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Fabaceae
General information
The genera in the family of Fabaceae ( Table 1 ; formerly Leguminosae) include broom, licorice, senna, tamarind, and a variety of pulses, such as fava beans, lentil, peas, and vetches.
Table 1
Genera of Fabaceae
| Abrus (abrus) | Ebenopsis (Texas ebony) | Parkinsonia (paloverde) |
| Acacia (acacia) | Entada (callingcard vine) | Parkia (parkia) |
| Adenanthera (bead tree) | Enterolobium (enterolobium) | Parryella (parryella) |
| Aeschynomene (joint vetch) | Eriosema (sand pea) | Pediomelum (Indian breadroot) |
| Afzelia (mahogany) | Errazurizia (dunebroom) | Peltophorum (peltophorum) |
| Albizia (albizia) | Erythrina (erythrina) | Pentaclethra (pentaclethra) |
| Alhagi (alhagi) | Erythrophleum (sasswood) | Pericopsis (peperomia) |
| Alysicarpus (moneywort) | Eysenhardtia (kidneywood) | Peteria (peteria) |
| Amorpha (false indigo) | Faidherbia (acacia) | Phaseolus (bean) |
| Amphicarpaea (hog peanut) | Falcataria (peacock’s plume) | Physostigma (physostigma) |
| Anadenanthera (anadenanthera) | Flemingia (flemingia) | Pickeringia (chaparral pea) |
| Andira (andira) | Galactia (milk pea) | Pictetia (pictetia) |
| Anthyllis (kidney vetch) | Galega (professor weed) | Piscidia (piscidia) |
| Apios (groundnut) | Genista (broom) | Pisum (pea) |
| Arachis (peanut) | Genistidium (brush pea) | Pithecellobium (blackbead) |
| Aspalathus (aspalathus) | Gleditsia (locust) | Poitea (wattapama) |
| Astragalus (milk vetch) | Gliricidia (quickstick) | Prosopis (mesquite) |
| Baphia (baphia) | Glottidium (glottidium) | Psophocarpus (psophocarpus) |
| Baptisia (wild indigo) | Glycine (soybean) | Psoralidium (scurf pea) |
| Barbieria (barbieria) | Glycyrrhiza (licorice) | Psorothamnus (dalea) |
| Bauhinia (bauhinia) | Gymnocladus (coffee tree) | Pterocarpus (pterocarpus) |
| Bituminaria (bituminaria) | Haematoxylum (haematoxylum) | Pueraria (kudzu) |
| Brongniartia (green twig) | Halimodendron (halimodendron) | Retama (bridal broom) |
| Brya (coccuswood) | Havardia (havardia) | Rhynchosia (snoutbean) |
| Butea (butea) | Hedysarum (sweet vetch) | Robinia (locust) |
| Caesalpinia (nicker) | Hippocrepis (hippocrepis) | Rupertia (rupertia) |
| Cajanus (cajanus) | Hoffmannseggia (rush pea) | Samanea (raintree) |
| Calliandra (stick pea) | Hoita (leather root) | Schizolobium (Brazilian firetree) |
| Calopogonium (calopogonium) | Hymenaea (hymenaea) | Schleinitzia (strand tangantangan) |
| Canavalia (jackbean) | Indigofera (indigo) | Scorpiurus (scorpion’s tail) |
| Caragana (peashrub) | Inga (inga) | Senna (senna) |
| Carmichaelia (carmichaelia) | Inocarpus (chestnut) | Serianthes (vaivai) |
| Cassia (cassia) | Kanaloa (kanaloa) | Sesbania (riverhemp) |
| Centrosema (butterfly pea) | Kummerowia (kummerowia) | Sophora (necklace pod) |
| Ceratonia (ceratonia) | Lablab (lablab) | Spartium (broom) |
| Cercis (redbud) | Laburnum (golden chain tree) | Sphaerophysa (sphaerophysa) |
| Chamaecystis (chamaecystis) | Lathyrus (pea) | Sphenostylis (sphenostylis) |
| Chamaecrista (sensitive pea) | Lens (lentil) | Sphinctospermum (sphinctospermum) |
| Chapmannia (chapmannia) | Lespedeza (lespedeza) | Stahlia (stahlia) |
| Christia (island pea) | Leucaena (lead tree) | Strongylodon (strongylodon) |
| Cicer (cicer) | Lonchocarpus (lance pod) | Strophostyles (fuzzy bean) |
| Cladrastis (yellowwood) | Lotononis (lotononis) | Stryphnodendron (stryphnodendron) |
| Clianthus (glory pea) | Lotus (trefoil) | Stylosanthes (pencil flower) |
| Clitoria (pigeon wings) | Lupinus (lupin) | Sutherlandia (sutherlandia) |
| Codariocalyx . (tick trefoil) | Lysiloma (falsetamarind) | Tamarindus (tamarind) |
| Cojoba (cojoba) | Maackia (maackia) | Taralea (taralea) |
| Cologania (cologania) | Machaerium (machaerium) | Tephrosia (hoarypea) |
| Colutea (colutea) | Macroptilium (bush bean) | Teramnus (teramnus) |
| Copaifera (copaifera) | Macrotyloma (macrotyloma) | Tetragonolobus (tetragonolobus) |
| Coronilla (crown vetch) | Marina (false prairie clover) | Thermopsis (golden banner) |
| Coursetia (baby bonnets) | Medicago (alfalfa) | Ticanto (gray nicker) |
| Crotalaria (rattlebox) | Melilotus (sweet clover) | Trifolium (clover) |
| Crudia (bedstraw) | Mimosa (sensitive plant) | Trigonella (fenugreek) |
| Cullen (scurf pea) | Mucuna (mucuna) | Ulex (gorse) |
| Cyamopsis (cyamopsis) | Myrospermum (myrospermum) | Vicia (vetch) |
| Cynometra (cynometra) | Myroxylon (myroxylon) | Vigna (cowpea) |
| Cytisus (broom) | Neonotonia (neonotonia) | Virgilia (virgilia) |
| Dalbergia (Indian rosewood) | Neorudolphia (neorudolphia) | Wisteria (wisteria) |
| Dalea (prairie clover) | Neptunia (puff) | Zapoteca (white stick pea) |
| Daniellia (daniellia) | Nissolia (yellowhood) | Zornia (zornia) |
| Delonix (delonix) | Olneya (olneya) | |
| Derris (derris) | Onobrychis (sainfoin) | |
| Desmanthus (bundle flower) | Ononis (restharrow) | |
| Desmodium (tick trefoil) | Orbexilum (leather root) | |
| Dialium (dialium) | Ormosia (ormosia) | |
| Dichrostachys (dichrostachys) | Ornithopus (bird’s foot) | |
| Dioclea (dioclea) | Oxyrhynchus (oxyrhynchus) | |
| Diphysa (diphysa) | Oxytropis (locoweed) | |
| Dipogon (dipogon) | Pachyrhizus (pachyrhizus) | |
| Dipteryx (dipteryx) | Paraserianthes (paraserianthes) |
Arachis (peanut) oil
Immunologic
In 2003 all practising doctors in the UK were alerted by the Chief Medical Officer to the risks of topical medicines that contain arachis oil [ ]. Products are clearly labelled as containing this refined ingredient. The alert highlighted a study in children that suggested sensitization to peanuts may be caused by the application of creams containing arachis oil to inflamed skin [ ]. It also mentioned an earlier study that showed that small amounts of allergenic protein persist in peanut oil despite refinement [ ].
Although the UK’s Committee on Safety of Medicines has determined that there is insufficient evidence to conclude that exposure to topical medicines containing arachis oil leads to sensitization to peanut protein, it has issued a precautionary recommendation that patients with known peanut allergy should avoid such medicines.
All this is highly relevant to practising otorhinolaryngologists, because a widely prescribed product, Naseptin nasal cream, contains peanut oil.
Cassia species
The leaves and fruits of Cassia angustifolia and Cassia senna (senna) contain laxative anthranoid derivatives. Mutagenicity testing of sennosides has produced negative results in several bacterial and mammalian systems, except for a weak effect in Salmonella typhimurium strain TA102 [ , ]. No evidence of reproductive toxicity of sennosides has been found in rats and rabbits [ ].
Senna is widely used in fairly low doses without serious problems; it has also been used in a very high dosage form to clear the colon before radiological examination. In this form it is generally well tolerated, but it should not be used if there is any predisposition to colonic rupture.
The safety and efficacy of senna have been reviewed [ ]. Its rhein-anthrone-induced laxative effects occur through two distinct mechanisms, an increase in intestinal fluid transport, which causes accumulation of fluid intraluminally, and an increase in intestinal motility. Senna can cause mild abdominal complaints, such as cramps or pain. Other adverse effects are discoloration of the urine and hemorrhoidal congestion. Prolonged use and overdose can result in diarrhea, extreme loss of electrolytes, especially potassium, damage to the surface epithelium, and impairment of bowel function by damage to autonomic nerves. Abuse of senna has also been associated with melanosis coli, but resolution occurs 8–11 months after withdrawal. Tolerance and genotoxicity do not seem to be problems associated with senna, especially when used periodically in therapeutic doses.
Liver
Abuse of senna can cause hepatitis [ , ].
Skin
Occupational allergic contact dermatitis has been attributed to a species of Cassia [ , ], as has contact urticaria [ ].
Musculoskeletal
Finger clubbing (hypertrophic osteoarthropathy) has been reported in patients who have abused senna [ ].
Lactation
When a standardized preparation containing senna pods (providing 15 mg of sennosides per day) was given to breastfeeding mothers, the suckling infants were only exposed to a non-laxative amount of rhein, which remained a factor of 10–3 below the maternal intake of this active metabolite [ ].
Tumorigenicity
A well-defined purified senna extract was not carcinogenic, when administered orally to rats in daily doses up to 25 mg/kg for 2 years [ ].
Drug–drug interactions
An unusual disulfiram (Antabuse) type reaction reported on one occasion seems to have been due to an interaction of metronidazole with the alcohol present in the high-dosage form X-Prep [ ].
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