Fatal Herb Senna: A Case Report

Due to its laxative effects, senna (Cassia angustifolia) has been used frequently in our country and the whole world. We aimed to present a case in which a probable hepatotoxicity and death occurred because of senna used in large quantities for a long time due to its laxative effects.

A sixty years old female patient admitted our emergency service with the complaints of weakness, abdominal pain and distension ongoing for about three days. She expressed that she had drunk a kind of tea made of senna for the treatment of her chronic constipation a long time and especially in the last month mostly.

According to anamnesis, physical examination and investigations, we concluded that our patient may have toxic hepatitis due to consuming a large amount of senna recently for her chronic constipation. We consulted the patient to gastroenterology and organ transplantation service. She was followed for multiple organ failure, but did not respond to the interventions and died before liver transplantation.

It mustn’t be forgotten that when used in an uncontrolled way, senna which is used as a laxative by people and easily reachable, can cause toxic hepatitis and also death.