ABSTRACT
The root of Rauvolfia serpentina is the source of over 50 alkaloids of which reserpine, ajmaline and ajmalicine are the most important. Ajmalicine, another chemically-related alkaloid sourced from Rauvolfia is an a-receptor blocker which was found to treat hypertension. Rauvolfia serpentina is a tropical, perennial, evergreen, erect, woody shrub that grows to 60–100cm. Peripheral effects: reserpine is a monoterpene indole alkaloid which acts on the sympathetic nervous system by depleting the monoamine neurotransmitters noradrenaline, serotonin and dopamine from central and peripheral axon terminals. In the 1970s, Rauvolfia, reserpine and its other alkaloids were widely prescribed, and the pharmacopoeias of that time, e.g. Martindale, are a wonderful source of information about the clinical uses and results. Rauvolfia serpentina is an extraordinarily important medicinal plant whose centuries-old traditional use as a tranquillizer and for mental illness led to the isolation of reserpine and other important alkaloids after it came into use in India in the 1930s.
