A natural remedy for soldiers with typhoid disease

What is COFFEE SENNA? Identification name: Senna occidentalis L. Family: Fabaceae Habitat: native to southeastern America Medicinal part: leaf Key chemical constituents: it contains polyphenols, anthraquinones, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids. Specifically: aloe-emodin is antineoplastic; rhein is hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory; chrysophanol is antiviral, anti-inflammatory; physcion is antineoplastic, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal; emodin is antineoplastic and laxative; kaempferol is antioxidant and antibacterial. Properties and uses: reported to have numerous medicinal uses, and its seeds have been used as a coffee substitute after roasting. Coffee senna showed antibiotic activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Curiosity: the genus Senna has about 300 species. Caution: senna species can have laxative effects if mature leaves or legumes are eaten in sufficient quantity. Most intoxications occur when cattle eat wilted plants in autumn. Seeds are more toxic than leaves and contamination of feeds with 1-4% seeds of some Senna species can pose a serious problem in pigs, rabbits, and chickens. Grain sorghum contaminated with coffee senna seeds can cause death in pigs. In humans the adverse effects are uncommon but may occur with herbal products where acute hepatitis has been associated with high and long-term use of herbal senna products. A unique case of fatal hepato- and myo- encephalopathy caused by consumption of seeds of coffee senna, occurred with children in India.

Typhoid is a disease caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi, which infects humans via contaminated water and food like fruits, vegetables, milk. Infected food handlers and carriers may have no symptoms and thus can easily transmit the disease. Soldiers in warzone where supply of food and medicines is limited, are at high risk of contracting typhoid. The symptoms are high fever, headache, confusion, stomach pain, diarrhea. An infusion of COFFEE SENNA leaves can be effective in controlling these symptoms.

​References Burrows, George E., and Ronald J. Tyrl. Toxic plants of north America. John Wiley & Sons, 2013. Mtewa, Andrew G., and Chukwuebuka. Egbuna. Phytochemistry, the Military and Health: Phytotoxins and Natural Defenses. Elsevier, 2021. Chemistry from PubChem.