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Senna tora

Common name:	Stinking Cassia	Family:	Leguminosae
Author:	(L.)Roxb.	Botanical references:
Synonyms:	Cassia tora (L.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea to the Phillipines, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Habitat:	Wasteland and cultivated areas in the Himalayas[51]. To elevations of 1400 metres in Nepal[272].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Cassia obtusifolia[B,G,P] Cassia tora auct. non[P] Emelista tora[B] Emelista tora sensu[P] S. obtusifolia[B,C,G,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Brusca Cimarrona [E], Cassia,Foetid [E], Chinese Senna [H], Coffeeweed [B,P], Gelenggang Kechil [E], Gelenggang Padang [E], Jue-ming-zi [H], Penitora [E], Pistache Marron [E], Senna [P], Sickle Senna [H], Sickle Wild Sensitive-plant [B], Ts'Ao Chueh Ming [E],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Fabales. Renamed to Fabaceae -- Pea family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China Dominican Republic Haiti India India(Santal) Japan Malaya Mexico Sri Lanka Venezuela

Physical Characteristics

Annual growing to 1m. . The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Edible Uses

Coffee Leaves.

Young leaves - cooked as a vegetable[272].
Roasted seeds are a coffee substitute[272].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Anthelmintic Anticholesterolemic Antispasmodic Carminative Febrifuge Hepatic Ophthalmic Parasiticide Purgative.

The leaves and the seeds are anticholesterolemic, antispasmodic, carminative, emollient, hepatic, ophthalmic and purgative[51, 147, 176, 272, 279]. The powdered leaves are used in the treatment of indigestion and stomach pain[272].The leaves are used externally in the treatment of skin diseases[146, 272].
The seed contains anthraquinones and naphthopyrones[279]. It is anthelmintic, antibacterial, antifungal and hepatic[272, 279]. The seed is used in Korea to treat constipation, oedema, glaucoma, nyctalopia and to protect the liver[279]. A paste made from the seed is used externally in Nepal to treat leucoderma, leprosy and itchy skin[272].
A paste made from the roots, mixed with lemon juice (Citrus limon) is applied as a poultice to treat ringworm[272].
A decoction of the fruit is used in the treatment of fevers[272].

Other Uses

Tannin.

The seeds (does this mean the pods?) are a source of tannin[146].

Cultivation details

See also [51], [240].
C. Tora Benth. = Senna obtusifolia[200].

Propagation

Seed - scarify and then pre-soak the seed for 2 - 3 hours in warm water before sowing it from early spring to early summer in a warm greenhouse[138]. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 12 weeks at 23° c[138]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse. Do not plant them out until the following spring[138].
Division as growth commences in spring[11].
Cuttings of moderately ripe wood, July in a frame[1].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Cassia tora (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.

References for Senna obtusifolia (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[51] Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press 1984
A very readable and good pocket guide (if you have a very large pocket!) to many of the wild plants in the Himalayas. Gives many examples of plant uses.

[138] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan. 1989
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[146] Gamble. J. S. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1972
Written last century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[176] Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985
A very good Chinese herbal.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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