American sicklepod

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Senna obtusifolia

Family: Fabaceae Genus: Senna Species: obtusifolia

Synonyms: Senna toroides, Cassia obtusifolia, Cassia rogeonii, Emelista obtusifolia, Senna tora var. obtusifolia, Cassia tora var. humilis, Cassia toroides, Cassia tora var. obtusifolia

American sicklepod

Traditional use

Western Herbalism Properties

Actions:

bitterhepaticalterative

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Botanical Description

Senna obtusifolia, commonly called American sicklepod or Chinese senna, is an annual herb or short-lived subshrub of the legume family (Fabaceae) reaching 0.5–2 m in height. The pinnate leaves bear three pairs of obovate, blunt-tipped leaflets 2–6 cm long that fold together at night. Bright yellow, five-petalled flowers about 1–1.5 cm across are borne singly or in pairs in the leaf axils. The fruit is a long, slender, sharply curved pod 10–20 cm long — the sickle shape that gives the species its name — splitting at maturity to release numerous shiny, rhomboidal brown seeds. Native to the Americas, the plant has become widely naturalised in Africa, Asia and Oceania, often regarded as a troublesome weed in pastures and arable land up to about 1100 m elevation.

Native Region: Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Cayman Is., Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Galápagos, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Kentucky, Leeward Is., Mexican Pacific Is., Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Southwest Caribbean, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is.

Historical Texts

Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica)

Han dynasty, compiled by the 2nd century CE

This record is the same drug as the corpus entry jue-ming-zi (Senna obtusifolia (L.) H.S. Irwin & Barneby, Jue Ming Zi, the ripe seed), which has already been researched in full, including the anthranoid drug-interaction class, the aurantio-obtusin hepatotoxicity signal and the Senna tora co-official-source ambiguity; those fields are deliberately left empty here rather than duplicated. The classic places Jue Ming Zi in the upper grade and indicates it for eye disorders, with sustained use said to brighten the vision.

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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