Cassia occidentalis

General Description:

Cassia occidentalis is a diffuse undershrub found throughout India, attain a height of 2mt. leaves are entire, oblong, paripinnate, alternate, distichous. Flowering occurs throughout the year. Pod of the plant is short, flat, compressed, brown at maturity, seeds are many in number, brown in colour. The leaves, roots and seeds are purgative. The seeds and leaves are also antiperiodic. The seeds are used as external application for skin diseases. The seeds are roasted and used as a substitute for coffee in French Africa and in the north sector of Argentina. The medicinal properties, however, are lost by roasting.

The seeds contain: tannic acid, mucilage (36%), fatty oil (2.56), emodin, and a toxalbumin. Chrysarobin (methyl-dihydroxy anthranol, m.p., 203-4º) has been isolated from the benzene extract of the seeds (Chem. Abstr., 1944, 38, 3033).  The fatty oil contains; saturated fatty acids, 19.7; linoleic acid, 31.4; oleic acid, 30.7; linolenic acid, 6.3; volatile constituents, 0.7; unsapon. Matter, 7.4% (Wehmer, suppl., 42).