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Senna leaf

Senna is a known active ingredient for use as a laxative. Senna is an extract of the senna plant. Dried senna leaf extract concentrates of commerce are listed in the USP, and such extract concentrate is recognized as an effective, efficient, and gentle laxative. Standardized senna extracts are obtained from dried seed pods, and generally have a lower concentration of sennosides than available from semipurified calcium sennosides. Sennosides A and B derived from senna leaves have been used as a laxative and ephedrine derived from Ma Huang/ephedra plants has been used as a decongestant. Sennosides A and B are stereoisomeric bisanthrone glucosides. In addition, other sennosides (named sennosides C, D, E, etc.) have been identified which can have laxative action. Although these other sennosides are minor components, they are a part of natural senna extracts. The most important are sennosides A, B, A.sub.1, C and D. Sennosides A, B and A1 are bis-glucosylrhein anthrones and sennosides C and D are glycosylrhein-glycosyaloe-emodin dianthrone compounds.

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