Rauvolfia serpentina


Rauvolfia serpentina, the Indian snakeroot, devil pepper, or serpentine wood, is a species of flower in the milkweed family Apocynaceae. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and East Asia. Rauvolfia is a perennial undershrub widely distributed in India in the sub-Himalayan regions up to.
It is the source of the phytochemical, reserpine, which has been used in the treatment of systolic hypertension.

Chemical composition

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

Potential therapeutic effects

Rauwolfia serpentina is the source of the phytochemical, reserpine, which has been used in the treatment of systolic hypertension, although its dose-response effects remained uncertain from limited clinical research, as of 2016.

Potential adverse effects

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

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