Sennae folium

• English common name is senna leaf from mother plant Senna alexandrina
• Contains hydroxyanthracene derivatives (dianthrone glycosides: sennosides A–D), naphthalene glycosides (6-hydroxymusizin glycoside, tinnevelin glycoside), flavonoids, and mucilage.
• Used as a laxative for short-term treatment (max 1 week).
• The drug is gray-green, yellow-green, or brown-green in color. The leaflet is widest below the midsection, and the blade is slightly wavy. Pinnate venation is visible; both leaf surfaces have trichomes.
• The drug is listed in the pharmacopoeia.
  
• In pulverized drug under the microscope we can see:
  • Unicellular, strongly tuberculate covering trichomes
  • Chambered fibers with calcium oxalate crystals
  • Paracytic stomata
  • Occacionally druses of calcium oxalate
  • Educational material from the University of Graz (in German)

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