ALEXANDRIAN SENNA Synonyms Folia sennae Alexandrina, Cassia senna, Egyptian senna Biological Source it consists of dried leaflets of Cassia acutifolia Delile belonging t famil ' 0 tamily Leguminosae. Geographical Source Middle and upper Nile territories, tropical Africa and speciall y Sudan.collection and Preparation lexandrian senna is i . snovince and'slzo | in mainly from wild sources growing in Kordofon region of white i in . Nile artoum area. The collection of leaflets along with branches is done lants are bearin i : . when P! NG unripe fruits and dried under sunlight. The leaves are cleaned and graded into entire leaves, entire and broken leaves, siftings and pods The process or separation is carried out by sifting whereby first the large stalks and pods are separated from which pods are manually plucked out. The material which passes through sieves contains entire leaves, broken leaves, heavier stalks and sand. This is mechanically tossed by which entire and broken leaves are cleared out from other part. Such leaves are once again sifted, so that it separates out mixed leaves, small fragments and very small leaflets. Entire leaves are hand picked from mixed leaves and packed in mats or bales without pressing. Macroscopic Characters (Fig. 9.9) —_ Alexandrian senna resembles to Tinnevelley senna except following differing characters. Alexandrian senna is 2-4 cm long and 7-12 mm wide with ovate-lanceolate shape. The margin is | entire and curled. The base is more asymmetrical. It is | more pubescent and has a thin brittle texture. It has a | pale greyish-green colour. Fig. 9.9: Alexandrian senna leaf lets Microscopic Characters Both Alexandrian senna and Tinnevelley senna are very much identical in their histological characters. The main criterion applied for the differentiation among two species is the various leaf contents viz. stomatal index, palisade ratio and vein-islet number. For Alexandrian senna, these values are (1) Stomatal index : 11.4 to 12.2 to 13.3 (For both surfaces) (2) Palisade ratio : 4.5 -9.5- 19 (upper surface) 3.5 - 7.0 - 14.5 (lower surface) (3) Vein-islet number: 25 - 29.5 Chemical Constituents All the chemical constituents of Alexandrian senna are same as that of Tinnevelley senna. The i i enna. percentage of sennosides in leaves and pods is more (3 - 3.6 per cent) as compared to Indian s Adulterants and Substitutes bian senna. It is found to be adulterated with Dog senna, Palthe senna, Bombay, Mecca or Ara