Indian Alexandrian

Dried leaflets of
• Cassia angustifolia • Cassia acutifolia
• Leguminosae • Leguminosae

• Known as Tinnevelly Senna • Formerly exported from

Alexandria but now from Port
Sudan
• Indigenous to S.Arabia ,
cultivated in S.India
(Tinnevelly) • Cultivated in Nile territories

• Collected from wild sources

 Indian – Cultivation
• Requires irrigated land
• Red loamy ,coarse gravel soil. Also grows in
alluvial loamy soil
• Before sowing land ploughed twice , leveled
• 1st sowing done in Feb – Mar
• 2nd sowing in Oct – Nov by broadcasting
method
• Seeds triturated with sand for early
germination
• Allowed to grow for 5months till the growth of
flower stalks occur which were cut down to
initiate branching
• N – fertilizers were supplied
 Indian
• Harvesting done in 3 stages after 2 – 3 months of
sowing
1st leaflets thick , full grown , greenish
2nd after 1month
3rd after 4wks
• Collected by women & dried
• Packed in large bales using hydraulic pressure
• Uprooted after 3rd collection

• The one cultivated after rice crop on the same

land in the same season gives best yields
• If grown on dry land without irrigation poor
yields
 Alexandrian
• Branches collected when fruits are fully formed but still
unripe
• Rapidly dried in Sun & sold by Govt.auction
• Graded into 1.Whole leaves
2.Whole & broken leaves
3.Siftings & pods
• Pods & large stalks are 1st sifted , pods separated by hand
• That passing through the sieve is tossed in shallow trays
1.Leaves & fragments – surface
2.Heavier Stalks , sand – bottom
3.Leaves separated from fragments & graded by
means of sieves , partly by hand picking –
form siftings &mixed leaves
• Whole leaves are picked by hand if required
• Packed in mats / bales without pressing
• Whole leaves sold to public
• Other grades used for galanical preparations
 Description
Uniformly lanceolate shape , Characteristc odor
Mucilaginous , bitter , unpleasant taste,
Entire margin , Acute apex

• Indian
• Yellowish color
• Larger than Alexandrian
• Less asymmetrical at
base
• Less broken, flat
• Shows impressions mid
vein of other leaves as it
is in compressed bales
• Alexandrian
• Greyish green color
• More asymmetric , unequal at
base
• More broken , curled at edges
• Few pressed markings
• Small whitish hairs especially
near veins
 Microscopy (isobilateral leaf)
• Epidermis polygonal , tubular, cells
contain mucilage
Scattered non lignified warty
trichomes , curved near
base
Paracytic stomata
• Mesophyll
palisade on both the surfaces
Single layered .
Upper cells longer than lower
Spongy parenchyma contain calcium
 Midrib
• Biconvex
• Flat dorsal surface & convex ventral surface
• Epidermis present on both the surfaces
• Palisade continuous over midrib on upper side
• Lower palisade replaced by collenchyma
• V.B Collateral & occupy central part of midrib
Covered on both sides by sclerenchyma fibers
• Xylem towards upper side , phloem lower side
• Sclerenchyma fibers covered by a layer of
parenchyma which contain calcium oxalate
 Constituents
• 1st isolated aloe emodin & rhein
• Sennosides A & B
• Also contain yellow flavonol coloring matter
Kaempferol & its glucoside Kaempferin
• Isorhamnetin , myricyl alcohol , sterol
• Mucilage , calcium oxalate , resin
• Water soluble lignan & polysaccharide
• Sennoside A upon hydrolysis gives
Sennidin A (dextro form ) + 2 glucose
• Sennoside B upon hydrolysis gives
Sennidin B (meso form ) + 2 glucose
 Structure
C 6H 11O 5 O O OH
R1 Sennoside R1 R2 10-10’

A COOH COOH Trans

10
R2 B COOH COOH Meso
10’
C CH 2OH COOH Trans
D CH 2OH COOH Meso

O
C 6 H 11O5 O OH
 USES
• Purgative

Both varieties are differentiated by

Alexandrian Indian
• Vein islet number 25-30 20-23
• Stomatal index 11.4-12.2-13 17.1-18.7-20
• Palisade ratio(U) 4.5-9.5-18 4-7.5-12
(L) 3.5-7-14.5 2.5-5.1-10.5
• Borntrager’s test