FedegosoSenna occidentalis

Did you know?

• Fedegoso means "foul-smelling" in Portuguese^[6], and its English name, stinking weed, says the same, as do the French herbe puante and the German Stink-Kassie: the leaves give off a rank smell when crushed^{[2, 3, 4, 5]}.

• Its seeds were once roasted, ground and brewed as a coffee substitute, in Senegal and the Antilles among other places, which is how it came by the names coffee senna, coffeeweed and Mogdad coffee^{[2, 3, 4, 5]}. The seeds are not safe to eat or drink (see Precautions).

• Occidentalis is Latin for "western": Linnaeus named the plant for the Western Hemisphere, where it is native^[4].

• In the Maldives, fedegoso leaves have been part of the local diet for centuries^[4].

• Fedegoso grows wild in every region of Brazil, from the Amazon to the far south^[1].

Origins and history

Fedegoso is an annual or short-lived shrubby plant, usually 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 m) tall^{[3, 4, 5]}. Its leaves are divided into several pairs of pointed leaflets, its yellow flowers grow in small clusters, and its slightly curved pods, about 4 inches (10 cm) long, each hold about 40 flat seeds^{[4, 5]}. It thrives in disturbed ground: roadsides, the edges of fields and riverbanks, and the open spaces in and around villages^{[3, 4, 5]}.

Linnaeus described it as Cassia occidentalis, and it was later moved to the genus Senna, where botanists place it today^{[1, 4]}. Both names are still in use, and Raintree's labels carry the older one. From its home in the Americas it spread throughout the tropics, and it now grows wild in more than 200 regions of Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific^{[1, 4, 5]}.

Wherever it grew, people found uses for it. Its seeds were roasted and brewed in place of coffee^{[3, 4, 5]}, its leaves went into the cooking pot in the Maldives^[4], and in folk traditions across the tropics its root and leaves were made into teas^{[3, 4]}.

Traditional uses

Clinical studies of fedegoso in people are still few, but its traditional use is rich and reaches across the tropics^{[3, 4]}.

• Root and leaf teas

  Across its range, the root and leaves are traditionally made into infusions, or teas.^{[3, 4]}

• A root tonic

  In Brazil the root has traditionally been prepared as a tonic, taken to support energy and vitality.*^{[3, 4]}

• Digestive support

  Fedegoso has a long folk tradition as a stomach herb, and it supports healthy digestion.*^{[3, 4]}

Plant compounds

Fedegoso contains naturally occurring plant compounds called anthraquinones, including emodin, chrysophanol, physcion, rhein and aloe-emodin^{[4, 5]}. The seeds contain these anthraquinones too^{[4, 7]}. The plant also contains alkaloids^{[4, 5]}.