Determination of the oral toxicity of Cassia obtusifolia seeds in chickens.

Chickens were fed dried seeds of Cassia obtusifolia, either whole or ground, mixed in with regular chicken ration. Other chickens were dosed at 2% of body weight with either an aqueous extract of seeds, or the pellet or supernatant from an 18,000 X g centrifugation of the extract. Weight gains were only slightly lower in chickens treated with up to 10% seeds in the feed. This was attributed to reduced food intake rather than to toxic effects of the plant. Necropsy examinations of chickens from all groups revealed none of the lesions typical of intoxication with Cassia. Histologic examinations revealed no lesions.