Botany names

Description - Cassia tora, is an annual fetid herb, attaining the height of 1-3 ft with pinnately compound leaves, rachis is grooved, pubescent, with a conical gland between each of the two lowest pairs of leaflets. Leaflets are 3 pairs in number. Yellow coloured flower in subsessile pairs in the axils of the leaves the upper ones crowded, calyx is glabrous, ovate, acute, petals are 5 in number yellow, subequal, the upper three is staminodes and remaining 7 is perfect. The fruits are septate pods with 25-30 seeds, seeds rhomboidal. with the long axis in the direction of the pod.

Chemical Constituents- Seeds contain glycoside, fixed oil, sterol, myricyl alcohol, glycoside rubrofusarin, terpenoids, phenolics, naphtho-pyrone glycosides, cassiaside, gentiobioside

Use - Seeds and Leaves are mainly used in Medicine. Glucoside resembling Chrysophanic acid is obtained from leaves and seeds, also minerals from the leaves. Leaves are used as vegetables in rural people. Leaves largely used in treatment of skin diseases And to cure scorpion and honey - bee bites.