Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
Sindian is the root of Cassia sieberiana, a small tree of the West African savannah. In Hausa it is called marga, and in Wolof sinjang. Healers boil the root into a bitter brown drink.
It is used across the region mainly to move the bowels. Healers have also given it for stomach pain, fever, body aches and wounds.
The honest verdict: there are almost no human studies of it. Long use in tradition is not proof that it works, and it is not proof that it is safe.
Despite the English name, it is not the European laburnum tree, which is strongly poisonous. The two plants are different, and this page is only about Cassia sieberiana.
The clearest effect is on the bowel. The root holds anthraquinones, the same family of compounds found in senna.
Anthraquinones are well known to pull water into the bowel and speed it along. That is why a root brew often acts as a laxative.
How strong that effect is in sindian has not been measured well. A home-made brew can be weak one time and strong the next.
In rats and mice, root extracts have eased pain and lowered fever. In test tubes, extracts slowed some bacteria and fungi.
Animal work also hints at effects on blood sugar and gut spasm. None of this has been shown to happen in people.
Sindian is sold mostly as raw root in West African markets.
- Dried root or root bark, in loose pieces. - Ground root powder, sold in bags. - A boiled water brew (decoction) made at home.
You may also see capsules or tinctures sold online under the name Cassia sieberiana. These forms are rare.
Market root often carries no label at all. It can be mixed with other species or with the wrong part of the plant.
No form has a tested, standard strength. Imported powders sold abroad are not checked for purity in most countries.
Sindian has long standing across the savannah belt of West Africa. Healers in Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Nigeria used the root for many complaints.
It was given most often to move the bowels. It was also used for stomach pain, fever, back pain, skin sores and worms.
The tree is a common sight in dry woodland, with hanging yellow flowers. That look gave it the English name African laburnum.
Plant surveys still rank it among the most used medicinal plants in the region. This page records that use; it does not suggest you treat yourself with it.
Stop and see a doctor if you get watery diarrhoea that lasts more than a day, or belly pain that grows worse.
Get urgent care for these signs:
- Blood in your stool, or black tarry stools. - Vomiting with no bowel movement at all. - Muscle weakness, cramps or a fluttering heartbeat, which can mean low potassium. - Yellow skin or eyes, or dark urine with very little output. - Dizziness on standing, dry mouth and little urine, which point to dehydration.
See a doctor if constipation lasts more than a week, or if your bowel habit has changed for no clear reason.
In the United States it may be sold as a dietary supplement, with no review of its effects before sale. In the UK and EU it is not licensed as a medicine, and imported root is not routinely checked. In West African countries it is a common, legal market plant.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
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