Chemical Properties
yellow, tan or brown powder
General Description
Yellow-brown powder with a slight odor and taste.
Air & Water Reactions
Insoluble in water.
Reactivity Profile
Cassia is incompatible with mineral acids, carbonates, infusion cinchona, lime water, salts of heavy metals and tartar emetic .
Health Hazard
SYMPTOMS: Symptoms of exposure to Cassia may include purging and blood in the stools. It can cause collapse. Griping and abortion also occur. The urine may acquire a marked yellow color, which changes to red on the addition of alkali.
Fire Hazard
Flash point data for Cassia are not available; however, Cassia is probably combustible.
Definition
ChEBI: Sennoside A is a member of the class of sennosides that is rel-(9R,9'R)-9,9',10,10'-tetrahydro-9,9'-bianthracene-2,2'-dicarboxylic acid which is substituted by hydroxy groups at positions 4 and 4', by beta-D-glucopyranosyloxy groups at positions 5 and 5', and by oxo groups at positions 10 and 10'. The exact stereochemisty at positions 9 and 9' is not known - it may be R,R (as shown) or S,S. It is a member of sennosides and an oxo dicarboxylic acid.
Composition
The leaves contain sennaemodin, sermanigrin, sermarhamnetin, and anthraquinones. Presence of anthraquinones including dianthrone glycosides, sennosides A and B (rhein dianthrones), sennosides C and D (rhein aloeemodin heterodianthrones) and several sennosides have been detected. Similar to leaves, the pod also contains rhein dianthrone glycosides. Two naphthalene glycosides isolated from senna leaves and pods are 6-hydroxymusicin glucoside and tinnevellin glucoside.* Senna contains anthracene derivatives (2.5 to 3.5% in the leaves, ~3.4% in the fruits of C. senna, 2.2 to 6.0% in the fruits of C. angustifolia). The chief components are sennosides A, A1 and B, as well as sennosides C and D. It also contains naphthalene derivatives including 6-hydroxymusizin glucoside (0.85% in C. senna), tinnevellin-6-glucoside (0.3% in C. angustifolia).
