a product introduction

SENNAA New Partnership Venture between Kishan Lal Kuria Mal International and Canny Overseas P. Ltd.

A Product Introduction

Senna

Kishan Lal Kuria Mal International, is a very old and established manufacturer, exporter and trader from India. The company has been active in the fields of export of natural products such as henna, herbs, spices etc., for many years now and has a host of satisfied clients spread around the world.

Canny Overseas P. Ltd. is an agri-commodities trading and brokering firm representing many international companies in India as well as has agreements with companies for selling Indian produces abroad.

Kishan Lal Kuria Mal International Canny Overseas P. Ltd.222 Sukhdev Vihar B-170 Priyadarshini ViharNew Delhi 110 025 Delhi 110 092India IndiaTel: +91 11 2683 9941 Tel: +91 11 2251 9868Fax: +91 11 2692 2849 Fax: +91 11 2251 9869E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

Senna

Botanical name: Cassia Acutifolia (DELL.)

Family: N.O. Leguminosae

Trade Name: Denna

Synonyms: Alexandrian Senna, Cassia Lenitiva, Cassia Lanceolata,

Senna Acutifolia, Sene de la Palthe, Fan Xie Ye, Tinnevelly Senna, Cassia Angustifolia, East Indian Senna

Habitat: India, Pakistan and few other parts of Asia

Senna - A Commercial Crop

Every part of the senna plant carries the main active ingredient and

therefore all the parts have some commercial value. Like many other

plants, senna plant also bears leaves, flowers and pods.

It is the dried leaves and pods that are mostly traded, as

they are consumed both directly by

end customers as well as by

companies manufacturing senna

products. Because of this the two command the

highest

price amongst all the plant parts.

There are few takers of flowers and stems. These are only

bought by companies that are producing senna extract.contd…

Senna - A Commercial Crop

Good quality senna may be known by:

• The bright, fresh, yellowish-green color of the leaves

• A faint and peculiar odour rather like green tea

• A nauseous, mucilaginous, sweetish, slightly bitter taste

Senna – Applications

• Main:

– Traditionally senna has been considered a “cleansing herb” and is

a natural laxative.

• Others:

– Some times recommended for halitosis, which is caused by toxic

colon.

– Used to treat colic, exhaustion, nitrogenous waste,

sleeplessness, jaundice etc.

– Arabians also use this for treatment of local skin affections.

– In china the pods of senna plant are considered to be of special

use in diseases of the eye.

Senna – The Plant

Senna is a small under-shrub from 2 to 3 feet high. the stem is

erect, smooth, and pale green, with long, spreading branches,

bearing pinnate leaves which are alternately placed on the

stem. The leaflets are in pairs of four or five and average

about half to inch in length. The shape of the leaves and

leaflets is lanceolate or obovate, unequally

oblique at the base, veins distinct on the under surface,

brittle, greyish-green, of a faint, peculiar odour, and

mucilaginous, sweetish taste. The flowers are small and

yellow. The pods are broadly oblong, about 2 inches long

by 7/8 inch broad, and contain about six seeds which are

hard, heart shaped and ash colored.

Senna – Cultivation, Collection, Preparation

Since senna is an herb of some economic importance its cultivation has

been of considerable interest.

Indian senna is considered to be a superior variety. it is usually cultivated

on dry land and may be given light irrigation and grown as a semi-irrigated

crop but heavy irrigation is injurious. Sowing is done either by

broadcasting or by dribbling, the seed rate being about 15 lbs. per acre.

The seeds have a tough coat and a certain amount of abrading of the

surface is necessary to induce quick and even germination. This is done

by pounding the seeds lightly with coarse sand in a mortar. The plants

require bright sunshine and occasional drizzle. contd…


Normally no chemical fertilizers or agri-pesticides are used. it can

therefore even be considered as a natural, “organically” grown crop.

Continuous rain during growth spoils the quality of the leaves. The plants

are usually allowed to grow for three to five months only and the first flush

of flower stalks is cut off to induce lateral branching. When the leaves are

fully grown and are thick and bluish in color, they are stripped off by hand.

In all, a total of 4 harvestings take place. The first one being sometime in

the end October-early November and is the biggest in size. After that

harvesting takes place at a gap of about 1 month each, last one being in

April and before the onset of monsoons or the rainy season. Thereafter

the plant is allowed to flower and set seed for the next season.

contd…


With each succeeding harvest the size of leaves gets smaller and the

yield of pods gets lower.

Commercial senna is prepared for use by garbling, or picking out the

leaflets and rejecting the lead-stalks, impurities, and leaves of other plants

by using sieves. The portion that passes through the sieves is then

tossed. The leaves work to the surface and the heavier stalk fragments

sink to the bottom. This accounts for the broken leaves in the senna. it is

sometimes baled before shipping.

Senna – The Market

While no formal data is available, it is estimated that the amount annually

exported is about 10,000 to 14,000 bales. The prices vary with each

harvesting.

Few of the major markets are:

• USA

• Germany

• CIS countries

• The entire Middle-East region

• African Continent

• China

Senna - Chemical Composition

Traditionally, senna has been used as a laxative because of its cathartic

properties. More modern studies have found that senna is useful in

treating constipation, whether it is caused by pharmaceuticals or natural

means. Senna leaves and pods have been shown to have laxative

activity. It is useful in habitual constipation. the active substances in senna

leaves and fruit are called sennosides. These molecules are converted by

bacteria in the colon into another substance, rhein-anthrone, which has

two beneficial effects.

• First, it stimulates colon activity, which speeds bowel movements and

improves digestion.

• Second, it increases fluid secretion.

Together, these actions work to get a sluggish colon functional again. contd…

Senna - Chemical Composition

Several controlled studies have confirmed the benefit of senna in treating

constipation.

Pharmacological investigations show that sennosides A and B account for

the entire activity of the senna leaves and pods. Leaves contain

glycosides, sennoside A, B, C & D. Two naphthalene glycosides have

been isolated from leaves and pods.

The sennosides content of Indian senna varies from 1.5% to 3.0%. The

cathartic properties of senna are generally not lost even if they are stored

for a number of years.

Senna – A Confirmation

Senna is widely accepted as a treatment for constipation and its efficacy

is proved by the following.

• Senna leaf is approved by the world health organization (WHO) for

short-term use in occasional constipation.

• Senna is also approved in the united states and in european countries

as an ingredient in over-the-counter and prescription laxative

preparations.

• The herb is approved by the german government for any condition in

which alleviating constipation or softening stools is desirable.

contd…


• Clinical studies in the United States and abroad involving various age

groups suggest that senna is effective in managing constipation

associated with a number of causes including surgery, childbirth, and

use of narcotic pain relievers.

• A study in the medical journal Diseases of the Colon and Rectum

showed that senna was able to prevent or treat postoperative

constipation after proctologic surgery.

• In another study, published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom

Management, researchers recommended the use of senna in terminal

cancer patients with opiate-induced constipation, citing the

effectiveness of the herb and its relatively low cost. contd…


• The South African Medical Journal shows that treatment with senna

was successful in 93%-96% of women suffering from postpartum

constipation. By comparison, only 51%-59% of women in the placebo

group experienced relief. senna is considered to be one of the more

effective agents for relieving constipation caused by narcotic pain

relievers such as morphine.

• A study published in the medical journal Pharmacology suggests that

a combination of senna and bulk laxatives can alleviate chronic

constipation in geriatric patients.

• Senna pods are official in the British pharmacopoeia and the United

States pharmacopoeia. contd…


• It is often called in the French pharmacopoeia Séné de la Palthe,

because of the duty formerly laid upon it by the Ottoman Porte. While,

in the German, Swiss, British and Indian pharmacopoeias, it is listed

as Tinnevelly Senna.

Senna – How It Is Consumed

As already mentioned senna is consumed both directly by the end

consumer as well as by organizations involved in extracting sennosides

from the plant parts.

A few of the recommended modes of direct consumption are:

• By brewing and drinking the leaves in a similar manner as tea

• Tablets and Capsules

• Ingesting in powder form with or without adding coriander oil

• In syrup form by adding jalap, rhubarb, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, oil

of lemon, sugar and diluted alcohol

Senna – Packing

Senna Leaves and Pods are exported in container loads and a 20 feet

container can carry upto 14 metric tons depending upon how the goods

are packed.

The normal packing for both are:

Bags of 25 or 50 kilos net, in this case only about 5 metric tons can be

shipped in a 20 feet container.

But the preferred packing is in bales of 90 kilos or

180 kilos and in this form 14 metric tons can easily

be loaded into the 20 feet

container.

Senna – The Future

In the end we would only like to say that while on the raw material sale

side the market is not so organized but at the same time on the retail level

the market is very much developed and mature. The final buyer knows

what they are looking for and the market is expanding at a pace not seen

before. Therefore, an opportunity lies in front of us and it is up to us as to

how much market we can corner.

We have tried to give as much detail as possible but in case you need to

discuss anything of have any queries, please feel free to ask us. We will

try our best to answer them to your satisfaction.

Thank You

Senna

Palliative Care - Constipation

Introduction, etiology: The use of medicines for constipation is only one of the methods available to relieve symptoms. For further treatment details and other options, including other suggested medications, please see reference 1.

Recommended Treatments

magnesium hydroxideoral suspension, equivalent to 550 Adults:mg magnesium oxide/10 ml 1.8-3.6 g orally

sennatablet, 7.5 mg (sennosides) Adults:(or traditional dosage forms) 15-30 mg orally at night

References 1. Symptom Relief in Terminal Illness, World Health Organization, 1998, 109 pages, ISBN 92 4 154507 0Sales Information: http://www.who.int/bookorders/index.htm

a product introduction

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