ABSTRACT
Herbal medicines are increasingly used in both Western and Chinese societies. The Chinese herb Jue-ming-zi, which is the seed of the plant Cassia tora L. (Leguminosae), has been reported to have hypotensive, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antihepatotoxic activity, etc. The herb C. tora contains a variety of bioactive phenolic substances, including chrysophanol, emodin, rhein, etc., which are mainly responsible for the pharmacological action ascribed to them. In addition, many recent studies have suggested that Cassia seed has potential antioxidant and antimutagenic activity, and these biological effects of C. tora decreased with higher roasting temperature or longer roasting time. In this chapter, we review the recent studies on the antioxidant activity and antigenotoxicity of C. tora.
