Tagarai, chakvad in Hindi and takla in Marathi, is sickle senna, a strong-smelling monsoon weed with curved, sickle-shaped pods. In Maharashtra and Goa the young leaves are cooked as takla bhaji in the rains. Its roasted seeds are brewed as a coffee substitute and, in China, as jue ming zi tea. Ayurveda uses chakramarda leaf paste for skin complaints such as ringworm.
- Botanical name
- Senna tora (L.) Roxb.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Tamil
- Tagarai
- Hindi
- Chakvad
- Sanskrit
- Chakramarda
- Parts used
- Leaves, Seeds
- Habit
- Foetid monsoon weed with sickle-shaped pods
- Last updated
- 2026-10-27
How to recognise Tagarai
It is an annual herb, usually knee- to waist-high, with an unpleasant smell when bruised.
The leaves are pinnate, with three pairs of rounded, egg-shaped leaflets that are widest at the tip.
Small yellow flowers grow in pairs in the leaf axils.
The pods are long, slender and curved like a sickle, holding many shiny brown seeds.
Senna occidentalis has more, pointed leaflets and flatter pods.
Traditional use of Tagarai
Kitchen
Young takla leaves are cooked with onion, coconut and spices as a monsoon bhaji in Maharashtra and Goa.
Konkan and Marathi food practice
Ayurveda
Chakramarda leaf and seed pastes are applied to ringworm and other skin complaints.
Ayurvedic practice
Kitchen
Roasted seeds are brewed as a caffeine-free coffee substitute and as Chinese cassia seed tea.
Indian and Chinese practice
Modern notes on Tagarai
The seeds and leaves contain anthraquinones, which act as laxatives.
Seed gum from related sennas is used as a food thickener.
Laboratory studies report antifungal activity in leaf extracts.
Tagarai safety
Eat only young leaves, well cooked, in normal amounts. Seed teas can cause diarrhoea and should be avoided in pregnancy and for children.
Ecology and sourcing
It grows as a weed across the tropics on disturbed ground.
Its leaflets fold together at night.
Bees visit its yellow flowers.
Related plants
Also in Fabaceae
Questions about Tagarai
What is takla?
The Marathi name for sickle senna leaves.
Can the leaves of Tagarai be eaten?
Young leaves, cooked.
What is jue ming zi?
Chinese tea made from roasted seeds.
Why does Tagarai smell?
Its leaves release strong-smelling compounds.
Is Tagarai a laxative?
Its seeds and leaves can act as laxatives.
Sources
- Senna tora (L.) Roxb. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q2739004 (Senna tora)
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.