Prapunnada
Senna tora
Prapunnada (Senna tora) is a plant drug, also called Cakramardakah, Dadrughna and Edagaja. Emodin undergoes extensive glucuronidation reducing systemic availability but providing enterohepatic recycling extending activity. Chrysophanol shows Tmax of 2-3 hours. Sennosides from seeds are pro-drugs activated by colonic bacteria; their laxative effect is localized to the colon.
| Botanical name | Senna tora |
|---|---|
| Identity source | Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I, Vol. III: PRAPUNNADA (Seed) |
| Also called | Cassia occidentalis (Senna occidentalis) (attribution recorded without a cited source) Cassia tora L. (syn. Senna tora) (nomenclatural synonym) |
| Family | Fabaceae · other entries in this family |
| Order | Fabales |
| Taxon identifiers | GBIF 2957728 · Wikidata Q2739004 · NCBI Taxonomy 362788 |
| Sanskrit | चक्रमर्दकः (cakramardakaḥ), Dadrughna, Edagaja |
|---|---|
| Hindi | चकवंड (cakavaṃḍa), पंवार (paṃvāra), Pavand |
| English | Fetid Cassia, Ring Worm Plant |
| Tamil | தகரை, Vshittgarai |
| Malayalam | Tagaraa |
| Telugu | Tagiris |
| Kannada | Tagache |
| Marathi | Tankala |
| Bengali | Chakunda, Chavuka, Panevar |
| Gujarati | Kovaraya |
| Urdu | Panwar |
| Punjabi | Chakunda, Chakwad, Panwal |
| Assamese | Kulb |
Sources: Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India; eFloraofIndia / Names of Plants in India, Senna tora, Hindi: चकूंदा, चकवंड, एड़गज, पद्माट, पंवार, प्रपुनाट, तर्किल; eFloraofIndia / Names of Plants in India, Senna tora, Hindi: पंवार. Corroborated by API PRAPUNNADA Hindi 'Pavand', Punjabi 'Panwal', Urdu 'Panwar'; eFloraofIndia / Names of Plants in India, Senna tora, Sanskrit: चक्रमर्दकः, दद्रुघ्नः, एडगजः, पद्मटः, प्रपुनाट; eFloraofIndia / Names of Plants in India, Senna tora: Tamil தகரை (thagarai). Corroborated by API PRAPUNNADA, Tamil 'Vshittgarai' (OCR of usittakarai, the compound of the same head word) and Malayalam 'Tagaraa', Kannada 'Tagache'.. How we source.
The evidence at a glance
12papers on this site for this drug, published 2014 to 2025, every one with a DOI.
- 12Laboratory and animal studies
A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Everything listed here is laboratory or animal work, which does not show an effect in people.true See the research index for how papers are tiered.
Names and identification
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit | Prapunnada |
Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)
| Property | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rasa (Taste) | Katu | Primary taste |
| Guna (Quality) | Laghu, Ruksha | Physical quality |
| Virya (Potency) | Ushna | Heating/Cooling effect |
| Vipaka (Post-digestive) | Katu | Post-digestive effect |
Dosage forms and preparation
Dosage Forms: Churna (seed powder), Kwatha (leaf decoction), Capsule, Tablet, Eye wash (leaf decoction), Lepa (paste)
Standard Dosage: 1-3 g seed powder daily; 3-5 g leaf powder daily; 15-20 mL decoction twice daily; 500 mg standardized extract twice daily
Optimal Timing: Seed powder for laxative effect: at bedtime. Leaf preparations for skin/eye conditions: morning and evening. Not on empty stomach due to potential GI irritation.
Storage: Dried material: airtight containers, below 25 deg C, RH <55%, protected from light and moisture. Seeds: pest-proof containers, cool and dry. Eye wash: sterile container, 2-8 deg C, use within 24 hours of preparation.
Marker Compounds: Chrysophanol, Emodin, Rhein, Physcion, Aloe-emodin, Sennosides, Gallic acid, Xanthone
Synergistic Combinations
- Amalaki (eye health formulation)
- Saptamrit Lauh (ophthalmic Rasayana)
- Triphala (laxative and eye health combination)
- Haridra (anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective)
- Kutaki (liver protective synergy with anthraquinones)
Published research
Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.
Laboratory and animal studies12
- 2025. Structure transition and gel melioration of ι-carrageenan and non-gelling senna tora gum mixed gelInternational journal of biological macromolecules. PMID 40633863 · doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.145790
- 2024. Prediction of change in suitable habitats of Senna obtusifolia and Senna tora under climate changeScientific reports. PMID 39730691 · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-81883-0
- 2024. Transcriptomic Analysis of the Combined Effects of Methyl Jasmonate and Wounding on Flavonoid and Anthraquinone Biosynthesis in Senna toraPlants (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 39458891 · doi:10.3390/plants13202944
- 2023. Genome-Wide Mining of the Tandem Duplicated Type III Polyketide Synthases and Their Expression, Structure Analysis of Senna toraInternational journal of molecular sciences. PMID 36902267 · doi:10.3390/ijms24054837
- 2023. Evaluation of Senna tora (L.) Roxb. leaves as source of bioactive molecules with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial potentialHeliyon. PMID 36747926 · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e12855
- 2022. Fungal Planet description sheets: 1436-1477Persoonia. PMID 38234383 · doi:10.3767/persoonia.2022.49.08
- 2022. The Effects of Lycium chinense, Cuscuta chinensis, Senna tora, Ophiopogon japonicus, and Dendrobium nobile Decoction on a Dry Eye Mouse ModelMedicina (Kaunas, Lithuania). PMID 36013601 · doi:10.3390/medicina58081134
- 2021. Chromosomal Mapping of Tandem Repeats Revealed Massive Chromosomal Rearrangements and Insights Into Senna tora DysploidyFrontiers in plant science. PMID 33643358 · doi:10.3389/fpls.2021.629898
- 2020. The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Senna tora and phylogenetic analysisMitochondrial DNA. Part B, Resources. PMID 33458190 · doi:10.1080/23802359.2020.1781573
- 2020. De novo transcriptome sequence of Senna tora provides insights into anthraquinone biosynthesisPloS one. PMID 32380515 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0225564
- 2019. In vitro chondroprotective potential of Senna alata and Senna tora in porcine cartilage explants and their species differentiation by DNA barcoding-high resolution melting (Bar-HRM) analysisPloS one. PMID 31002692 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0215664
- 2014. Isolation, purification and characterization of galactomannans as an excipient from Senna tora seedsInternational journal of biological macromolecules. PMID 24456898 · doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2014.01.026
Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.
Consult a qualified vaidya before acting on anything here. Ayurvedic practice is prescribed to a person, not to a condition: the same dravya is given, withheld or substituted depending on your constitution, your agni, the season and what else you are already taking. A page cannot know any of that. Self-prescribing from a reference is how the wrong preparation, the wrong dose or the wrong anupana gets used.
Educational reference only. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to take anything. Traditional uses and research findings are reported as published, not as claims about what any product does. If you take prescribed medication, raise any interaction with the prescriber rather than acting on a page. See our editorial standards.