Ponnavarai is a medicinal herb having lots of curative properties. Botanical name of this herb is senna occidentalis or cassia occidentalis. It belongs to the family of Fabaceae. Cassia occidentalis or senna occidentalis is a perennial shrub that grows in tropical and temperate climates. It is mostly found in the rainy season in between the plants, roadsides, wastelands all over Tamil Nadu in India.

 

This plant grows up to a height of 3 feet. Its flowers are yellow in color. Other names of this herb are coffee senna, stinking weed, kasundi, mogdad coffee, etc. Seeds of this shrub are commonly used as an adulterant in coffee. The whole plants, seeds, leaves roots have a lot of nutrients like apigenin, amlodipine, emodin, quercetin, amino acids, volatile oil, oleic acid, tannin, linoleic acid, minerals like magnesium, calcium, iron, etc.

 

 

INDICATIONS;

   Poonnavari chooranam is useful  for Malakkattu (Constipation),

   it cures kaalkaivalipugal [ epilepsy], and valipugal [covlusion],

   it cures kaaichal [fever], irumal [ cough/ bronchitis] Vaitied conditions of vatam and pitham

   it cures Sori (skin diseases such as itches), and Sirangu (scabies),

   it is useful for Thole vedippu / Saruma vedippu (skin fissures),

   it cures Twak udhiral / Thole udhiral (scaly and exudative skin), and Mega pudaigal (veneral rashes),

  it's useful for Thole thadippu / Thole kandukandaka thadiththal (Rashes), and Neenga thinavu (acute itching)

   it's useful for  Kanakkadi / Poochchikadi / vandu kadi (wasp sting/insect bite) and araikaduvan.