Common Names:
English: desert senna, coves’ cassia
Spanish: ejotillo, hoja de sen, daisillo, ojosón
Tohono O’odham: ko’owi ta:tam
Botanical Name:
Senna covesii
Family:
Fabaceae
Distribution:
Arizona, Nevada, California, and New Mexico (elevation: 1,000 to 4,000 feet). Typically grows on wash embankments and gravely hillsides.
Flowering season:
April to October
Medicinal Uses:
Desert senna is primarily used medicinally as a stimulant and strong laxative.
It is used to soften stool and induce bowel movements. The leaves have the largest quantities of medicinal compounds but don’t have the polysaccharide-starches that are present in the pods, which makes the effects more severe.
References Cited:
Kane, Charles W. Medicinal Plants of the American Southwest. 1st ed. United States]: Lincoln Town, 2011. Print.