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

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

2. 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 Vihar • New Delhi 110 025 Delhi 110 092 • India India • Tel: +91 11 2683 9941 Tel: +91 11 2251 9868 • Fax: +91 11 2692 2849 Fax: +91 11 2251 9869 • E-mail: kki@vsnl.net E-mail: canny@vsnl.net

3. 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

4. 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…

5. 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

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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…

9. Senna – Cultivation, Collection, Preparation • 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…

10. Senna – Cultivation, Collection, Preparation • 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.

11. 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

12. 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…

13. 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.

14. 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…

15. Senna – A Confirmation • 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…

16. Senna – A Confirmation • 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…

17. Senna – A Confirmation • 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.

18. 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

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. Thank You

22. 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 hydroxide • oral suspension, equivalent to 550 Adults: • mg magnesium oxide/10 ml 1.8-3.6 g orally • senna • tablet, 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 0 • Sales Information: http://www.who.int/bookorders/index.htm