Cassia Tora

 Family Name : CAESALPINACEAE 

Botanical Name : CASSIA TORA 

Common Name : FOETID CASSIA, TORA, SICKLE SENNA, SICKLE POD, COFFEE POD, TOVARA, CHAKVAD 

Part Used : SEEDS 

Habitat : Grows in dry soil throughout tropical parts of India. 

Uses : It is Aperient, Germicide, Mucilaginous & Laxative. It is used as a coffee substitute and has a maturant and anodyne action. Useful in treating skin diseases like ring worm and itch and psoriasis. 
Senna obtusifolia (syn. Cassia obtusifolia L., Cassia tora, Emelista tora) is a plant in the genus Senna. It is also known as foetid cassia, sickle senna, Chinese senna, sicklepod, sickle-pod, sickle pod, coffee weed, coffeeweed, coffee pod, coffee-pod, java bean, java-bean, or arsenic weed. It grows wild in North, Central, and South America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, and is considered a particularly serious weed in many places. 

The species's name comes from the Latin obtus ("dull or blunt"), and folium ("leaf"). Its leaves, seeds, and root are used medicinally, primarily in Asia. It is believed to possess a laxative effect, as well as to be beneficial for the eyes. 

The plant's seeds are a source of cassia gum, a food additive usually used as a thickener. As a folk remedy, the seeds are often roasted, then boiled in water to produce a tea. Roasted and ground, the seeds have also been used as a substitute for coffee. 
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