Rauvolfia serpentina

Rauvolfia serpentina, the Indian snakeroot, devil pepper, or serpentine wood,[4] is a species of flower in the milkweed family Apocynaceae.[5] It is native to the Indian subcontinent and East Asia (from India to Indonesia).[6][7]

Rauvolfia serpentina
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Rauvolfia
Species:
R. serpentina
Binomial name
Rauvolfia serpentina
Synonyms[3]
  • Ophioxylon album Gaertn.
  • Ophioxylon obversum Miq.
  • Ophioxylon salutiferum Salisb.
  • Ophioxylon serpentinum L.
  • Ophioxylon trifoliatum Gaertn.
  • Rauvolfia obversa (Miq.) Baill.
  • Rauvolfia trifoliata (Gaertn.) Baill.
Rauvolfia serpentina

Rauvolfia is a perennial undershrub widely distributed in India in the sub-Himalayan regions up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).

Chemical composition

Rauvolfia serpentina contains dozens of alkaloids of the indole alkaloid family, including ajmaline, ajmalicine, reserpine, and serpentine, among others.[5][8]

Research

Rauvolfia serpentina may be useful in treating excitable patients with hypertension.[9] According to a 2016 review by Canadian researchers, 4 different high-quality clinical trials on humans suggest that reserpine significantly reduces systolic blood pressure (SBP) compared to placebo. They concluded it may be as effective at reducing SBP as other front-line hypertensive drugs, but that more research is needed to determine a dose-specific safety profile.[10] Rabbits fed a high-cholesterol diet who took reserpine for 6 weeks had their total cholesterol levels reduced by 42% and their heart rate decreased by 28%.[11]

Potential adverse effects

R. serpentina may cause adverse effects by interacting with various prescription drugs[12] or via interference with mechanisms of mental depression or peptic ulcer.[12] The reserpine in R. serpentina is associated with diverse adverse effects, including vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, anxiety, or hypersensitivity reactions.[5]

See also

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rauvolfia serpentina.
  1. "Appendices". Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  2. "Rauvolfia serpentina". US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 1992-2016. Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  3. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK and Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  4. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Rauvolfia serpentina". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  5. "Rauwolfia serpentina root". DrugBank, Canadian Institutes of Health Research. 2 November 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  6. eFloras. "Rauvolfia serpentina". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  7. 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.
  8. Srivastava, A.; Tripathi, A. K.; Pandey, R.; Verma, R. K.; Gupta, M. M. (2006). "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. doi:10.1093/chromsci/44.9.557. PMID 17059683.
  9. Finnerty, Frank A. (November 1954). "Rauwolfia serpentina root". American Journal of Medicine. 17 (5): 629–640. doi:10.1016/0002-9343(54)90022-4. PMID 13207143. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  10. 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. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007655.pub3. ISSN 1469-493X. PMC 6464022. PMID 27997978.
  11. Shafi, S.; Stepanova, I. P.; Fitzsimmons, C.; Bowyer, D. E.; Born, G. V. (1 July 2002). "Long-term low-dose treatment with reserpine of cholesterol-fed rabbits reduces cholesterol in plasma, non-high density lipoproteins and arterial walls". Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology. 40 (1): 67–79. doi:10.1097/00005344-200207000-00009. PMID 12072579. S2CID 27610154. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  12. "Rauwolfia serpentina (drug interactions)". Drugs.com. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
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