>Hello Melisa and Kirt,

>In your recent posting to veg-raw you made references to "cassie". A few
>months ago we had a discussion on what this might mean, and one member
>concluded that this was the same as "senna". Is this correct?
>Thanks much,

>Roy D'Souza

The scientific name is "caro fistula". The tree is also known as the "
golden shower" tree as its yellow/gold blossoms drape in glorious clusters
obscuring much of the foliage when in bloom. Add to this the black
candle-like pods of fruit hanging down and it is one beautiful tree.

In France they call it "casse" but I don't know what "senna" is. In English
it's "cassia". Anyway, these pod fruits are btwn 40 and 80 cm long, with a
diameter of about 2 cm. As mentioned they resemble candles or long
handrolled cigars. The outer covering is woody. Inside small single seed
"compartments" are defined by thin wooden circular disks which occur the
entire length of the pod. Clinging to these disks is a black goo which can
be the texture of thick honey. In season the goo can be very wet and runny,
but after a time off the tree it dries to a thicker consistancy. The pods
keep very well, both on and off the tree.

In Thailand the trees are everywhere and collecting them is often only a
matter of collecting them off the ground underneath the tree. The tree
occurs throughout the tropics. France gets it from Africa. I've heard there
are plenty of trees in Mexico as well. I've also heard the bark of the tree
is used in laxatives such as Exlax.

The disk are removed and one sucks the goo off these and then spits out the
disk. The flavors encountered range from licorice to honey to chocolate to
???. It has a clear taste change. It is almost a miracle detox. Early on
many instinctos get diarreha, sometimes cramping, but when one smells what
is coming out there is no doubt that it is detox. Those eating cooked foods
will spend most of their time on the toilet (perhaps why it is considered
poisonous, even by traditional peoples). It also increases the permeability
of cell walls, fostering the exchange (detox) of the whole organism,
usually through the colon.

Anyone looking to recover from serious pathology through raw foods would
benefit immensely from cassia. Mandatory, I would say.

Cheers,
Kirt