Senna tora
| Senna tora | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Senna tora (common name: stinking cassia)
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[1]. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 12 weeks at 23°c[1]. 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[1].
Division as growth commences in spring[2].
Cuttings of moderately ripe wood, July in a frame[3].
Cultivation: See also [4], [5].
C. Tora Benth. = Senna obtusifolia[6].
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea to the Phillipines, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Habitat: Wasteland and cultivated areas in the Himalayas[4]. To elevations of 1400 metres in Nepal[7].
Edibility: Young leaves - cooked as a vegetable[7].
Roasted seeds are a coffee substitute[7].
Medicinal: The leaves and the seeds are anticholesterolemic, antispasmodic, carminative, emollient, hepatic, ophthalmic and purgative[4][8][9][7][10]. The powdered leaves are used in the treatment of indigestion and stomach pain[7].The leaves are used externally in the treatment of skin diseases[11][7].
The seed contains anthraquinones and naphthopyrones[10]. It is anthelmintic, antibacterial, antifungal and hepatic[7][10]. The seed is used in Korea to treat constipation, oedema, glaucoma, nyctalopia and to protect the liver[10]. A paste made from the seed is used externally in Nepal to treat leucoderma, leprosy and itchy skin[7].
A paste made from the roots, mixed with lemon juice (Citrus limon) is applied as a poultice to treat ringworm[7].
A decoction of the fruit is used in the treatment of fevers[7].
Usage: The seeds (does this mean the pods?) are a source of tannin[11].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bird, R. Growing from Seed Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan, 1989.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Polunin, Oleg and Adam Stainton. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press, 1984.
- ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea. World Health Organisation, 1998.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Gamble, James. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972.