MIDTOWN FARM - Senna covesii | desert senna | ejotillo | ko’owi ta:tam

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.