Senna: The Foul-Tasting Effective Purgative
Senna: The Foul-Tasting Effective Purgative
The Senna herb is a powerful laxative. Senna tastes terrible, so most
herbalists recommend taking a diluted version. To avoid abdominal
distress, they also recommend that you do not take more than the
prescribed dose or else!
Research shows that Senna has diuretic and urinary antiseptic effects.
One teaspoon per cup boiled 10 minutes; for up to 3 cups per day does
the job.
The History of Senna
Since the days of Linnaeus, who gave different flora and fauna their
elaborate names, the potency of Senna has been well known. The
powerful purgative drug comes from a small shrub about two feet high.
The stem is erect, smooth, and pale green, with long, spreading
branches, bearing leaflets in four or five pairs.
Senna is an Arabian name, and the drug was first brought into use by
Arabian physicians. Achiarius was the first of the Greeks to notice it.
The traditional way of preparing Senna for commercial use is that the
plants are cut down, exposed on the rocks in hot sunshine until
thoroughly dry, then stripped, and packed in palm-leaf bags.
Senna appears to have been cultivated in England as early as 1640. By
keeping the plants in a hotbed all the summer, they frequently flowered;
but rarely perfected their seeds.
The active purgative property of Senna was discovered in 1866. It is a
glucoside of weak acid character, and was named Cathartic Acid.
Sennax is the name applied to the watersoluble glucoside of Senna,
marketed in tablets containing 0.75 gram each.
The syrup of Senna is prepared by mixing 8 fluid ounces, 218 minims of
fluid extract of Senna, with 81 minims of oil of Coriander—enough to
make 33 fluid ounces.