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.
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Nothing here matches what you are holding? Send it anyway. The sheets cover the markets we publish, not the limit of what the desk will look at.
Listed senna markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Price guarantee on senna
If a move in the senna price would hurt you, fix the price now. We agree it today for the months you name, and it holds whatever the market does in between.
| Buying | You use or resell senna and need to know your cost. We fix your purchase price for the quantity and months you name. |
|---|---|
| Selling | You grow, produce or hold senna and need to know your revenue. We fix your sale price ahead of production or shipment. |
| Settlement | Against delivery of the senna. |
A price is fixed only once a trader confirms it in writing. Ask the desk for a fixed price.
Caps and floors on senna
A fixed price binds buyer and seller. A cap or a floor is a guaranteed price on one side only. You pay a fee up front for it, and it is a right, not an obligation: you use it only if the market moves against you.
| Cap | For buyers. A guaranteed maximum price for senna. If the market is above the cap when you buy, you pay the cap. If it is below, you buy at the market price and let the cap lapse. |
|---|---|
| Floor | For sellers. A guaranteed minimum price for senna. If the market is below the floor when you sell, you receive the floor. If it is above, you sell at the market price and let the floor lapse. |
| Fee | Agreed and paid up front. It is the whole cost of the cap or floor, and it is not refunded if the cap or floor goes unused. |
A cap or a floor is in place only once a trader confirms it in writing. Ask the desk for a cap or a floor.
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.
Can I fix a senna price ahead?
Yes. SIP Global fixes a senna price ahead for buyers and for sellers, as a price guarantee. Send the grade, the quantity and the months you need covered. We settle against delivery, and a price is fixed only once a trader confirms it in writing.
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. 6 listed senna markets are published on this page, each with its full specification and terms. We buy and sell the physical cargo, 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 Comtrade (opens in new tab)Official international trade statistics by HS code
- ITC Trade Map (opens in new tab)Bilateral trade flows and tariff data
- FAOSTAT (opens in new tab)FAO production and trade series for agricultural commodities