Drug Uses

Rauvolfia serpentina had already been used as an important drug around the year 1000 B.C. under the name of "sarpagandha root" during the period of Ayurvedic in Indian. Its therapeutical usage included at that time for instance the treatment of snake bites, fever and insanity. The plant contains more than 50 different alkaloids, commonly known as Rauvolfia alkaloids, which belong to the family of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids. The most important ones are reserpine, ajmaline, ajmalicine (raubasine). The extract of Rauvolfia root shows three effects which correlate to the specific activity profiles of these compounds: central sedative effect (reserpine), peripheral vascular dilatation (hypotensive effect of reserpine and ajmalicine) and heart rate deceleration (ajmaline). The effects are mainly characterized by the inhibition of the sympathetic nervous system.