Senna
Senna is the dried leaflet or pod of Cassia angustifolia (Indian senna) or the closely related Cassia acutifolia (Alexandrian senna), small shrubs of the legume family. The leaf and pod both carry anthraquinone glycosides called sennosides, the compounds responsible for the plant's laxative action. Traded internationally as whole leaf, cut leaf, pods, powder, or a standardized sennoside extract, senna is used almost exclusively as a pharmaceutical and herbal-supplement raw material for laxative products. The leaflets are hand-harvested, sun-dried, and mechanically sieved or graded by leaflet size before sale.
Listed senna markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Grades
A drawn sample is assessed for leaflet size and intactness by sieve or visual sizing, moisture content by oven-loss or moisture-meter method, foreign matter and stem/stalk content by hand-picking and weighing against the total sample, and sennoside A and B content by HPLC or UV-Vis spectrophotometric assay against a reference standard, since sennoside concentration rather than leaf appearance is what determines pharmaceutical value.
AGMARK senna leaf grading
5 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| 1Grade No. 1 | largest leaflet size, highest proportion of whole unbroken leaflets, minimal stem and foreign matter |
| 2Grade No. 2 | medium-large leaflet size, majority whole leaflets |
| 3Grade No. 3 | medium leaflet size, the standard commercial-trade grade for pharmaceutical buyers |
| 4Grade No. 4 | smaller, more broken leaflet size |
| 5Grade No. 5 | smallest leaflet size, highest proportion of broken leaf and fines |
Sennoside A+B assay
1 grade
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| IPPharmacopoeial-grade assay pass | sennoside A+B content meets or exceeds the minimum percentage stated in the applicable pharmacopoeia monograph |
Grades outside this list, including pod-only lots, cut/T-cut leaf, and standardized sennoside extract concentrates, trade on request.
Locations
| Country | Region | We trade it as |
|---|---|---|
| India | Tamil Nadu (Tinnevelly belt) and Rajasthan (Thar belt: Jodhpur, Pali, Barmer, Nagaur) | Origin |
| Sudan | Nile valley and eastern regions | Origin |
| Egypt | Upper Egypt (Alexandrian senna production area) | Origin |
| United States | national | Destination |
| European Union member states | regional | Destination |
Locations outside this list trade on request.
Timing
Senna is a rain-fed or lightly irrigated arid-zone crop; leaf is hand-picked in flushes over the growing season and sun-dried immediately after harvest, so freshness at the point of purchase depends on how recently a flush was picked and dried rather than on a single annual harvest date.
HarvestArrival
| Origin | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Sep to Dec, arrival Jan to MarRajasthan and Tamil Nadu senna leaf is picked in multiple flushes across the post-monsoon and winter months; dates vary by district and rainfall. |
Timing windows outside the pattern below trade on request.
Common questions
What grades of senna does SIP Global trade?
We quote 6 published grades of senna, including 1 - Grade No. 1, 2 - Grade No. 2, 3 - Grade No. 3, 4 - Grade No. 4, 5 - Grade No. 5 and IP - Pharmacopoeial-grade assay pass. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is senna graded?
A drawn sample is assessed for leaflet size and intactness by sieve or visual sizing, moisture content by oven-loss or moisture-meter method, foreign matter and stem/stalk content by hand-picking and weighing against the total sample, and sennoside A and B content by HPLC or UV-Vis spectrophotometric assay against a reference standard, since sennoside concentration rather than leaf appearance is what determines pharmaceutical value. Grading runs on 2 systems: AGMARK senna leaf grading and Sennoside A+B assay.
Where does SIP Global trade senna?
We trade senna in India, Sudan, Egypt, United States and European Union member states. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is senna harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are India: harvest sep to dec, arrival jan to mar. Harvest is when the lot is taken at origin, arrival is when a shipment from that origin lands in a consuming market. Windows outside this pattern, including carry, trade on request.
How do I get a price for senna?
Send the grade, the origin and the delivery window to the SIP Global desk. That is enough for a trader to come back with a level and a settlement route. 1 listed senna market is published on this page, each with its full specification and terms. We take both sides, physical and financial, prompt to long dated.
Standards and data sources
The grading language on this sheet follows published standards. Trade volumes and tariff lines are public record. Verify anything here against the source.
- UN ComtradeOfficial international trade statistics by HS code
- ITC Trade MapBilateral trade flows and tariff data
- FAOSTATFAO production and trade series for agricultural commodities
Price this with our desk
Grade, origin and window if you have them. If what you are carrying does not fit the sheet above, describe it in your own words and a trader will take it from there.