form of senna pods, or as herbal tea made from the leaves, as a laxative. It also serves as a fungicide. Modern medicine has used extracts since at least the 1950s as a laxative. If accidentally ingested by infants, it can cause side effects such as severe diaper rash. The active ingredients are several senna glycosides which interact with immune cells in the colon. See also List of herbs with known adverse effects References Further reading (1993): Medicinal plants & Aromatic plants - Its chemistry-production-benefits (2nd ed.). Dar el Maaref, Alexandria. النباتات الطبية والعطرية : كيمياؤها ، انتاجها ، فوائدها / تاليف محمد السيد هيكل ، عبد الله عبد الرزاق عمر. منشاة المعارف ] (2005): Genera Cassia and Senna. Version 10.01, November 2005. Retrieved 2007-DEC-20. (1982): The American Cassiinae. Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 35: 1-918 External links Senna alexandrina profile at botanical.com alexandrina Flora of Africa Flora of the Arabian Peninsula Medicinal plants Subshrubs Taxa named by Philip Miller