Rauvolfia serpentina explained

Rauvolfia serpentina, the Indian snakeroot, devil pepper, serpentine wood, Sarpagandha (as known locally) or Chandrika, is a species of flower in the milkweed family Apocynaceae.[1] It is native to the Indian subcontinent and East Asia (from India to Indonesia).[2] [3]

Rauvolfia is a perennial undershrub widely distributed in India in the sub-Himalayan regions up to 1000m (3,000feet).

Sarpagandha is used in folk medicine in India for centuries to treat a wide variety of maladies, including snake and insect bites, febrile conditions, malaria, abdominal pain, and dysentery. It was also used as a uterine stimulant, febrifuge, and cure for insanity. The plant was mentioned in Hindu manuscripts as long ago as 1000 bc. [4]

Chemical composition

Rauvolfia serpentina contains dozens of alkaloids of the indole alkaloid family, including ajmaline, ajmalicine, reserpine, and serpentine, among others.[1] [5]

Research

A 2016 review found that reserpine reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) by about 8 mmHg compared to placebo, and may be as effective at reducing SBP as other front-line hypertensive drugs, although more research is needed to determine a dose-specific safety profile.[6]

Potential adverse effects

R. serpentina may cause adverse effects by interacting with various prescription drugs[7] or via interference with mechanisms of mental depression or peptic ulcer.[7] The reserpine in R. serpentina is associated with diverse adverse effects, including vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, anxiety, or hypersensitivity reactions.[1]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rauwolfia serpentina root . DrugBank, Canadian Institutes of Health Research . 25 November 2018 . 2 November 2018.
  2. Web site: Rauvolfia serpentina . eFloras . Flora of China . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA . 9 April 2012.
  3. Oudhia, P. and Tripathi, R.S. (2002). Identification, cultivation and export of important medicinal plants. In Proc. National Seminar on Horticulture Development in Chhattisgarh: Vision and Vistas. Indira Gandhi Agricultural University, Raipur (India) 21-23 Jan. 2002:78-85.
  4. Web site: Rauwolfia in the Treatment of Hypertension . Douglas Lobay.
  5. 17059683. 2006. Srivastava. A.. Quantitative determination of reserpine, ajmaline, and ajmalicine in Rauvolfia serpentina by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Journal of Chromatographic Science. 44. 9. 557–60. Tripathi. A. K.. Pandey. R.. Verma. R. K.. Gupta. M. M.. 10.1093/chromsci/44.9.557. free.
  6. Shamon . Sandy D. . Perez . Marco I. . 2016-12-21 . Blood pressure-lowering efficacy of reserpine for primary hypertension . The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews . 2016 . 12 . CD007655 . 10.1002/14651858.CD007655.pub3 . 1469-493X . 6464022 . 27997978.
  7. Web site: Rauwolfia serpentina (drug interactions) . Drugs.com . 25 November 2018 . 1 November 2018.