Int. J. Pharm. Sci. Rev. Res., 37(2), March – April 2016; Article No. 25, Pages: 141-146 ISSN 0976 – 044X International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research Available online at www.globalresearchonline.net © Copyright protected. Unauthorised republication, reproduction, distribution, dissemination and copying of this document in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. 141 S. Manikandaselvi 1 , V. Vadivel 2 , P. Brindha 2, * 1 PG and Research Department of Biochemistry, Sengamala Thayaar Educational Trust WoŵeŶs College, Mannargudi, Tamilnadu, India. 2 Centre for Advanced Research in Indian System of Medicine, SASTRA University, Thanjavur, Tamilnadu, India. *Corresponding author’s E-mail: brindha@carism.sastra.edu Accepted on: 01-03-2016; Finalized on: 31-03-2016. ABSTRACT Cassia occidentalis L. is an important member of plant family Fabaceae. C. occidentalis is known as kasaŵarda and it has been mentioned in various nighandus viz. Rajnighantu, Dhanwantari, Bhavaprakasa, Rajballaba. It has active ingredients such as anthraquinones derivatives and their glycosides. C. occidentalis extract is used to cure eye iŶflaŵŵatioŶs in Ayurveda. It is also used in Jamaican folk medicines for curing diarrhoea, dysentery, constipation, fever, cancer, eczema and venereal diseases. Seeds of C. occidentalis are good source of alternative plant proteins, rich in vitamin B3 and also abundant in Ca, K, P, Na, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu but low in Mo, Co, Se, S and F. The amino acid profile revealed a high concentration of leucine, histidine, proline and glycine. It is a main ingredient of Liv. 52. Herbolax, a polyherbal formulation that is commonly used in treating constipation. A new indigenous metabolic corrective for newborns and infants called BoŶŶisaŶ is also made up of C. occidentalis (0.5 mg/5 ml), which helps to bring immediate relief from discomfort caused by gastric wind. Pharmacological investigations have revealed several biological activities such as antioxidant, analgesic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anti-malarial, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer and antidepressant activities of C. occidentalis. Detoxification of the seeds is essential through processing before its use in human/animal diet. This review article is an attempt to present the overview of pharmacognostical, phytochemical, nutraceutical and biological studies reported on C. occidentalis. Keywords: C. occidentalis, Nutritional value, Pharmaceutical use, Nutraceutical, Biological properties. INTRODUCTION assia occidentalis L. is an annual or perennial plant which is used in several traditional medicines to cure various diseases. C. occidentalis is a spiny herb grows all over in India in shade as well as under open condition (Figure 1). Generally found up to an altitude of 1,000 m in Himalaya and wild throughout the plains on waste lands or in the coastal areas. It is also found in deltaic region of western, eastern and southern India 1 . Found particularly in the seacoast throughout the hotter parts of India, Burma and Sri Lanka. It is also grown as an ornamental plant 2 . This plant is called in different regional/vernacular languages like Hindi (Badikasondi, Chakunda, Kasonda), English (Coffee senna, Negro coffee, Rubbish cassia, Stinking weed, Foetid cassia), Sanskrit (Kasamarda), Urdu (Kasonji), Tamil (Nattamtakarari, Ponthagarai, Paeravirai, Ponnavirai, Paeravirai, Attutakarai), Bengali (Kalkashunda), Gujarati (Kasodari, Kasundari, Kasuvayee, Hikal), Kanada (Doddatagase, Anecogate, Doddatagache), Malayalam (Natramtakara, Ponnaviram, Natrum-takara, Ponnaveeram) and Telugu (Kasinda, Peddakasinda). Botanical synonyms of this species are Senna occidentalis Roxb., Senna occidentalis (L.) and Cassia foetida Pers. In this review, an attempt was made to collect all possible ethnobotanical and nutraceutical potential of C. occidentalis with reference to its food and medicinal applications. A baseline survey was conducted during 2011-2015 and iŶforŵatioŶs about C. occidentalis were collected through semi-structured interviews and discussion with the local healers, elderly and experienced people. Additionally, all available literature on C. occidentalis was reviewed and studied through online search engine Scopus and Google Scholar. Literature collection was done from 1965 to 2015 and all the information were compiled and presented in this review work. Figure 1: Morphology of Cassia occidentalis L. Taxonomic position Kingdom: Plantae Division : Magnoliophyta Sub Division : Spermatophyta Review on Nutraceutical Potential of Cassia occidentalis L. – An Indian Traditional Medicinal and Food Plant C Research Article