Rauwolfia serpentina

Latin Name : Rauwolfia serpentina
Family : Apocynaceae
Common Names : Indian Snakeroot, Rauwolfia, Serpentwood, Sarpentine.
Sanskrit Name : Sarpagandha
Parts used : Roots
Distribution : In India, Rauwolfia serpentina is widely distributed in the sub-Himalayan tract from Punjab eastwards to Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Assam; lower hills of Gangetic plains; Eastern and Western Ghats; parts of Central India and in the Andamans. Extensive collection of the species from the wild has led to its becoming endangered.

Introduction : Rauwolfia serpentina; a famous tranquilizer and antipsychotic herb of India for the treatment of paranoia and schizophrenia, as well as a substance that controls hypertension. Rauwolfia serpentina being pronounced as the "Wonder drug of India" in 1949, when the British Heart Journal reported the plant to be "clinically effective in treating high blood pressure". Rauwolfia has been long used in India for treating mental illness known as the "Insanity herb" and snake bites known as the "snakeroot".

Plant Description : Rauwolfia serpentina in India, is an erect, evergreen shrub, merely 15 to 45 cm high. Its leaves are large, in whorls of three - dark green above and pale green below. The flowers are white, pinkish or red, occurring in whorls. Its fruit are tiny, oval, fleshy which turn a shiny purple-black when ripe. It is the roots of the plant that are mainly used for medicinal purposes.

History : In 1952, an U.S. physician named Wilkins demonstrated the positive effects of reserpine, one of 50 isolated from the root, was to revolutionize the treatment of mental illness and high blood pressure by the western medical. This drug rapidly replaced electric shock and lobotomy as treatments for certain types of mental illness. The snakeroot plant has been a part of Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years.

Chemical Constituents : The key active ingredients are reserpine, rescinnamine, deserpidine and rauhimbine. Other alkaloids are reserpinine, ajmaline, isoajmaline, rauwolfinine. More than 50 kinds of alkaloids can be extracted from Rauwolfia serpentina roots.

Pharmacokinetics : Rauwolfia serpentina is absorbed rapidly from the GI tract following oral administration, but the hypotensive effects usually are not observed for 2-3 weeks. The drug distributes throughout the body tissues and is completely metabolized in the liver to inactive derivatives. Metabolites of the drug are excreted gradually in the urine and feces; antihypertensive effects can last for weeks following discontinuance of therapy.