Senna Leaf & Pods

Tinnevelly leaf and pods graded by sennoside assay

CBIL brokers Tinnevelly senna (Cassia angustifolia) leaf and pods from the Tamil Nadu and Gujarat growing belts, supplied whole, tea-cut, cut-and-sifted and powdered to 60–80 mesh. Sennoside content is the specification the entire trade prices against and it separates the two forms sharply: leaf typically assays 2.5–3.5% total sennosides, while pods run materially higher at 3.5–6%, which is why extractors buying on assay usually take pods despite the higher per-tonne price — the cost per unit of sennoside is what matters, not the cost per tonne. Tinnevelly is the reference origin and the grade international buyers name. Stalk and stem admixture drags assay down and is the routine cause of a lot testing under its floor, so hand-picked leaf carries a real premium over field-run material.

Buyers pick senna over the other botanicals in this family specifically for its sennoside load: botanical extractors producing standardised sennoside concentrates, herbal-tea and infusion blenders packing tea-cut leaf, and nutraceutical and ayurvedic formulators taking powder. Shade-drying preserves both the green colour and the assay — sun-dried leaf yellows and tests lower — and leaf is fragile, so handling and bag choice affect how much intact leaf rather than fines you actually receive. Lots are arranged against SGS or Intertek certification of sennosides by HPLC, moisture, total and acid-insoluble ash, foreign organic matter and stalk content, heavy metals to Codex limits, pesticide residue and micro, with steam-sterilised and ETO-free options for EU and US entry and organic-certified lots subject to crop. Supply is structured in 20kg and 25kg PP bags and lined cartons, container-load, on FOB, CFR and CIF terms.