Senna, also known as laxative, English name FOLIUM SENNAE, is a stimulant laxative. It passes through the intestinal mucosa and nerves to stimulate peristalsis. It is a strong medicine and is recommended to be used sparingly. Acts on the colon, usually within a few hours.
Introduction
Dried leaflets of the legume Senna senna. The flowering period is September to December, and the fruiting period is March of the following year.
[Property]Sweet, bitter, cold. Return to the large intestine meridian.
[Functions and Indications] Relieves heat and stagnation, clears stools, and diureses water. For heat stagnation, constipation, abdominal pain, edema and fullness.
[Usage and dosage] 2 to 6 grams.
[Note] Pregnant women should be used with caution.
[Storage] Keep away from light and place in a ventilated and dry place.
Traits
Narrow-leaf senna: long ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 1.5-5cm long, 0.4-2cm wide, entire margin, acutely pointed leaf tip, slightly asymmetrical leaf base. The upper surface is yellow-green, the lower surface is light-yellow-green, glabrous or nearly glabrous, with slightly raised veins. Leathery. The gas is weak and specific, the taste is slightly bitter, and it is slightly sticky.
Senna acuminate: lanceolate or long oval, slightly curly, short pointed or slightly convex at the leaf end, asymmetric leaf base, and short hairs on both sides.
Pharmacological action
1. Laxative effect This product has a significant cathartic effect on mice, rats, rabbits and other animals and humans. Mice and rabbits cause diarrhea 2-4 hours after the drug, and people have diarrhea about 6 hours after oral administration. . The active ingredients of this product are mainly sennoside A and B, especially sennoside A. Although sennoside C has a similar diarrhea-causing effect to A, its content is very small. Sennoside A 20mg/kg can cause diarrhea in mice. But if 20% C is mixed in A, the effect of sennoside A can be enhanced by 1.6 times. Sennoside can be partially absorbed in the small intestine, and then enters the large intestine through the bloodstream or bile, and mainly enters the large intestine directly from the small intestine, and undergoes hydrolysis and reduction under the action of intestinal bacteria. -8-Glucoside. Since the purgative effect of direct injection of rhein anthrone is not affected, and the production of rhein anthrone in the intestines can be seen to be significantly reduced, it is believed that rhein anthrone is the real component of sennoside causing purgative. On the other hand, sennoside prevented the trans-intestinal transport of glucose and Na during inversion of the small intestine and colon, suggesting that inhibition of intestinal absorption of glucose, sodium, and water increases the intraluminal volume which in turn stimulates the intestinal wall to reflexively The enhanced peristalsis of the small intestine and colon may also be one of its laxative mechanisms, and the small intestine is also the action site of its laxative components.
2. Hemostatic effect Effective for gastric and duodenal bleeding. The water infusion solution of this product is sprayed on the gastric bleeding place under the gastroscope, and it can immediately stop the bleeding when viewed directly. Intraperitoneal injection of total senna glycosides 200mg/kg can significantly shorten the bleeding time of mice. Oral administration of senna can increase platelet count and fibrinogen content, and shorten coagulation time, thromboplastin time, plasma recalcification time and clot contraction time. In addition, the protective effect of this product on gastric mucosal injury in rats caused by hydrochloric acid and indomethacin is also beneficial to the prevention and treatment of gastric and duodenal bleeding.
3. Antibacterial effect Senna leaf extract has inhibitory effect on a variety of bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, Proteus, Shigella, Streptococcus A, Candida albicans and some pathogenic skin fungi.
4. Other effects In rats with experimental intestinal infarction, intraperitoneal injection of sennoside 50 mg/kg can restore the decreased intestinal mucosa histamine content to normal levels. In addition, it has been reported that this product has curare-like effects, which can block the transmission of nerve-muscle junction impulses, prevent the binding of acetylcholine to M receptors and cause muscle relaxation.
5. Toxicity The LD50 of total senna glucosides in mice by intraperitoneal injection is 1.414g/kg, which is equivalent to 36.3g/kg of crude drug.
