African senna
StarSenna didymobotrya
Synonyms: Chamaesenna didymobotrya, Cassia didymobotrya, Cassia bracteosa, Cassia nairobensis, Cassia verdickii
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
WARNING: toxic in quantity. Senna didymobotrya is widely used across African folk medicine. In East Africa decoctions and infusions of the leaves, pods and roots are taken as a purgative for constipation and to treat intestinal complaints, malaria and fevers, and applied externally to skin infections, ringworm and wounds (Kokwaro, 1976). Various communities also use root and leaf preparations against fungal and bacterial skin conditions, a use supported by laboratory studies reporting antimicrobial activity of extracts (Korir et al., 2012). The plant contains anthraquinones and should be used with caution as larger doses are toxic and have caused poisoning of livestock.
Gallery
Botanical Description
Senna didymobotrya (African senna, popcorn senna, candle bush) is a fast-growing evergreen shrub or small tree of the legume family reaching 1-5 m tall. The leaves are large and pinnately compound with eight to eighteen pairs of oblong leaflets. The conspicuous flowers are bright golden-yellow with dark, blackish-brown bracts covering the unopened buds, borne in dense erect terminal racemes; the contrast of black buds and yellow open flowers, together with a smell likened to wet popcorn, gives rise to the common names. The fruit is a flat, oblong, glabrous pod that turns dark brown when ripe and contains numerous flattened seeds. Native to tropical East and Central Africa, it is now widely cultivated and naturalized as an ornamental and green-manure plant throughout the tropics.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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