixit & Tripathi,
Curr Sci, 1975, 44, 279; Farooq et. al., J Amer Oil Chem
Soc, 1956, 33, 21; Lal & Gupta, Experientia, 1974, 30,
850; 1973, 29, 141; Shah & Shinde, Indian J Pharm, 1967,
29, 342; Kim et. al., J agric Fd Chem, 1971, 19, 198;
Rizvi et al, Phytochemistry, 1971, 10, 670; Rai & Shok,
loc.cit.; Gupta & Mukherjee, Indian J Chem, 1973, 11, 505;
1975, 13, 1152.
- Kirtikar & Basu, II, 861; Budhiraja & Garg, loc. cit.;
Watt & Breyer- Brandwijk, 572; Stewart, 62; Haines, Pt
III, 305; Feng et. al., J Pharm Pharmacol, 1962, 14, 556;
Durand et. al., ibid, 1962, 14, 562.
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