Senna obtusifolia

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Senna obtusifolia
Senna obtusifolia with flower and pods.jpg
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Genus: Senna
Species:
S. obtusifolia
Binomial name
Senna obtusifolia
Synonyms [2]
  • Cassia obtusifoliaL.
  • Cassia tora var. obtusifolia(L.) Haines
  • Emelista obtusifolia(L.) Raf.
  • Senna tora var. obtusifolia(L.) X.Y.Zhu
  • Cassia rogeonii Ghesq.
  • Cassia tora var. humilis Pers.
  • Cassia toroidesRaf.
  • Senna toroides Roxb.

Senna obtusifolia, known by common names including Chinese senna, American sicklepod and sicklepod, is a plant in the genus Senna , sometimes separated in the monotypic genus Diallobus. It grows wild in North, Central, and South America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, and is considered a particularly problematic weed in many places. It has a long-standing history of confusion with Senna tora and that taxon in many sources actually refers to the present species.

Contents

In the traditional medicine of Eastern Asia, the seeds are called jué míng zǐ in Chinese (simplified: 决明子; traditional: 決明子), gyeolmyeongja in Korean, and ketsumeishi in Japanese.

The green leaves of the plant are fermented to produce a high-protein food product called kawal which is eaten by many people in Sudan as a meat substitute. Its leaves, seeds, and root are also used in folk medicine, primarily in Asia. It is believed to possess a laxative effect, as well as to be beneficial for the eyes. As a folk remedy, the seeds are often roasted, then boiled in water to produce sicklepod tea. The plant's seeds are a commercial source of cassia gum, a food additive usually used as a thickener and named for the Chinese Senna's former placement in the genus Cassia . Roasted and ground, the seeds have also been used as a substitute for coffee. In vitro cultures of S. obtusifolia such as hairy roots may be a source of valuable secondary metabolites with medical applications. [3]

Taxonomy and naming

This species was first formally described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus who gave it the name Cassia obtusifolia in Species Plantarum . [4] [5] In 1979, Howard Samuel Irwin and Rupert Charles Barneby transferred the species to the genus Senna as S. obtusifolia in the Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden . [6] [7] The specific epithet (obtusifolia) means "blunt-leaved". [8]

S. obtusifolia is known by a number of common names. Apart from "sicklepod", [9] sickle-pod senna, [10] rarely "Chinese senna" [11] or even "American sicklepod", [12] it is also called arsenic weed, [13] foetid cassia, or wild senna. [10]

It is also known locally by common names such as "coffee weed" (coffeeweed) [14] or "java bean" (in Australia) [14] or "coffee pod" (in the American South or West), [15] [13] although the terms "coffee weed" or "coffee pod" are ambiguous as they also apply to S. tora. [9] It may be called by the Hindi name "chakunda" in India, but this is also one of the names for S. tora. [9]

Names in its native range are also:

Distribution and habitat

Senna obtusifolia naturally occurs in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, but has been introduced to Africa, parts of Europe, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, parts of Southeast Asia, New Guinea and parts of Australia. [2] Its nativity in the North America disputed, but it is usually considered to be native to the Southeastern United States, [19] [20] while others also consider it to be native to the eastern and central U.S. north to New York. [21] [22] [23] However, the earliest records in North America date to the early to mid 1800s. [24] In its natural environment, it grows on the shores of lakes and rivers, but is also a weed of pastures and roadsides at altitudes up to 1,100 m (3,600 ft). [7]

Ecology

Senna obtusifolia is non-nodulating and does not have a symbiotic association with soil bacteria, unlike other members of the family Fabaceae. Senna obtusifolia is usually self pollinated as many flowers being fertilized before opening, [20] though the flowers are heavily visited by bees. [25] Senna obtusifolia has one (in Caribbean and North American forms) to two (in South American forms) extrafloral nectaries on the upper surface of the rachis [20] that usually attract ants, but occasionally attracts wasps, flies and small bees. It serves as a host plant for several Lepidoptera and other insects including Eurema lisa , Eurema nicippe , Phoebis sennae cubule [26] and Calycomyza malvae . [27] Northern bobwhite and greater prairie chickens are known to feed on the seeds. Mammalian herbivory is rare due to the foliage's foul taste and toxicity, which is known to poison livestock. [26]

Traditional Eastern medicine

The materia medica name for the seeds in Chinese is jué míng zǐ (simplified: 决明子; traditional: 決明子). [28] The medicinal seeds are also known by the equivalent Korean name gyeolmyeongja (결명자;決明子) in traditional Korean medicine, [29] and by the Japanese name ketsumei-shi (ケツメイシ, 決明子) in kampō medicine. [30]

The jue ming zi is used widely in Asia, including Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, [30] [31] and its herbal sicklepod tea is drunk instead of regular tea as a preventative for hypertension. [30] [31] It is also purported to have the ability to clear the eye. [30] In Korea also, medicinal gyeolmyeongja is usually prepared as tea ( gyeolmyeongja-cha , "sickle pod tea").

Senna tora (Cassia tora) is used similarly, and though distinguished in the Chinese market as the "little/lesser" variety or shao jue ming小決明) [31] the Japanese government's [pharmacopoeia] (Nihon yakkyokuhō) officially acknowledges both S. obtusifolia and S. tora to be commerced as ketsumeishi. [31]

The Japanese beverage habu-cha (ハブ茶), as the name suggests, was originally brewed from the seeds of the habusō or S. occidentalis , but currently marketed habu-cha uses S. obtusifolia as substitute, since it is a higher-yielding crop. [32] [33]

Western medicine

The antimicrobial activity of leaf extracts of Senna obtusifolia have been studied. [34]

Meat substitute

Kawal, a protein-rich meat substitute eaten in Sudan, is produced by crushing the leaves of the plant into a paste which is then traditionally fermented in an earthenware jar, buried in a cool place. The jar is dug up every three days and the contents mixed. After two weeks, the paste is removed and rolled into balls which are left to dry in the sun. They are usually cooked in stews with onions and okra. [35] [36]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Cassia</i> (genus) Genus of legumes

Cassia is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, and the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Species are known commonly as cassias. The genus includes 37 species and has a pantropical distribution. Species of the genera Senna and Chamaecrista were previously included in Cassia. Cassia now generally includes the largest species of the legume subtribe Cassiinae, usually mid-sized to tall trees.

Cassia typically refers to cassia bark, the spice made from the bark of East Asian evergreen trees.

<i>Senna spectabilis</i> Species of legume

Senna spectabilis is a plant species of the legume family (Fabaceae) in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae native to South and Central America. They are often grown as an ornamental in front yards, parks, gardens, buildings etc. due to their bright yellow flowers that bloom during the summer months. They are also known as golden wonder tree, American cassia, popcorn tree, Cassia excelsa, golden shower tree or Archibald's cassia.

The name coffeeweed or coffee weed may refer to various plants used as coffee substitutes, including:

<i>Senna tora</i> Species of flowering plant

Senna tora is a plant species in the family Fabaceae and the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Its name is derived from its Sinhala name tora (තෝර). It grows wild in most of the tropics and is considered a weed in many places. Its native range is in Central America. Its most common English name is sickle senna or sickle wild sensitive-plant. Other common names include sickle pod, tora, coffee pod and foetid cassia. It is often confused with Chinese senna or sickle pod, Senna obtusifolia.

<i>Senna</i> (plant) Genus of flowering leguminous plants

Senna, the sennas, is a large genus of flowering plants in the legume family. This diverse genus is native throughout the tropics, with a small number of species in temperate regions. The number of species is estimated to be from about 260 to 350. The type species for the genus is Senna alexandrina. About 50 species of Senna are known in cultivation.

<i>Senna alexandrina</i> Species of legume

Senna alexandrina is an ornamental plant in the genus Senna. It is used in herbalism. It grows natively in upper Egypt, especially in the Nubian region, and near Khartoum (Sudan), where it is cultivated commercially. It is also grown elsewhere, notably in India and Somalia.

<i>Senna alata</i> Species of legume

Senna alata is an important medicinal tree, as well as an ornamental flowering plant in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It also known as emperor's candlesticks, candle bush, candelabra bush, Christmas candles, empress candle plant, ringworm shrub, or candletree. A remarkable species of Senna, it was sometimes separated in its own genus, Herpetica.

Senna wislizeni, commonly called Wislizenus' senna or shrubby senna. Formerly in the "wastebin taxon" Cassia sensu lato, it is now placed in the genus Senna or sometimes separated in Palmerocassia together with Senna unijuga.

<i>Senna septemtrionalis</i> Species of legume

Senna septemtrionalis, commonly known as arsenic bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is native to Central America, the southern United States and Mexico, but is naturalised in many other countries. It is an erect shrub with pinnate leaves, with four or five pairs of egg-shaped leaflets, and yellow flowers arranged in groups of five to eight, usually with seven fertile stamens and four staminodes in each flower.

<i>Senna italica</i> Species of legume

Senna italica, the Port Royal senna, Italian senna, or Senegal senna is a legume tree in the genus Senna. It is recognized by many other common names based on the regions it grows in. In India, it is used to produce a powder for treating hair-related diseases which is known as “neutral henna”. Whereas, in some parts of the world, this species is cultivated for the leaves which yield the drug senna, known commonly as Senna glycoside, which in turn is the base for a laxative. Senegal senna is easily distinguishable through its many distinctive features. There are 3 subspecies of this plant based on the size of the inflorescence and the length of the petiole. The subspecies are italica, micrantha, and arachoides. In many regions, this plant is cultivated commercially and medicinally.

<i>Senna siamea</i> Species of legume

Senna siamea, also known as Siamese cassia, kassod tree, cassod tree and cassia tree, is a legume in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It is native to South and Southeast Asia, although its exact origin is unknown.

<i>Senna acclinis</i> Species of legume

Senna acclinis, commonly known as rainforest cassia or brush senna, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to near-coastal areas of eastern Australia. It is a shrub with pinnate leaves and bright golden yellow flowers in groups of two to five and long, narrow seed pods. It is similar to other species of Senna that are environmental weeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sicklepod tea</span> Beverage made using Senna seeds

Gyeolmyeongja-cha or sicklepod tea is a tea made from roasted seeds of Senna spp., especially S. obtusifolia and S. tora.

<i>Senna pendula</i> Species of legume

Senna pendula, also known as Easter Cassia, Christmas Senna, winter Senna, climbing Cassia, golden shower, pendant Senna and valamuerto, is a plant of the Fabaceae family with a shrub habit that is native to South America. It used in various parts of the world as an ornamental plant and is an environmental weed in Australia. The flowers are yellow and the name pendula means 'pendulous' or 'drooping'.

<i>Chamaecrista absus</i> Species of plant in the family Fabaceae

Chamaecrista absus, the pig's senna or tropical sensitive pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, with a worldwide distribution in the tropics and subtropics. An annual herb reaching 60 cm (24 in), it is a common weed of cultivated and waste places, and its seeds are regularly harvested and sold for use in traditional medicine in Africa and Asia.

<i>Senna multijuga</i> Species of plant

Senna multijuga, commonly known as November shower or false sicklepod, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to wet tropical areas of Latin America, and widely introduced to other tropical locales such as Africa, India, Indonesia, China, Australia, and Hawaii. A fast-growing tree typically 10 m (33 ft) tall, it is planted in restoration projects, as an ornamental, and as a street tree, being especially useful under power lines.

<i>Senna lindheimeriana</i> Species of plant

Senna lindheimeriana, the velvet leaf senna, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to the US states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, and to eastern Mexico. A perennial typically 1.5 m (5 ft) tall, it is hardy to USDA zone 8a, and is recommended for xeriscaping and for feeding birds, butterflies and bumblebees. It is thought to be lethally toxic to livestock, but is so foul-smelling and unpalatable that only starving mammals will consume it.

<i>Senna barclayana</i> Species of legume

Senna barclayana, commonly known as smooth senna or pepper-leaf senna, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a herbaceous perennial or subshrub with pinnate leaves with six to ten pairs of lance-shaped or narrowly elliptic leaflets, and yellow flowers in groups of six to ten.

<i>Senna hirsuta</i> Species of plant

Senna hirsuta, commonly known as woolly senna, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is native to Central and South America, but is naturalised in many other countries. It is an erect or spreading shrub or herbaceous perennial with pinnate leaves, with two to six pairs of egg-shaped leaflets, and yellow flowers arranged in groups of two to six, with six fertile stamens and four staminodes in each flower.

References

  1. ↑ Bachman, S. (2018). "Senna obtusifolia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T19375580A122395452. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Senna obtusifolia". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  3. ↑ Kowalczyk, Tomasz; Sitarek, Przemysław; Toma, Monika; Picot, Laurent; Wielanek, Marzena; Skała, Ewa; Śliwiński, Tomasz (2020-03-27). "An Extract of Transgenic Senna obtusifolia L. hairy roots with Overexpression of PgSS1 Gene in Combination with Chemotherapeutic Agent Induces Apoptosis in the Leukemia Cell Line". Biomolecules. 10 (4): 510. doi: 10.3390/biom10040510 . ISSN   2218-273X. PMC   7226363 . PMID   32230928.
  4. ↑ "Senna obtusifolia". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  5. ↑ Linnaeus, Carl (1753). Species Plantarum. Vol. 1. Berlin: Junk. p. 377. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  6. ↑ "Senna obtusifolia". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  7. 1 2 Irwin, Howard S.; Barneby, Rupert C. (1982). "The American Cassiinae : a synoptical revision of Leguminosae tribe Cassieae subtribe Casiinae in the New World". Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden. 35 (1): 252–255. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  8. ↑ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 263. ISBN   9780958034180.
  9. 1 2 3 CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms. Synonyms, and Etymology. Vol. 4. 1999. pp. 2460, 2461. ISBN   9780849326783.
  10. 1 2 3 Gardner, Zoë; McGuffin, Michael (2013). American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook (2 ed.). CRC Press. p. 804. ISBN   9781466516946.
  11. ↑ Library of Congress Subject Headings. Library of Congress, Cataloging Distribution Service. 2009. p. 1449.
  12. ↑ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  13. 1 2 DiTomaso, Joseph M. (2007). Weeds of California and Other Western States: Aizoaceae-Fabaceae. University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. p. 800. ISBN   9781879906693.
  14. 1 2 "Senna obtusifolia (sicklepod)". CABI—Invasive Species Compendium. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  15. ↑ Gibbons, Whit; Haynes, Robert R.; Geller, Robert J. (1990). Poisonous Plants and Venomous Animals of Alabama and Adjoining States. Joab L. Thomas (foreword). University of Alabama Press. p. 102. ISBN   9780817304423.
  16. ↑ Yan, Kun-ying (1970). Chángyòng zhōngyào zhī yàolǐ常用中藥之藥理. Vol. 5. Taipei: Guo li Zhongguo yi yao yan jiu suo. p. 800. ISBN   9789570094169.
  17. ↑ Balick, Michael J. (2009). Ethnobotany of Pohnpei: Plants, People, and Island Culture. University of Hawaii Press. p. 394. ISBN   9780824837495.
  18. ↑ Mori, Akihiko (2020). "Kika & gairai shokubutsu miwake manyuaru 950shu" 帰化&外来植物見分け方ﾏﾆｭｱﾙ950種 (in Japanese). 7 (1). Shuwa System: 224. ISBN   9784798057927.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  19. ↑ "Senna obtusifolia — sickle-pod wild senna". Go Botany Native Plant Trust. Native Plant Trust. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  20. 1 2 3 Sosnoskie, Lynn M.; Steckel, Sandy; Steckel, Lawrence E. (6 September 2021). "Sicklepod [Senna obtusifolia (L.) H. S. Irwin & Barneby] "Getting sleepy?"". Weed Technology. 35 (6): 1052–1058. doi: 10.1017/wet.2021.70 .
  21. ↑ "Senna obtusifolia (L.) Irwin & Barneby". USDA PLANTS Database. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  22. ↑ "Senna obtusifolia". Missouri Botanical Garden. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  23. ↑ "Senna obtusifolia (L.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby". Floristic Inventory of the Florida Keys. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  24. ↑ "Senna obtusifolia". Florida Plant Atlas. Institute for Systematic Botany. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  25. ↑ Retzinger Jr., E. James (September 1984). "Growth and Development of Sicklepod (Cassia obtusifolia) Selections". Weed Technology. 32 (5): 608–611. doi:10.1017/S0043174500059658.
  26. 1 2 Hilty, John. "Sicklepod Senna obtusifolia". Illinois Wildflowers. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  27. ↑ "Calycomyza malvae Burgess 1880". EOL. National Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  28. ↑ Chang, Zhangfu; Liu, Li; Bare, James (2015). Chinese Materia Medica. PMPH-USA. pp. 123–124. ISBN   9787117196475.
  29. ↑ Kim, Taejung (1996). Yag-idoeneunhangug-uisan-yacho약이되는한국의산야초 [Korea's wild plants as medicine] (in Korean). Kugil Media. p. 88. ISBN   9788974250751.
  30. 1 2 3 4 Wang, Yuan; Sheir, Warren; Ono, Mika (2010). Ancient Wisdom, Modern Kitchen: Recipes from the East for Health, Healing, and Long Life. Hachette Books. p. 23. ISBN   9780738214054.
  31. 1 2 3 4 Kijima, Masao (1969). "Tai koku shōyaku no kōsatsu III" <報告>タイ国生薬の考察 III [Observations III on herbal medicine in Thailand]. Japanese Journal of Southeast Asian Studies (in Japanese). 7 (1): 78–79. hdl:2433/55564.
  32. ↑ Okada, Minoru; Wada, Hiroshi (2002). Shintei genshoku makino wakan yakusō daizukan新訂原色牧野和漢薬草大圖鑑 [New edition of Makino's great encyclopedia of Japanese and Chinese medicinal herbs in original color] (in Japanese). Hokuryukan. pp. 204, 205. ISBN   9784832608108.
  33. ↑ Tōhō University, Yakugakubu fuzoku yakuyō shokubutsuen (medicinal herbarium attached to pharmacology dept.) (May 2019). "Ebsisugusa" エビスグサ. Yakuyō shokubutsuen mihon-en薬用植物園 見本園 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  34. ↑ Doughari, J.H.; El-Mahmood, A.M.; Tyoyina, S.P. (2008). "Antmicrobial activity of leaf extracts of Senna obtusifolia". African Journal of Pharmaceuticals and Pharmacology. 2: 7–13.
  35. ↑ Dirar, Hamid (1 July 1984). "Kawal, meat substitute from fermented Cassia obtusifolia leaves". Economic Botany. 38 (3): 342–349. doi:10.1007/bf02859013. JSTOR   3793107. S2CID   32446384.
  36. ↑ "Plants that provide a protein-rich diet". New Scientist . 107 (1468): 30. 8 August 1985. ISSN   0028-6664.

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