Description

Cassia tora, the sickle pod or sickle senna, is an erect, strongly smelling annual herb of the family Fabaceae (Caesalpinioideae), native to tropical and subtropical South and Southeast Asia, now pantropically naturalised as a common weed of agricultural margins, roadsides, and disturbed land. The plant produces distinctive sickle-shaped pods containing hard, rhomboidal seeds. Known as Chakramarda in classical Ayurveda, the seeds are documented in the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita for preparations addressing skin conditions — particularly fungal and inflammatory dermatological conditions — and for ophthalmic applications. In Unani medicine, the seeds are classified as Hab-ul-Falus for skin and liver-related formulations. The seeds also contain the polysaccharide galactomannan, traded as cassia gum in the food industry. Commercially harvested across Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.