Witnessed by: TCM · Ayurveda · Unani
Sicklepod (Cassia obtusifolia), of the Fabaceae (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae) family. Erect foetid annual herb; native range: Pantropical weed of waste and cultivated ground across Asia, Africa and the Americas. Globally recognized as chakramarda / dadrughna / prapunnada in Sanskrit, chakvad / panwar in Hindi, jue ming zi (决明子) in Chinese, and foetid cassia, sickle senna, coffee pod, cassia seed in English. The part used is seed (and leaf). Shiny angular greenish-brown seeds, hard and faintly bitter, roasted to a coffee-like smell; the bruised foliage rankly foetid.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
SICKLEPOD
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Sicklepod
- Scientific name
- Cassia obtusifolia L.
- Family
- Fabaceae (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae)
Form
- Part used
- seed (and leaf)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- bitter · sweet · salty
- Ayurveda
- pungent · bitter (katu-tikta)
- Unani
- bitter · pungent
Temperature
- TCM
- cool (slightly cold)
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna)
- Unani
- hot & dry (2nd degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Liver · Large Intestine · Kidney
- Unani
- liver · stomach · intestines
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- clears Liver heat and brightens the eyes, calms ascendant Liver yang, and moistens the intestines to move the stool
- Ayurveda
- kushthaghna and dadrughna (heals ringworm and skin disease), kapha-vata-hara, krimighna
- Unani
- jali (detergent), mohallil (resolvent), musakkin (soother), and a cleanser of the skin
Cautions
- Contraindications
- loose stool and diarrhoea, and low blood pressure (the seed is hypotensive)
- Toxicity
- large doses loosen the bowels; the foliage is foetid and unpalatable
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