Synonym: Rauwolfia root, Serpentina root, Chhotachand

Biological source: Rauwolfia consists of dried roots of the plant known as Rauwolfia serpentina

Family: Apocynaceae

Geographical source: Tropical regions of Asia, America and Africa. Commercially, it is produced in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and America.

Cultivation, Collection and Preparation:

Soil: Clay loamy soil

Temperature and Rainfall: 10 to 38°C, 250 to 500 cm

Propagation by : Seed, roots, stem cutting

Plantation: Plantation in between May or in Monsoon break seedlings after preparation transplanted into field with the distance of 15 X30 Cm.

Fertilizers: ammonium sulphate, urea while the manures include, generally, the bone-meal.

Macroscopic characters Roots:

Colour: Greyish yellow to brown

Odour: Odourless

Taste: Bitter

Shape: sub-cylindrical, slightly tapering, tortuous.

Size: 10 to 18 cm long and 1 to 3 cm in diameter

Fracture: Short and Irregular

Chemical Tests

Transverse section with conc. Nitric acid gives red colour medullary rays

Poweder + Vanillin in acetic acid = Violet colour due to Reserpine

Powdered + sulphuric acid + p-dimethyl amines benzaldehyde, = violet to red colour. (Test is for modle alkaloids).

Uses:

Antihypertensive in activity by depleting stores of catecholamines at nerve endings.

It prevents re-uptake of nor epinephrine at storage sites, allowing enzymatic destruction of neuronal transmitter.

Deserpidine used as a tranquillising effect and antihypertensive

Ajmalicine in relief of obstruction of normal cerebral blood flow

Allied Drugs and substitute:

• R. caffra,

• R. cumminsfi,

• R. mombasiana,

• R. oreogiton,

• R. obscura,

• R. rosea