Origin: where Indian senna actually comes from now
Senna is not native to India. It was introduced from Arabia in the mid-eighteenth century to the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, from which the trade name Tinnevelly senna derives. Cultivation has since moved west: Rajasthan and Gujarat now produce the bulk of Indian senna, with Tamil Nadu still active.
The practical consequence is one of naming. Tinnevelly senna is a type designation for Cassia angustifolia, distinguishing it from Alexandrian senna (Cassia acutifolia) of Egyptian and Sudanese origin. It is not a statement of current growing region, and most material trading under that name today comes from the western belt.
If the growing state matters to your regulatory or quality file — for organic certification traceability, for residue profile, or because your own customer asks — specify the state separately in the contract rather than relying on the type name. A supplier who cannot tell you which state a lot came from has more intermediaries in the chain than they are admitting to.
Sennosides: the assay that governs everything
Senna is bought for its sennosides. Sennosides A and B are the principal dianthrone glycosides, with C and D as minor constituents, and they are the reason the material has commercial value. Every other parameter is secondary.
Pods carry more than leaves
This is the first decision, and it is not a quality ranking — it is a structural difference between two parts of the same plant.
| Part | Typical sennosides | Character | Usual application |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pods | Around 3–4% | Higher and more uniform concentration | Standardised extract manufacture; concentrate-led formulation |
| Leaves | Around 2–3% | Lower concentration, more variable | Tea bag cut, cut and sifted, powder; whole-botanical applications |
If you are producing a standardised extract, pods are usually the rational purchase because the starting concentration is higher and more consistent. If you are producing a herbal tea or a whole-botanical supplement where the leaf itself is the product, leaves are what you want and the pod premium buys you nothing.
The certificate of analysis is the specification
Sennosides content varies by crop, region, grade and season. A headline percentage in a supplier’s catalogue is a marketing figure. The batch certificate of analysis is the contract.
Require an HPLC sennosides assay from the actual batch being shipped, not a generic certificate reused across orders, and state the analytical method in the specification. This is the most common failure point in senna purchasing — buyers accept a catalogue figure, then discover on arrival that the batch does not support the formulation they costed. Ask also whether the supplier tests in-house or sends material out, because a long chain from farmer to aggregator to exporter without testing at each stage is where assay quietly dilutes.
Stalk content: the tell that appears twice
Sennosides are in the leaf and the pod. They are not in the stalk.
Stem and stalk material added to a leaf grade increases weight for the seller and reduces the sennosides assay for the buyer. It is the same economic logic as stem in moringa leaf powder, and it shows up in two places on a certificate at once: a low sennosides figure and a high foreign organic matter figure are usually the same problem reported twice.
Specify stalk or foreign organic matter content alongside the sennosides minimum, and treat an unexplained gap between the two as a question rather than a tolerance.
Product forms
| Form | Description | Typical buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Whole leaf | Intact dried leaf, pressed in bales | Repackers, traditional medicine trade |
| TBC (tea bag cut) | Cut to tea bag particle size | Herbal tea manufacturers |
| C&S (cut and sifted) | Cut and screened, coarser than TBC | Tea, infusion, bulk herb trade |
| Leaf powder | Milled to specified mesh | Tablet, capsule and blend manufacture |
| Pods whole | Intact dried pods | Extract manufacture, traditional trade |
| Pods T-cut | Cut pods | Extraction and infusion |
| Stems | Separated stalk material | Low-value industrial use; specify separately |
| Senna extract | Standardised sennosides, typically expressed as a percentage assay | Pharmaceutical and nutraceutical formulation |
Pharmacopoeial grades: say which one
Senna is a pharmacopoeial material and appears in the United States Pharmacopeia, the European Pharmacopoeia, the British Pharmacopoeia and the Indian Pharmacopoeia. The monographs differ, and the European Pharmacopoeia sets different minima for Alexandrian and Tinnevelly pods.
Name the pharmacopoeia and the monograph in the specification rather than writing “pharma grade”. The phrase has no fixed meaning across suppliers, and the difference between two monographs can be the difference between a compliant batch and a rejected one.
Reference specification
| Parameter | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Sennosides (A and B, or total) | Minimum to specification, by HPLC, on the shipped batch |
| Identity | TLC or equivalent identification against the named monograph |
| Moisture | To specification, typically low single figures to around 10% |
| Total ash | To monograph or buyer specification |
| Acid insoluble ash | Low limit; the indicator for sand and soil |
| Foreign organic matter / stalk | Specified alongside sennosides |
| Particle size | TBC, C&S or mesh to buyer specification |
| Heavy metals | Lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury to destination limits |
| Pesticide residues | Against destination list |
| Aflatoxin | To destination limit |
| PAH | Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons — see below |
| Microbiology | Total plate count, yeast and mould, E. coli, Salmonella absent in 25 g |
| Sterilisation | Method declared; steam for EU-bound |
PAH deserves a line of its own because it is specific to how dried botanicals are produced. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can arise from combustion-based drying or from environmental contamination during open drying. European buyers of dried botanical material increasingly specify PAH limits, and it is not a test that appears on a standard spice panel. Ask whether the material was sun dried or dried with a heat source, and specify PAH if you are supplying the EU.
The European regulatory position
This section determines which channel you can sell into, and it is the part most senna sourcing pages omit.
Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/468 amended Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006 in respect of botanical species containing hydroxyanthracene derivatives. It prohibited certain specified hydroxyanthracene derivatives and placed preparations from the leaf of Senna alexandrina under Union scrutiny. Material under Union scrutiny remains permitted while the Commission reviews it, and entries can subsequently be moved.
The practical consequence is about route to market. In the European Union, senna sits considerably more securely as a traditional herbal medicinal product, with an established laxative indication and an authorised product framework, than it does as a food supplement ingredient subject to the hydroxyanthracene review. Which route you take changes what you can sell, how you must label it, and how exposed you are to a future change in the Annex.
Two things follow. Confirm the current Annex III position on your contract date rather than relying on any secondary source, including this page — the position is reviewable and secondary guidance goes stale. And decide the regulatory route before you decide the specification, because a monograph-compliant pharmacopoeial grade and a food-supplement grade are different purchases with different documentation.
United States
Senna is an established over-the-counter stimulant laxative active in the United States, and is also used in dietary supplements and herbal teas. The route determines the obligations: a drug application and the relevant monograph requirements on one side, dietary supplement cGMP and Foreign Supplier Verification Program responsibilities on the other. Specify the pharmacopoeial standard your route requires.
Documentation
- APEDA registration and FSSAI licence; manufacturing site quality certifications
- Certificate of analysis on the shipped batch: sennosides assay by HPLC with method stated, identity test, moisture, total and acid insoluble ash, foreign organic matter, particle size
- Heavy metals report against destination limits
- Pesticide residue report matched to the destination’s list, including ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol for EU-bound cargo
- Aflatoxin report; PAH report where the destination or buyer requires it
- Microbiological report including Salmonella in 25 g
- Sterilisation record naming the method, with validation data for steam
- Botanical identity declaration naming Cassia angustifolia and the growing state
- Organic scope certificate and lot-level transaction certificate where organic is contracted; NPOP certification aligned to EU and US organic rules is available from the Indian supply base
- Phytosanitary certificate and certificate of origin
- Commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading — confirm the tariff heading with your broker, as senna leaf and pod are classified as plant material used in pharmacy and the sub-heading should be agreed before shipment
Packing and container economics
Senna leaf is very light. Containers fill by volume long before they approach weight limits, which places senna alongside psyllium husk and moringa powder on the freight spectrum rather than alongside grains.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Whole leaf | Pressed bales; compaction materially changes container yield |
| TBC, C&S and powder | Food-grade bags in labelled cartons, lot numbered to the COA |
| Pods | Bales or bags depending on whole or cut |
| 20 ft container | Volume limited; model freight per kilogram and compare baled against loose before negotiating price |
| Container prep | Clean, dry, odour-free; dried leaf absorbs taint readily |
| Marking | Lot number, form and grade, sennosides assay, crop year, growing state, packing date |
How to qualify an Indian senna supplier
- Ask for an HPLC sennosides report from a recently shipped batch, with the method stated, before discussing price.
- Ask whether testing is in-house or outsourced, and how many parties sit between the farm and the container.
- Specify stalk or foreign organic matter alongside the sennosides minimum, and ask for both on the same certificate.
- Name the pharmacopoeia and monograph rather than accepting the phrase pharma grade.
- Ask which state the material was grown in, and whether the supplier can evidence it.
- For EU supply, establish the regulatory route first and confirm the current Annex III position with your own regulatory adviser.
- Run an independent sennosides assay on a trial quantity before committing to a supply agreement.
Frequently asked questions
- Leaves or pods?
- Pods carry higher and more uniform sennosides and suit standardised extract manufacture. Leaves suit tea bag cut, cut and sifted and powder applications where the whole botanical is the product. Typical ranges are around two to three percent for leaves and three to four percent for pods, but the batch certificate governs.
- Why does stalk content matter?
- Sennosides are in the leaf and pod, not the stalk. Stalk raises weight for the seller and lowers assay for the buyer. Specify stalk or foreign organic matter alongside the sennosides minimum.
- Is Tinnevelly senna grown in Tinnevelly?
- Often not. It is a type designation for Cassia angustifolia. Production has shifted west to Rajasthan and Gujarat, with Tamil Nadu still active. Specify the growing state separately if it matters to your file.
- What is the EU position?
- Regulation (EU) 2021/468 placed preparations from Senna alexandrina leaf under Union scrutiny within Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006. Senna sits more securely in the EU as a traditional herbal medicinal product than as a food supplement ingredient. Confirm the current position on your contract date.
- Do you supply organic senna?
- Yes, subject to availability, with scope and lot-level transaction certificates. NPOP certification aligned to EU and US organic standards is available from the Indian supply base.
- What forms can you supply?
- Whole leaf, TBC, C&S, leaf powder, whole pods, T-cut pods and stems. Extract to a standardised sennosides assay is quoted separately.
- What is the minimum order quantity?
- Trial quantities for assay verification, then full container loads. Tell us the form and grade and we will confirm.
- Pods carry higher and more uniform sennosides and suit standardised extract manufacture. Leaves suit tea bag cut, cut and sifted and powder applications where the whole botanical is the product. Typical ranges are around two to three percent for leaves and three to four percent for pods, but the batch certificate governs.
- Sennosides are in the leaf and pod, not the stalk. Stalk raises weight for the seller and lowers assay for the buyer. Specify stalk or foreign organic matter alongside the sennosides minimum.
- Often not. It is a type designation for Cassia angustifolia. Production has shifted west to Rajasthan and Gujarat, with Tamil Nadu still active. Specify the growing state separately if it matters to your file.
- Regulation (EU) 2021/468 placed preparations from Senna alexandrina leaf under Union scrutiny within Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006. Senna sits more securely in the EU as a traditional herbal medicinal product than as a food supplement ingredient. Confirm the current position on your contract date.
| Part | Typical sennosides | Character | Usual application |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pods | Around 3–4% | Higher and more uniform concentration | Standardised extract manufacture; concentrate-led formulation |
| Leaves | Around 2–3% | Lower concentration, more variable | Tea bag cut, cut and sifted, powder; whole-botanical applications |
If the growing state matters to your regulatory or quality file — for organic certification traceability, for residue profile, or because your own customer asks — specify the state separately in the contract rather than relying on the type name. A supplier who cannot tell you which state a lot came from has more intermediaries in the chain than they are admitting to.
| Leaves — TBC | on request | up |
| Leaves — C&S | on request | up |
| Whole leaf | on request | up |
| Pods | on request | up |
| Oct – Dec | First picking; new-crop leaf arrivals begin |
| Jan – Mar | Main flush; peak leaf and pod availability |
| Apr – Jun | Tail-end lots; trade moves to stored material |
| Jul – Sep | Sowing with the monsoon; minimal fresh supply |
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