Senna alata
by Richard Rizzo
Title
Senna alata
Artist
Richard Rizzo
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Senna alata, the candle bush, is an important medicinal tree, as well as an ornamental flowering plant in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It also known as a candelabra bush, empress candle plant, ringworm tree, or candletree. A remarkable species of Senna, it was sometimes separated in its own genus, Herpetica.
It is native to Mexico, and can be found in diverse habitats. In the tropics, it grows up to an altitude of 1,200 m. It is an invasive species in Austronesia. In Sri Lanka, known as Ranawara, it is used as an ingredient in Sinhala traditional medicine, it is often called the ringworm bush because of its very effective fungicidal properties, for treating ringworm and other fungal infections of the skin. The leaves are ground in a mortar to obtain a kind of "green cotton wool". This is mixed with the same amount of vegetable oil and rubbed on the affected area two or three times a day. A fresh preparation is made every day. Its active ingredients include the yellow chrysophanic acid.
Its laxative effect, due to its anthraquinone content, is also well proven.
Uploaded
October 30th, 2015
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