Senna Leaf - Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Indian Senna is → Cassis angustifolia

Indian Senna also known as Tinnevelly senna.

Alexandrian Senna → Cassia Acutifolia

Content of  Sennoside in Senna Leaves is maximum→When they are fully grown, on maturation of pods decreases.

Cultivation of Senna done by Planting.

Senna gives best yield of sennosides in land → After rice crop

Senna is used as → Purgative

Senna leaflet has character : → Mucilaginous & Bitter

                  → Lanceolate leaf

                  → Pericyclic fibre, cluster sheet and cholenchyma are   

Present. 

Stomata of senna leaf is →Rubecious (Paracytic)-Stomata with 2-3subsidary cells the long axes of which are parallel to that of stoma.

Which value is higher in Indian Senna than Alexandrian senna → Stomatal Index

	Indian Seena	Alexandrian Senna
Vein-islet No.	19.5 - 22.5	25-29.5
Stomatal Index	17 -20	11.4-13.3
Palisade ratio	7.5 (Upper epidermis)	9.5
	5.1 (Lower epidermis)	7.0

  

Trichome (Epidermal hairs) of senna is Unicellular, Conical, thick walled warty trichomes.

Sennoside B is optical isomer form of Sennoside A which is derivative of  Rhein dianthrone.

Senna → Give positive Brontrager test

           → Used in purgative in habitual constipation.

           → Biological assay of Senna is performed on mice.

Sennoside B is meso forms.

Adulterant of senna →Palthe Senna (Cassia auriculata), Dog Senna, Bombay Senna.

Idioblasts are seen in leaves ? → Senna

Senna leaflets should be dried → Under sunlight (Not store in sunlight)

                                              → Under shade for 7 Days

                                              → At 60⁰ c temperature

Highest content of sennosides is present in →Senna pods(2.5- 4.5%)

Senna pods are preferred over leaflets for purgative action due to →Pods have no (gripping action).

In senna sennosides present in pericarp.

Purgative activity of  senna is potentiated by→Saponin / Glycyrrhiza.

Sennoside A and B are dimer of following → Anthrone.

Which pods are superior in quality in respect of sennosides ? → Cassia acutifolia (Alexandrian senna)

Senna microscopical characters → Prisms of calcium oxalate.

Senna leaflets contains → Glycosides.

Family of senna – Leguminosae

Borntrager’s test for identification of  → Antraquinone glycosides

                                                          → Dianthrone of  Rhein

Part is responsible for therapeutic activity in Glycosides → Aglycone.

In glycosides low solubility of  genin is increased by the presence of …? →Sugar

Glycosides consist of Aglycone (genin) and Sugar.

Solubility of glycoside molecule in water ensured by sugar part.

Glycosides require ferric chloride for hydrolysis .

If sugar is glucose, glycoside called → Glucoside

Senna has yellow flavonol colouring matter called → Kaempferol (3,4,5,7- tetrahydroxyflavone)

Glycosides are extracted by Method : Star-otto method.

Glycosides on hydrolysis yields an aglycon and glycone.

In young senna seedling –chrysophanol is first anthraquinone form then oleo-emodin appears, finaly rhein.

Form of aglycone of anthracene derivatives more effective ?→ Reduced form.

During fruit development amount of aloe emodin glycosides and rhein fall and sennosides accumulate in pericarp.

Modified anthraquinone test is used for identifying the glycosided of Aloe / Cascara which contains C glycosides, unlike Senna / Rhubabrb which contain O  glycosides.

Senna leaflets have an isobilateral structure. The stomata have two cell.

Shape of Alexandrian senna leaves → Ovate-lanceolate

Shape of Tinnavelly senna leave →Lanceolate

Anthrone enzymatically converted in to → Dianthrone ( sennosides).

Amount of Sennoside in senna leave 2.5 %.

Borntrager test for Anthraquinone is shown by → Senna leaves , Rhubarb, Senna pods.

Palthe senna (C. auriculata) → It has long hair. Drug + chloral hydrate  / 80 % sulphuric acid → Crimson colour (due to conversion of leucoanthocynidin to oxonium salt).

In palthe senna Anthraquinone derivative absent.

 

Complete study of Senna Leaf