There is a type of Senna used for food purposes, it is the Senna Siamea .
This, also known as Kassod tree (or Cassod tree) and erroneously as Cassia tree, is a legume belonging to the subfamily of the Caesalpinioideae .
It is native to South and South-East Asia, although the precise area is not yet well known.
The Senna tree is medium-sized, evergreen, produces yellow flowers and grows up to 18m in height.
It is often used as a shading tree on cocoa, coffee and tea plantations. In Thailand it represents the symbol tree of the province of "Chaiyaphum".
The leaves of the Siamese Senna are attached to a thin central axis by means of small stems. They are alternate, pinnate, reddish-green and rounded at the ends.
This plant has a medicinal value and contains a molecule called barakol . The leaves, pods and seeds are edible, but they must necessarily be boiled by discarding the water. These are products commonly used in Burmese and Thai cuisine; in the latter, the most famous preparation is called "Kaeng khilek".
Other uses of the Siamese Seine are: forage, inter-cultural and windbreak.
Barakol is a molecule with sedative and anxiolytic effects used in traditional herbal medicine although, recently, these applications have been discouraged due to a presumed hepatotoxic effect in humans.
