Cassia occidentalis / Senna occidentalis - coffee senna, coffeeweed Seeds

Description

Senna occidentalis [Indian vernacular name Usaya ki Fali] is a pantropical plant species, native to the Americas. The species was formerly placed in the genus Cassia.

Vernacular names in English include septicweed, coffee senna, coffeeweed, piss-a-bed, Mogdad coffee, negro-coffee, senna coffee, Stephanie coffee, stinkingweed or styptic weed.

The plant is reported to be poisonous to cattle, because it contains a known toxic derivative of anthraquinone called emodin and the seeds contain chrysarobin (1,8-dihydroxy-3-methyl-9-anthrone) and N-methylmorpholine.

In Jamaica the seeds are roasted, brewed and served as tea to treat hemorrhoids, gout, rheumatism, and diabetes.

Mogdad coffee seeds can be roasted and used as a substitute for coffee. They have also been used as an adulterant for coffee. There is apparently no caffeine in mogdad coffee.

Despite the claims of being poisonous, the leaves of this plant, Dhiguthiyara in the Maldivian language, have been used in the diet of the Maldives for centuries in dishes such as mas huni and also as a medicinal plant.

This plant is mainly used for the treatment of bone fractures and bone dislocation as an herbal treatment in India.