Siamese senna (Senna siamea): names, uses, safety

Senna siamea, kassod or Siamese senna, is a fast-growing shade tree with dark green leaves and bright yellow flower clusters, planted along roads, on farms and around temples in India. In Thailand its young leaves and buds are boiled several times and cooked into a curry, kaeng khilek. Leaf preparations sold as supplements have been linked to liver damage, so it is not a home remedy.

Botanical name: Senna siamea (Lam.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby
Family: Fabaceae
Tamil: Manjakonnai
Hindi: Kassod
Parts used: Young leaf (after a long boil, cuisine)
Habit: Yellow avenue senna; senna is a shop word
Last updated: 2026-10-25

How to recognise Siamese senna

It is a medium-sized evergreen tree with a dense, rounded crown.

The leaves are pinnate, with eight to fourteen pairs of oblong, blunt-tipped, glossy leaflets.

Yellow flowers grow in large, upright clusters at the branch tips through much of the year.

The pods are long, flat and dark brown, holding many seeds. Indian laburnum, Cassia fistula, has hanging chains of flowers and long cylindrical black pods.

Traditional use of Siamese senna

Thai cuisine

Young leaves and flower buds are boiled and the water changed several times to remove bitterness, then cooked in coconut curry.

Thai food practice

Farm use

In India it is grown for firewood, poles, shade and windbreaks.

Indian farm practice

Modern notes on Siamese senna

The leaves contain barakol and anthraquinones. Barakol-based supplements sold for anxiety and sleep in Thailand were withdrawn after cases of liver injury.

It is a good firewood and agroforestry tree, coppicing quickly after cutting.

Siamese senna safety

Do not use leaf extracts or capsules. Eat the curry only as traditionally prepared, with repeated boiling.

Ecology and sourcing

It is native to Southeast Asia and planted widely across the tropics.

It spreads by seed and can become invasive in some regions.

Its flowers are a steady source of pollen for bees through much of the year.

Related plants

Also in Fabaceae

Questions about Siamese senna

Is Siamese senna Indian laburnum?

No. Indian laburnum is Cassia fistula, with hanging flower chains.

What older names does Senna siamea go by?

Cassia siamea.

Is Siamese senna safe to take as a supplement?

No. Leaf supplements have been linked to liver injury.

Where is Siamese senna grown in India?

Across the plains, especially in the south, as a roadside and farm tree.

Sources

Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.