FARMERS FACING PROBLEMS AND COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES OF TINNEVELLY SENNA IN INDIA

G. Sathiyabalan, T. Venkata Rathina Kumar, Bhuvaneshwari Santharam and P. Senniappan

ABSTRACT

Senna or Nila avarai or avuri (Cassia angustifolia (Vahl.)belongs to familythe sennas, is a large genus of flowering plants in the legume family fabaceae is an important medicinal plant to India and it is drought tolerant, hence it is cultivated under rainfed condition in marginal soils by small and marginal farmers of south india in Tamilnadu . Senna is a small, perennial, branched under-shrub grown for its medicinal value of leaves and pods which contain sennosides A, B, C, D, rhein, aloe-amine, kaempferein and iso-rhein in free and glycosides forms. It is one of the most useful purgatives, especially in case of habitual constipation. Besides being a laxative, senna is used in splenic enlargements, anaemia, typhoid, cholera, jaundice, rheumatism, tumours, foul breath and bronchitis, and probably in leprosy. The ease of cultivation and high price for the leaves is attracting farmers for large scale cultivation. The future is excellent for extending its cultivation and production of numerous value-added products from its leaves and pods.

Keywords: Cultivation, Senna, farmers, facing challenges, south india.