Sicklepod Tincture & Alcohol-Free Extract

Sicklepod (Senna obtusifolia) is a sprawling annual of the legume family, Fabaceae, native to tropical America and now a widespread weed of fields and roadsides across the southern United States, Africa and Asia. It grows 0.5 to 2 meters tall with pinnate leaves of three pairs of rounded leaflets that fold together at night, and small yellow flowers in the leaf axils. The slender, curved pods, up to 20 cm long, resemble sickles and hold many glossy, angular, olive-brown seeds, known in China as jue ming zi and roasted as a coffee-like beverage. We extract the dried seed.