Stinking Cassia, Senna tora, peanut weed, sicklepod, Chinese senna

Stinking Cassia scientifically known as Senna Tora (originally described by Linnaeus as Cassia tora) is a plant species belonging to the family Fabaceae and the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. The plant is native to the Indian sub-continent (i.e. India, Bhutan, Nepal, eastern Pakistan, and Sri Lanka), southern China, south-eastern Asia (i.e. Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea) and parts of western Polynesia (i.e. the Solomon Islands). It is considered invasive in New Caledonia. Its name is derived from its Sinhala name tora. The most common English name is sickle senna and sickle wild sensitive plant. Other popular common names include Java bean, fetid cassia, low senna, peanut weed, sicklepod, stinking cassia, Chinese senna, tora, coffee pod, sicklepod senna, and wild senna. It is often confused with Chinese senna or sicklepod, Senna obtusifolia.

Whole plants, leaves, seeds, and roots have been extensively used in traditional Indian and South Asian medicine. The plant is gathered from the wild for local use as food and medicine. It is occasionally grown for its seeds, which are normally used as a mordant. Its tea has been referred as coffee-tea, because of its coffee-like aroma and taste. Apart from that, it is also used as a natural pesticide in organic farms, and as a powder commonly used in the pet food industry. Since it has an external germicide and anti-parasitic character, it has been used for treating several skin diseases like psoriasis, ringworm, leprosy, itching, and also for snakebites.

Stinking Cassia Facts

Plant Description

Stinking Cassia is a small erect hairless, annual to perennial plant that normally grows about 50-150 cm tall, but sometimes grows up to 2.5 m in height. The plant occurs abundantly in open pastures, in pastures under coconuts, mountain slopes, roadsides, wasteland, riverbank sands, disturbed sites, waterways, and also pastures in wetter tropical and sub-tropical environments. The plant prefers deep, well-drained, moderately fertile sandy loam and tolerates fairly low soil fertilities and moisture levels. True to its name, fetid/stinking cassia has an unpleasant smell. It is broadly spreading with several ascending, hairless branches. The branched, sprawling, stems are usually hairless or sparsely hairy.

Leaves

Compound leaves of the plant are arranged alternately along the stems and are borne on fairly long petioles which are about 20-45 mm long. 50-75 mm long leaves have about two to four pairs of leaflets that are egg-shaped in outline with the narrower ends attached to the stalk. Leaflets are 10-55 mm long and 10-35 mm wide and have rounded tips and their margins are lined with tiny hairs. A small elongated structure is usually located between each of the lowest two pairs of leaflets. Leaves give off a strong unpleasant odor, mostly when damaged or brushed against.

Flowers

The yellow flowers are borne on 6-10 mm long stalks. These flowers are arranged in pairs in the leaf forks and are mostly found near the tips of the branches. Each flower consists of five sepals, five yellow petals (8-10 mm long), and seven fertile stamens with small anthers (1.5-2.5 mm long). Flowering occurs mostly from late summer through to early winter.

Fruit & Seeds

Fertile flowers are followed by a very slender, sickle-shaped pod that is 12-25 cm long and 2-6 mm wide. It is nearly round in cross-section and curved downwards. Fruits are initially green turning to brownish-green as they mature and are slightly concave between each of the seeds (i.e. the pods are slightly separate). There are 30–50 seeds within a pod. Seeds are striped olive and brown about 3 mm long, shiny in appearance, and flattened or irregularly shaped.

Stinking Cassia has several uses. The plant and seeds are edible. Young leaves can be cooked as a vegetable while the roasted seeds are used as a substitute coffee. Flowers are added to food in Sri Lanka. It is mixed with guar gum for use in mining and other industrial applications. The seeds and leaves are used to treat skin disease and their seeds can be utilized as a laxative. Cassia tora is made into tea. In the Republic of Korea, it is believed to rejuvenate human vision.

Traditional uses and benefits of Stinking Cassia

• Leaves and the seeds are antispasmodic, ophthalmic, carminative, anti-cholesterolemic, hepatic, purgative, and emollient.
• Powdered leaves are used in the treatment of stomach pain and indigestion.
• Externally leaves are used in the treatment of skin diseases.
• In Korea, the seed is used to treat glaucoma, edema, nyctalopia, constipation, and to protect the liver.
• Externally paste made from the seed is used to treat leprosy, leucoderma, and itchy skin in Nepal.
• Lemon juice along with a paste made from the roots is applied as a poultice to cure ringworm.
• Decoction of the fruit is used in the treatment of fevers.
• They are used to rid the body of parasites and as a treatment against vomiting and stomachache.
• Externally, they are used to treat ulcers, skin infections, sores, and insect bites.
• Decoction prepared from the leaves is used to treat eye complaints.
• Seeds are eaten or combined with a leaf decoction to treat conjunctivitis.
• They are also used to treat, diseases of eyes, herpes and to heal infected sores.
• They are used to lower blood pressure.
• Seeds intake gives relief in constipation.
• Intake of roasted seeds helps in headaches.
• Externally, the seeds are mashed in vinegar or alcohol and applied to eczema. OR the seed paste with turmeric and mustard oil is applied topically.
• A gum obtained from seeds is used as an emulsifying and binding agent.
• Its powder is beneficial in combating indigestion, toning up heart muscles, and purifying blood.
• Juice extracted from its leaves is used in case of skin ailments, rashes, and allergies.
• It is also used as an antidote in case of various poisonings.
• Leaves and seeds are useful in leprosy, flatulence, colic, dyspepsia, constipation, cough, bronchitis, and cardiac disorders.
• Decoction of the fruit is used in the treatment of fever.
• It is consumed in worm infestation and cures the infection occurring in the body.

Ayurvedic health benefits of Stinking Cassia

• Eczema: Leaf paste is applied. OR Root paste with lime juice is applied.
• Blood dysentery, diarrhea: Leaf juice mixed with salt is given.
• Scabies/itches: Plant paste with buttermilk is applied. OR Leaf decoction is used as a wash.
• Carbuncles, warts: Root paste with lime juice is applied. OR Hot leaf paste is applied.
• Bee sting: Pounded leaf is applied topically.
• Ring worm, scabies: Seed paste with buttermilk is applied.
• Fever: Leaf decoction is given.
• Pus release from furuncles: Hot leaf paste is applied.
• Menstrual disorders: Whole plant decoction is given.
• Psoriasis: Leaf juice is applied topically.
• Blisters: Juice of the leaves of Stinking Cassia is applied.
• Eczema: Paste made of Stinking Cassia with milk or the paste of the roots is applied.
• Blood purifier: The very fine powder of the root is given in doses of 3-4 grams every morning mixed with 30 ml of ghee and 7 ml powdered sugar.
• Scrofula: Medicated mustard oil is prepared by boiling macerated roots of Stinking Cassia and juice of Eclipta Alba. This is made into an ointment with the addition of a little red lead. This ointment is applied topically on scrofula.
• Leprosy: Stinking Cassia seeds are soaked in the milky juice of Euphorbia neriifolia for some time. These seeds are ground into a paste with cow’s urine. The paste is applied over the affected parts. OR Ointment made of Rasunt and the seeds of Stinking Cassia and juice of wood apple is applied topically.
• Sexual debility: Stinking Cassia roots 3-5 grams mixed with ghee and sugar is given daily early in the morning.
• Leucoderma: Paste made of equal parts of Stinking Cassia + sandalwood + camphor with buttermilk is applied topically. OR Paste made of equal parts of the seeds of Stinking Cassia and neem berries is applied topically.

Culinary Uses

• Young leaves can be cooked as a vegetable.
• Roasted seeds are a coffee substitute.
• Seeds are cooked or roasted in the pods.
• They are eaten as a side-dish with rice.
• Young, tender leaves and shoots are cooked.
• They are steamed as a potherb, or cooked and eaten with rice.
• Powdered and fermented leaves are used as a condiment.
• Leaves are used to make a tea-like infusion.
• Seeds are occasionally dried and ground into a powder, which is cooked and eaten as a staple food in moderate amounts.
• Seeds consist of commercially interesting levels of gums.
• In India they are collected from wild plants for the industrial extraction of gums for the food industry.

Other Facts

• Seeds are a source of tannin.
• Seeds are used as a mordant when dyeing cloth blue.
• Seeds, the macerated leaves, and the roots provide black, blue, yellow, and orange dyes.
• Stems are used to make mats and fences.
• Yellow flowers and seeds are good sources of blue dye.
• Boiled seeds are given to the animals to treat hypogalactia.

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