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Cassia Angustifolia, A Versatile Medicinal Crop
Abstract
Cassia angustifolia (senna), a native plant of Yemen, Somalia and Arabia and now cultivated in other parts of the world, has a variety of medicinal uses in Unani as well as other traditional systems of medicine. The plant is mainly valued for its cathartic properties and is specially useful in habitual constipation. The laxative principles sennoside A and sennoside B, isolated from leaves and pods of senna, constitute important ingredients in purgative medicines. The plant has been investigated for its various chemical constituents and pharmacological properties. Being a hardy species, it can be grown even in saline and rainfed conditions. Cultivation of senna does not require much expense on irrigation, manuring, pesticides, protection and other pre- and post-harvesting care. This makes the plant an ideal crop for arid regions where water provision, wasteland development, desertification control, sand dune stabilization are the major challenges. The distribution, medicinal applications, chemical and pharmacological studies and various aspects of senna cultivation are reviewed in this paper.
... al., 2017). Similar therapeutic effects have also been seen in the pods of the plant, although it shows a gentler effect (Tripathi, 1999). ...
... Flowers are brilliant yellow colored, showy and arranged on a 30-45 cm long axillary or subterminal racemes. The pods are nearly 4-7 cm long, containing 5-7 obovate and dark brown smooth seeds (Tripathi, 1999). The pods are pale green in the beginning and change to greenish-brown and dark brown on maturity and after drying. ...
... Under rain-fed conditions, in black soils, the first crop of cotton or sorghum or coriander is grown, and Senna is sown as a second crop on residual moisture at the end of the rainy season from the end of September to November (Sastry et al., 2010;Tripathi, 1999). The Senna crop is propagated by seeds. ...
Cassia species are used enormously to treat many diseases in the Indian traditional system of medicines. About 45 Cassia species are found in India, out of which Senna alexandrina Mill. is a medicinally important species. The traditionally use parts of Senna alexandrina are the leaves and immature pods which mainly contain sennoside-A and sennoside-B. Sennosides A and B are purgative, antibacterial, and antioxidant compounds isolated from Senna leaves and immature pods. Senna is in high demand in the international market due to its potential use in many medicines. Cultivation of Senna does not require much expense on irrigation, manuring, pesticides, protection and other pre-and post-harvesting care. The leaves are shipped from the branches and dried in the shade for 10-15 days till the moisture content reaches 8 to 10%. After shade dried and sorted the leaf and pods as per the leaf size into five different grades, viz., Prime numbers. Other important by-products are Senna stem and Senna powder. Senna crop offers an avenue for vertical integration and can be developed into a rural-based cottage industry starting from cultivation, grading, extraction and export.
... 5,6 Cassia angustifolia is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, etc. 7 It also grows wildly on the opposite coast of Somalia and spreads eastward to the Sind and Punjab provinces of Pakistan. 8 In India, it is wildly distributed in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, etc. It is also cultivated in several districts of Tamil Nadu such as Tirunelveli, Ramnathpuram, Madurai, Salem and Tiruchirapalli. ...
... It is evident that Arabian physicians introduced this medicinal plant to India in the 11 th century, the cultivation of this plant began for the first time inthe Indian state of Tamil Nadu. 8 The history also revealed that the therapeutic properties of Senna were first described by Arabian physicians. This plant is medicinally used in different traditional systems of medicine like Ayurveda, 13 Unani, Homeopath 8 , Siddha, 14 etc as a detoxifying drug for the treatment of constipation, indigestion, malaria, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, jaundice, anemia, etc. ...
... In the allopathic system of medicine, the glycosides, sennoside A and B, obtained from Cassia angustifolia, are commonly used for the treatment of constipation. 8 It has been reported that these two anthraquinone glycosides are responsible for the pharmacological actions of Senna. 13 In Unani medicine, drugs are obtained from three natural sources viz: plant, animal, mineral, of which the botanical source is the most common. ...
Background: In Unani and other traditional systems of medicine, Cassia angustifolia Vahl. is used for various therapeutic applications. It is a shrub that belongs to the Fabaceae family and is indigenous to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, Somalia, etc.
Purpose of the Review: The main objective of this review is to explore information related to botanical description, pharmacognostic characters, physicochemical standards, quality control, phytochemicals and therapeutic applications of Cassia angustifolia that will eventually support researchers of Unani and other sciences in planning different studies for further investigation of this important medicinal plant.
Materials and Methods: This appraisal was done through an extensive literature survey of Unani and other classical texts and published papers available on various search engines.
Results: In Unani medicine, Cassia angustifolia is known as ‘Sanā’ Makki’ which was brought to use medicinally by Arab physicians. The leaf of Cassia angustifolia is used for the treatment of various ailments, viz., bronchial asthma, constipation, liver complaints, gout, leprosy, bronchitis, epilepsy, etc. It is also added to various Unani preparations such as Itrifal Ustokhuddus, Majoon-i-Ushba, Qurs Mulayyin, etc., which are given for the treatment of various ailments. The cathartic and laxative actions of Senna are due to the presence of anthraquinone glucosides, mainly sennoside A and B. Various scientific studies have reported that Cassia angustifolia possesses significant detoxifying effects through antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, amoebicidal, anticancer activities, etc.
Conclusion: It is concluded that Cassia angustifolia is extensively used for various therapeutic purposes in Unani and other traditional medicines as a detoxifying agent. However, detailed studies on pharmacognostic, phytochemical, pharmacological, toxicological aspects of different parts of this important medicinal plant may be carried out for further exploration.
... A small, erect, perennial shrub growing to 100-120 cm in height. Leaves of the plant are pinnate, with narrow acute lanceolate and glabrous leaflets of pale green colour (Tripathi 1999). The bright yellow flowers with racemose inflorescence 30-45 cm, pods are 4-7 cm long, containing 5-7 obovate, dark brown and nearly smooth seeds (Tripathi 1999). ...
... Leaves of the plant are pinnate, with narrow acute lanceolate and glabrous leaflets of pale green colour (Tripathi 1999). The bright yellow flowers with racemose inflorescence 30-45 cm, pods are 4-7 cm long, containing 5-7 obovate, dark brown and nearly smooth seeds (Tripathi 1999). ...
Grasslands are among the most neglected ecosystems, often treated as wasteland or
pasture. India's Protected Area network covers only a minuscule expanse of our
grasslands (<1% are officially protected). However, they provide a wide range of
ecosystem services and support numerous threatened species, including the
bustard species. Bustards are considered flagship species of grasslands owing to
their habitat association and charismatic nature. The larger species like Great Indian
Bustard (GIB) are considered 'extinction prone' due to their slow life-history traits.
Several issues plague the GIB in the last remaining grasslands of the Thar Desert
landscape, especially the non-protected areas. These include vanishing grasslands;
habitat destruction and deterioration; over-grazing; infrastructural developments
such as the construction of roads, electric poles, and new renewable energy projects
like wind turbines and solar panels; mining; industrialization; threats from high
tension powerlines; and poaching.
Since the 1970s, BNHS has been involved in chalking out conservation strategies for
grassland birds. One such was a pioneering decade-long study on the GIB,
initiated in the 1980s. Because of a patchy approach focusing only on the meagre
protected areas in the region, the lack of a wider, landscape-based outlook for the
conservation of the vast mosaic of grasslands, scrub forests, farmlands, villages,
rivers, small and big cities, and the upcoming industrial areas, the GIB has become
locally extinct in many areas and now remains confined to the Thar Desert. Apart
from GIB, a large congregation of raptors including vultures and others like cranes
are seen at various sites in the Thar Desert. There is especially an increase in the
congregation of birds during the early winter arrival and late winter departure
period. Therefore, on priority, BNHS selected the Thar Desert, Jaisalmer as a
land bird site under the project “Implementing the Central Asian Flyway (CAF)
National Action Plan with a special focus on preparing a site-specific activity plan and
developing a bird sensitivity map.”
Since GIB is found mainly in two pockets, continuous field data were collected from
the Desert National Park (DNP) and its surrounding areas by project volunteer Mr
Musa Khan, a naturalist from the village of Neemba and the Pokhran area by the local
BNHS staff Mr Pankaj Bishnoi. Landscape-level surveys were carried out from
September to November 2020 and March to April 2021. A team of six surveyors
conducted the surveys in two vehicles. A total area of ~ 36,100 sq. km divided into
116 grids of 15X15 sq. km were covered. At each 2-km interval of vehicle occupancy,
a point count was performed for 10 minutes and a total of 3,306 point counts (33,060
minutes or 551 hrs) were completed. A distance of about 29,000 km was covered by
vehicle surveys and GPS tracks were saved for the mapping. Instead of quantitating
in this report, the distribution data has been provided in the form of maps.
Based on continuous field observations, we estimate that there are around 15–20
GIB individuals in DNP, 20–25 individuals in Pokhran Field Firing Range (PFFR),
10–15 individuals scattered across the boundary of India and Pakistan, 16 birds in
captivity under the conservation breeding programme being run by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and Rajasthan Forest Department. We are afraid to say that
not more than 75 individuals of GIB are left in Rajasthan. The GIB’s activity and
movement were found mainly limited to the north DNP portion. There is no recent
sighting of DNP recorded from the down south portion in the recent past.
A total of 130 species of avifauna were observed during the survey in and
around DNP including 26 species of raptors. Of them, the Critically Endangered
included White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis, Sociable Lapwing Vanellus
gregarious, Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus, and Indian Vulture Gyps
indicus. Endangered raptors included Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis, Egyptian
Vulture Neophron percnopterus, and Saker Falcon Falco cherrug and Vulnerable
included species such as Greater Spotted Eagle Clanga clanga, Eastern Imperial
Eagle Aquila heliacal, Indian Spotted Eagle Clanga hastata and Tawny Eagle
Aquila rapax were seen. DNP and its surrounding areas are also home to other
Vulnerable species like Yellow-eyed Pigeon Columba eversmanni and Whitebrowed
Bushchat Saxicola macrorhynchus. Since DNP is a Protected Area, there
is no immediate threat to the birds and habitat but the rationalisation of the
boundaries needs to be tackled carefully by creating more enclosures for
management through public consultations. Salkha, Kanoi, Damodara, Khabha
and Alaji ka Oran are the sites outside DNP being used by the GIB intensively.
Long-term monitoring and a better understanding of the ecology of the birds
inside and on the fringes of DNP are essential.
Devikot area is becoming a hub for upcoming new renewable energy projects,
power substation grids, and high-tension powerlines. The BNHS team has been visiting
the Rasla-Sanwata near Devikot occasionally since 2019. On September 16, 2020, Mr
Sumer Singh Bhati from Sanwata village reported the death of a GIB because of
a collision with the newly installed high-tension powerlines near Deg Rai Mata Oran
(sacred grove). The site is located in the Devikot area, Fategarh tehsil of Jaisalmer
district almost 50 km away to the east of Jaisalmer city. In 2004, approximately 5,817
hectares of land was registered under the name of Deg Rai Mata Temple Trust.
Apart from GIB, eight species of raptors including the Endangered Egyptian
Vultures, Vulnerable Tawny Eagle, and Near Threatened Cinereous Vulture were
also found dead due to electrocution or a collision with the high-tension powerlines
erected in 2020. To design a strategy for the conservation of birds in the area, it is
crucial to carry out a cumulative impact assessment study, reroute the high-tension
powerlines away from the sacred grove, conduct long-term monitoring of birds and
study the impact of land-use changes on them.
PFFR is one of the eight Field Firing Ranges of the Indian Army situated in the state
of Rajasthan. This is one of the biggest field firing ranges of the Indian Army,
surrounded by villages such as Khetolai, Loharki, Chacha, Odhaniya, Chandhani,
Askandra, Ajasar, and Didhoo. Regular military exercise in this landscape and 24×7
surveillance makes it one of the strictly monitored areas, which also makes it a safe
haven for the flora and fauna of the desert ecosystem. Almost throughout the year,
the GIB spends time inside PFFR, except in winter when a few birds visit the surrounding farmlands. Their sightings are conveyed to the BNHS team by the
army personnel and the locals. With the permission of the Indian Army, the team
conducted surveys in November 2020 and March 2021. Apart from GIB, 91 bird
species including the Critically Endangered Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarious;
Endangered Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus and Steppe Eagle Aquila
nipalensis; Vulnerable Common Pochard Aythya ferina, Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila
heliaca, MacQueen’s Bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii, Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax and
Yellow-eyed Pigeon Columba eversmanni were seen here. PFFR and the adjoining
areas are found to be not only the most promising sites but also the last refuge for
the wild population of GIB and therefore need to be spared from any kind of heavy
infrastructures like solar, wind projects and high-tension powerlines.
Today, a major area in the far western Thar Desert is under the control of the Border
Security Force (BSF) where the movement of civilians is restricted. With the permission
of the North and South Sectors of BSF, BNHS conducted surveys in these areas from
March 25 to April 10, 2021. Tributaries of the Indira Gandhi Nahar Project (IGNP) ran
across the east-south side of the study area. The Bharatmala project connects border
places by wider road highways, separating the untouched western part of the Thar
Desert from the rest of the study area. The landscape was marked by dunes,
grasslands, shrubland, rainfed cropland, canal/borewell supported cropland.
Surveys confirmed the presence of GIB (footprints) in only two locations (one near
Longewala and one near Sadaner-Bahla). A total of 27 species of raptors including
Critically Endangered Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus, White-rumped Vulture
Gyps bengalensis, Endangered Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus, Steppe Eagle
Aquila nipalensis, Vulnerable Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax, Indian Spotted Eagle Clanga
hastata; Near Threatened Cinerous Vulture Aegypius monachus, Himalayan Griffon
Gyps himalayensis, Laggar Falcon Falco jugger and Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus
were reported from the entire border area. Sensitization of the BSF personnel to curb
illegal hunting and seasonal surveys are essential to design conservation strategies
in this area.
Sevaram Mali, a small shop owner who resides near the Chugga Ghar (bird feeding
site where people provide grains) in Khichan village, Phalodi tehsil, Jodhpur
district, has now become a full-time guardian of the Demoiselle Cranes wintering
there in thousands. He started taking care of the injured birds, mostly those that
were chased by dogs or injured due to collisions with the powerlines. Sevaram
started documenting the injured birds he rescued and got them treated with the
help of a local veterinarian. A total of 234 dead birds were reported between 2010
and 2021 in Khichan and surrounding areas. Most of the dead individuals were
found at Vijaysagar Talab and Ratdi Naadi, the two most important roosting sites
of the Demoiselle Cranes. Chugga Ghar is their major foraging site. The cause of
these mortalities was identified as food poisoning, collision with powerlines, attack
by free-ranging dogs, and injuries from Chinese Manja (kite flying threads). On
several occasions, it was observed that the birds were hunted down by the free-ranging
dogs. To resolve this issue, the villagers of Khichan, with the help of the
local administration, covered the entire water bodies with chain-linked fencing.
Along with this, the local people pressurised and ensured that the 33kv powerline passing from Vijaysagar Talab was laid underground. Efforts by Sevaram and the
villagers of Khichan, through a legal battle, ended up in the cables around the
Chugga Ghar being laid underground. Additionally, a conservation reserve has
been proposed near Teejaniyo ki Naadi to carry out effective and participatory
conservation planning for protecting the Demoiselle Cranes in Kurja village,
Khichan.
Individual development projects alone may have minor impacts on the
environment, but collectively a large number of projects can pose a significant
impact. The cumulative impact analysis should consider incremental impacts of
various development activities combined with the impacts of other land-use
changes. It should be ensured that key areas of conservation importance and
sensitivity are not considered for development projects, especially ranges with
threatened birds including Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable
species. We hope this report will help take a top-down approach where the
landscape, habitat and the local people sharing their space with these species will
be considered for any form of conservation planning.
... Cassia angustifolia Vahl is a wild plant commonly found in the Caesalpinaceae family, which is believed to have originated in Yemen and the Hadramaut province of Southern Arabia, where it is commonly referred to as Arabian senna (Tripathi, 1999). Senna cultivation has now expanded to Western Europe, North Africa, and various countries in South-East Asia, where it is being grown successfully (Husain, 1992). ...
Cassia angustifolia is a commonly found wild plant from the family Caesalpinaceae that originates from Yemen and Hadramaut province in Southern Arabia, where it is called Arabian senna. The leaves of the plant have been used to treat a variety of ailments such as constipation, malaria, anemia, loss of appetite, and indigestion. Sennosides A and B are the major glycosides found in the leaves and pods of C. angustifolia and are important ingredients in purgative medicines. These compounds are considered as the major active components of Cassia plants and are responsible for their therapeutic activities. To assess the quality and quantity of sennosides A and B, an appropriate analytical method is required, which must be simple, accurate, precise, and widely used. The UPLC-ESI-MRM/MS method was used in this study to validate the analytical method in determining the contents of Sennoside B in senna leaves extract. The validation parameters included specificity, system suitability, linearity, sensitivity (LOD, LOQ), accuracy, and precision. The results indicated that the optimization of MRM using the direct infusion method provided good separation when eluted using liquid chromatography. The validation parameters for system suitability obtained RSD under 2%. The linearity of sennoside B showed excellent results (R2 = 0.999) in the concentration range of 0.98–62.5 µg/ml. The LOD and LOQ values of sennoside B were 0.011 µg/mL and 0.034 µg/ml, respectively. The accuracy values of sennoside B met the predetermined criteria, with RSD < 2% and % recovery of 97-102%. The quantitative analysis revealed that Cassia angustifolia extract contained 0.43 ±0.06 mg/g of sennoside B.
... And the previous studies were proven contain several compounds as pheolic, flavonoid, naphthopyrone glycosides, which have medicinal properties such as hepatoprotective, antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activity [7]. CA has alkaloid compound that showed antibacterial activity [8] and antioxidant ability [9], phytochemical component of CA was indicated has sennoside A act as laxative, rhein act as antibiotic and sitosterol act as anti-cancer [10]. The ultimate goal of the present study was to investigate further of phytochemical components and applying the ability of anti-proliferative. ...
Medicinal plant was wildly used at recent year for treated many diseases instead of chemical drugs because of less in side effect. Cassia angustifolia leaves extract was investigated in this study as anti-proliferation agent for type of breast cancer cell. C.angustifolia (CA) ethanol leaves extract and its fractions (CAF) were evaluated in vitro for the MCF7 cell line and MDA-MB-231 cell line as anti-proliferation. The cells were treated in different doses for CA and CAF at 24h and 28h. The treated cells were stained with AO/EB stain to evaluated apoptosis effect of CAF. GCMS method was used to identify active component in the CAF that give highest anti-proliferation activity. Leaves extract of C.angustifolia was identified as anti-proliferation for MCF7 cell line and MDA-MB-231 cell line. The result was revealed that CAF1 was had highest inhibition percentage for both cells, in (76.73 ± 0.23) % for MCF7 cell and (70.49 ±2.6) % for MDA-MB-231cell. Apoptosis percent present for treated MCF7 cell at 24h and 48h was (84.32 ±22.42) and (72.32 ± 25.08) respectively. And for treated MDA-MB-231cell was (60.16 ± 40.13), (65.31 ± 30.28) respectively for the highest dose 1000 µg/mL. GCMS analysis was identified 23 active component as 2-Pentanone, 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-and 2H-Pyran, 2-(2-heptadecynyloxy), Hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester, Oxalic acid, Phthalic acid, di(2-propylpenty, 2-Pentadecanone, 6,10,14-trimet,and Carbonic acid, decyl tridecyl ester, 2-Tetradecynal, 4-hydroxy-, Tritriacontane, Tricosane, Hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester and Hexadecanoic acid, ethyl ester, Pentadecanoic acid, 14-methyl ester, Heptadecanoic acid, 16-methyl-, Methyl 8-oxooctanoate, Hexadecyl propyl ether, Undecanal, Octadecanoic acid, ethyl ester, 3-Methyl-4-(phenylthio)-2-prop-, dimer of Coleon F. In conclusion that C.angustifolia frication1 for ethanol leaves extract has anti proliferation and antitumor effect on the breast cancer by enhanced apoptosis pathway that lead to programmed cell death for cancer cell and prevent metastasis of its. For that CAF1 could be as new drug to treat aggressive breast cancer. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International License.
... It is used in recent and other folk medicinal systems. Its therapeutic properties help relieve constipation [3]. Medicinal plants have a long history in the Middle East and are important elements in prophetic medicine. ...
... In India, several household preparations such as powder, syrup, decoction, infusion, and confection are made with Senna. In addition to being an excellent laxative, Senna is used as an antipyretic in splenic enlargement, typhoid, cholera, anemia, gallstones, rheumatism, jaundice, obesity, tumors, constipation, halitosis and bronchitis, and possibly leprosy (Akshay et al., 2019;Tripathi, 1999). Senna leaves are in great demand in the European market. ...
Senna is one of the important medicinal crop grown during the rabi and summer season. It is highly sensitive to waterlogging and cannot be grown during kharif season. It can be grown under residual moisture after the harvest of paddy and cotton crop. Sennosides A and B are purgative, antibacterial, anticancer, and antioxidant compounds isolated from senna leaves and immature pods. Senna is in high demand in the international market because to its potential use in a variety of medications. Senna is only currently commercially produced in India. As a result, there is potential for large-scale production in India and profitable export of this valuable medicinal herb worldwide. Leaf production ranges from 5,000 to 6,000 tonnes per year depending on the region. Approximately 80% of the production is exported, with annual revenue of Rs. 45- 50 crores and has a high demand in the industrial sector.
Senna (Cassia angustifolia Vahl.) known as Tinnevelly senna is one of the important medicinal crops suitable to cultivate under rainfed conditions. It was introduced during eighteenth century in Tami Nadu has now attained the status of one of the highly exported medicinal crops in the country. The huge demand of this crop is mainly owing to its laxative property which is due to the presence of anthraquinone glycosides such as Sennosides present in leaves and pods.
In this investigation, cultivation of an economically important medicinal plant (Senna, Cassia angustifolia Vahl.) was explored in saline soil for improving productivity and quality through effective nutrient management practices. Field experiments were conducted in two consecutive growing seasons in saline soils of semi-arid region, where recommended dose fertilizer (RDF) supplied through organic (vermicompost) and inorganic (chemical) source alone or in combination with local microbial consortia (MC). Plant growth and nutrition significantly improved due to integration of organic and inorganic fertilizer alone or in combination with MC. The results also reflected in economic yield (leaf + pod) of senna where 29–37% increase in leaf and 57–76% increase in pod yield was recorded over control. The results revealed that integration of organic and chemical fertilizer along with MC recorded significant higher leaf (1682 kg ha⁻¹) and pod (488 kg ha⁻¹) yield as compared to the other treatment. Sennocide content in leaf and pod was significantly improved by organic as well as integrated application of organic and inorganic fertilizer. However, the highest sennocide content in leaf (2.81%) and pod (3.11%) was recorded in integrated application of organic fertilizer and MC. Additionally, integrated application of organic and chemical fertilizer was found effective in restoring organic carbon, increasing the amount of available nutrients (N, P, and K), and enhancing the biological activity of the saline soil. Therefore, integration of organic and chemical fertilizer as well as MC has potential to improve yield and quality of senna through enhanced soil fertility and biological function.
Herbal products are frequently reported with the contamination of mycotoxins. In this present study, we assessed the occurrence of fungal contaminates associated with senna leaves (n=128) which collected from the different time period such as preharvest, drying, processing and storage. The most prevalent fungal genera were isolated as Aspergillus, Penicillium, Rhizopus, Cladosporium, Mucor, Fusarium and Alternaria. The maximum fungal count was recorded by Aspergillus (11.68 ×10 4 CFU/g) followed by Rhizopus (4.65×10 4 CFU/g). The 18s rDNA analysis was employed to confirm representative A. flavus isolates obtained from the senna leaves. The aflatoxin producing ability of A. flavus strains were determined by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with florescence detector. The higher amount of aflatoxin production was showed by strain ASL1 (4824.23 µg/g) followed by ASL7 (3081.67 µg/g). Moreover, the aflatoxin production was significantly varied with in the strains tested in this study (P< 0.05). The presence of fungal contaminants and the aflatoxigenic fungi indicated the health risk associated with substrates. Hence, the regular monitoring of herbal drugs is essential to prevent the chronic exposure of aflatoxin contamination.
A new glucoside, sennoside G, was isolated from the leaves of Cassia angustifolia (Senna) in crystalline form and shown by chemical and physical means to be the optical antipode of sennoside A with respect to the sennidin moiety. The optical rotatory dispersion spectrum of sennidin G showed a pattern exactly opposite to that of sennidin A. Sennosides A, B and G were isomerized to each other reversibly, and were oxidized to give 8-glucosylrhein.
The use of medicinal herbs in northern and central Oman (Arabia) is still common today. Plants known for their curative powers
are used for a wide spectrum of diseases, from common cold and fever to paralysis and diabetes. Herbal medicines are dispensed,
after “diagnosis” from a herbal healer. The detailed uses of 35 native and 21 cultivated plants and their chemical composition
are given.
Folk medicine practiced in southwestern Saudi Arabia has helped people prevent and cure various diseases and sicknesses such
as rheumatism, asthma, diabetes, stomach problems, constipation, eye and ear problems, colds, fever, measles, bladder and
urinary diseases, toothache, epilepsy, and skin allergy. The most common medicinal plants found in the region belong to the
Leguminosae, Labiatae, Compositae, and Euphorbiaceae.
A radioimmunoassay for the quantitation of nanogram-amounts of sennoside B and related compounds in plant extracts is described. The assay makes use of [³H]-8-glucosidorheinanthrone of high specific activity (5.2 Ci/mmol) whose synthesis is reported here. From this material, [³H]-sennoside A and [³H]-sennoside B have also been synthesized.
The assay is applied to the analysis of sennoside formation and distribution in Cassia angustifolia VAHL. High levels of sennosides in dried leaves and fruits have been observed whereas the seed alone, as well as stems and roots, contain very little sennoside. In flowers, as much as 4-5% of the dry weight consists of sennoside B and other immunoreactive constituents. Sennosides have been found in cotyledons of three day old seedlings in concentrations comparable to that of the mature leaf. Upon dehydration, leaf levels of sennoside B rise steadily, this rise being inversely correlated with the water loss. The absolute levels of sennoside B formed this way are the same as compared to rapid drying at 60° C.
Studies on the germination of Cassia acutifolia (senna) seeds indicated, that they were highly tolerant of salinities up to 16.0 mmhos cm−1, and 50 per cent reduction in germination occurred, at about 20.0 mmhos cm.1. Air temperature had a significant effect on senna germination at substrate salinities between 10.0 and 25.0 mmhos cm−1.
Seedling growth was more sensitive to salinity and alkalinity than the germination stage. Young plant survival and total pod
yield were significantly reduced in soil salinities higher than 11.0 minhoa cm−1, and this was more pronounced when plants were irrigated at short intervals with saline waters. The sensitivity of senna
to higher levels of salinities was correlated with the higher rate of chloride accumulation in the tissue resulting in specific
chloride injury. However, the possibility of sodium injury cannot be excluded.