Senna is a plant in the Fabaceae family of plants, these are also known as legumes. Other legumes include peanuts, soya, chickpea, lupin, lentils, green beans and peas. You can read more on the Legumes Page.

The seeds from the plants are used to make cassia flour or gum which is used in foods and medications as a thickening agent. Senna is commonly used as a laxative.

Senna is also sometimes mixed into henna pastes to make different coloured dyes for the skin and hair, so will occasionally be linked to contact allergic reactions.

Other legumes contain seed storage proteins and Lipid Transfer Proteins, to date there has been no evidence that senna contains either of these.

Senna is low in histamine, so is suitable for people following a low histamine diet.

Senna is a low FODMAP food. FODMAP stands for Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. Foods high in FODMAPs can cause symptoms of food intolerance, affecting the gastro intestinal system and this can be mistaken for a true IgE food allergy.

As a legume, senna contains a moderate amount of lectins, another cause of food intolerance. Cooking foods with lectins makes them more digestible and can reduce the symptoms of food intolerance.

You can read more about Food Intolerances on the dedicated Food Intolerance Page.

Senna can be linked to contact allergic dermatitis.

Senna is also linked to occupational allergy, so is more common in people who pick, pack and process senna.

Other foods in the Fabaceae family of plants include peanuts, soya, chickpea, lupin, lentils, green beans and peas. If you are allergic to many foods in this group of plants you may want to avoid consuming senna.

Note these food lists are not exhaustive, you can find the most up to date information on the Cross Reactivity Tool.

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