What is Rauwolfia vomitoria root used for?
Herbal preparations of Rauwolfia vomitoria, a tropical shrub in the family of Apocynaceae, have been used in traditional folk medicine in Africa to treat a variety of ailments including fever, general weakness, gastrointestinal diseases, liver diseases, psychosis, pain, and cancers. Rauvolfia vomitoria (Afzel), commonly called African serpent wood, swizzle stick, or African snakeroot, is a well-known medicinal plant discovered in the 16th century by the German physician and botanist Dr. Leonhart Rauwolf (1535 – 1596) (Kumar et al.Rauwolfia serpentina (Indian Snake Root) is an endangered species and illegal to import. Rauwolfia vomitoria (African Snake Root) is widely available and not endangered.
What is the drug Rauwolfia used for?
Rauwolfia serpentina is a safe and effective treatment for hypertension. The plant was used by many physicians throughout India in the 1940s and then was used throughout the world in the 1950s, including in the United States and Canada. Reserpine, the principal alkaloid of Rauwolfia serpentina is traditionally used for the treatment of hypertension and the first recorded reference to the application of Rauwolfia in case of human hypertension was in 1940 [17].Rauwolfia serpentina is a safe and effective treatment for hypertension. The plant was used by many physicians throughout India in the 1940s and then was used throughout the world in the 1950s, including in the United States and Canada.Rauwolfia serpentina effect on kidney was controversial. Many researchers reported the effect of R serpentina on liver. Gupta et al demonstrated the hepatoprotective effect of R serpentina paracetamol induced damage. They described that R serpentina has the hepatoprotective activity due to its antioxidant property.
What does the medicinal plant Rauwolfia vomitoria show?
Rauwolfia vomitoria is a medicinal plant used in modern medicines because of the presence of certain alkaloids in its plant parts. This plant reveals genetic variation in different himalayan ranges in terms of the potency and concentration of an active chemical. Rauwolfia vomitoria and gongronema latifolium are medicinal herbs with antioxidant, anti-diabetic and analgesic properties among others.
What is the active chemical in Rauwolfia vomitoria?
Reserpine is an active chemical extracted from Rauwolfia vomitoria. Reserpine is a naturally occurring drug that has been used for centuries in ancient India. It is extracted from the root of Rauwolfia vomitoria, plants found extensively in Africa. In traditional herbal medicine, the root was brewed as a tea and used in humans to treat hypertension, insanity, snakebite, and cholera.It also is used to treat severe agitation in patients with mental disorders. Reserpine is in a class of medications called rauwolfia alkaloids. It works by slowing the activity of the nervous system, causing the heart rate to slow and the blood vessels to dilate 9,12.Rauwolfia serpentina possesses the alkaloid reserpine that is useful agent to treat the blood pressure and other neurological diseases. Reserpine produces its antihypertensive effect by binding to the catecholamine in the nerve cells.