Senna: Benefits, Uses & Dosage

Senna (Cassia acutifolia), known as Rajavriksha (king of the trees) in Sanskrit, is a bitter herb with cooling virya and pungent vipaka. It pacifies Pitta and Kapha (PK-) but aggravates Vata (V+). It works on the plasma, blood, and fat tissues through the excretory, digestive, and circulatory systems.

Senna is a strong purgative that should be taken with care and in proper dosage. It has an irritant effect upon the intestinal membrane and may cause griping, pain, or nausea along with liquid stools or diarrhea. It can be corrected by adding one-quarter amount of stomachic herbs like ginger or fennel seeds with its dosage. Its key actions include purgative, anthelmintic, antipyretic, and alterative properties.

Senna is mainly used for severe constipation, constipation following a fever, or for clearing Pitta from the small intestines as in virechana (purgative therapy). It is also indicated for inflammatory skin conditions, hypertension, and obesity. It is prepared as an infusion (hot or cold) or powder (1–2 g) as a purgative.

Precautions: Senna should be avoided in cases of hemorrhoids, inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, diarrhea, and pregnancy.

• Virecana: Medium strength laxative
• Anuloma: Redirects the flow of vata downwards
• Kus. t.hahara: Remover of skin diseases
• Gulmaghna: Alleviates abdominal obstructions and tumours
• Biomedical: Laxative, carminative, alterative

Contraindications: Inflammatory bowel disease,; intestinal obstruction, pregnancy; and lactation

Safety: It may reduce the absorption of iron. It may cause griping and should be used with appropriate antispasmodics. Laxatives containing anthraquinone glycosides should not be used at a high dose for more than 2 weeks at a time due to the potential risk of causing an electrolyte imbalance if diarrhoea is caused. Hence caution with cardiac glycoside medication, thiazide diuretics and concurrent hyperkalaemia from long-term laxative abuse, due to potential problems caused by further electrolyte imbalance (WHO 1999, Harkness & Bratman 2003).

Dosage: 1–3g is laxative, 3–6g is purgative, 5–10ml per day of a 1:5 @ 25% tincture.

Combinations:

• Ginger, fennel to prevent griping, used as 25–50% of the mixture.
• Kushtha, mustaka to help clear intestines.
• Gotu kola, manjishtha, neem, bakuchi in skin problems with constipation.