Indian Snakeroot is a species from the Apocynaceae family with a native distribution covering Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and Lao PDR. In Indonesia, it is widely found in Sumatra, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, and is especially concentrated in Java Island. Indian Snakeroot is an important medicinal plant in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asian countries. It has been used in traditional Indian medicine for over 2,000 years. In 1949, more than 90% of Indian doctors used this plant in the treatment of hypertension. Similarly, in Ayurveda and Unani medicine, this species is widely used to lower blood pressure (hypertension) and as an antidote for stings and bites from venomous insects and reptiles. Indian Snakeroot is also a source of compounds used in the pharmaceutical industry. Regarding its use, it is not recommended for individuals with chronic gastrointestinal diseases, or for women who are pregnant or planning pregnancy in the near future. Besides being a medicinal plant, this species is also often planted in home yards as an ornamental plant.

Indian Snakeroot is often found growing wild in fields, teak forests, or mountainous regions. This species is a tropical plant and can grow well from the lowlands up to an altitude of 1,000 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.). It is tolerant of various agroclimatic conditions, ranging from wet areas like West Java to extremely dry areas like East Nusa Tenggara. It grows best where the annual daytime temperature is in the range of 22–30 °C, but can tolerate 4–35 °C. Average annual rainfall is in the range of 1,500–3,500 mm, but it tolerates 1,100–4,500 mm. This species prefers locations under full sun and shaded areas. It is suited to fertile, well-drained clay soil, with a soil pH in the range of 5.5–7, but can tolerate 5–7.5.

• Root (Akar) Tuberous root with a pale brown cork. The root system is circular when planted in pots, but straight like a rat's tail when planted in open areas. The root surface is rough. Fine roots (root hairs) grow from each root branch.

• Stem (Batang) Usually unbranched, cylindrical, slender, branches are grayish-brown and young stems are green, contains latex.

• Leaves (Daun) Large, simple (unifoliate), short-stalked (petioled), leaf arrangement is opposite, shape is lanceolate-elliptic, leaf length is about 3–20 cm and width is 2–9 cm, arranged in whorls of three. The upper leaf surface is bright green and smooth, while the lower surface is pale green and smooth. The leaf margin is entire, the leaf tip is pointed (acuminate), and the base is acute (cuneate), with pinnate venation.

• Flower (Bunga) Compound inflorescence, with a green pedicel. The calyx has lanceolate-shaped lobes. The flower tube is purplish-red, slender, with a tube length of 1–1.5 cm. There are 5 corolla lobes, white in color, the lobes are elliptic-oblong shaped. The inflorescence is an umbel emerging from the tip of the stalk. The number of flowers per stalk reaches 25–35 flowers. Flowers bloom gradually, starting with the outermost ones.

• Fruit (Buah) A drupe type fruit, ovate (egg-shaped), seeded, small, shiny, fleshy. Young fruit is green, turning purplish-black when ripe. The number of fruits per stalk reaches 10–20.

• Seed (Biji) One seed per fruit, small in size.

• Propagation is done generatively (seeds) and vegetatively (air layering, root cuttings, tissue culture).

• Seed Propagation: Sowing must be done as quickly as possible, as the seed's dormant period is very short.

• Harvest: Pule Pandak can be harvested at the age of 1 year after planting. Ideally, the roots are harvested at the age of 3–5 years to obtain the optimum alkaloid content.

• Treats hypertension, acts as an antidote for stings and bites from venomous insects and reptiles, treats mental disorders (sedative), schizophrenia, impotence, clears corneal opacity (cloudiness), reduces heat or fever, treats intestinal pain, stimulates uterine contractions, relieves insomnia, treats headaches, sore throat, lower back pain, toothache, influenza, epilepsy, acute hepatitis, malaria, diarrhea, hernia, cholera, colic, goiter (hyperthyroidism), boils, scabies, wounds, bruises, and itching.

• Indole alkaloids (ajmalidine, ajmaline, ajmalinine, ajmalicine, aricine, canescine, coryanthine, deserpidine, isoajmaline, isoserine, isoserpiline, lankanescine, neoajmaline, papaverine, raubasine, raucaffricine, rauhimbine, rauwolfinine, recanescine, rescinnamine, reserpiline, reserpine, reserpinine, sarpagine, serpentine, serpentinine, thebaine, and yohimbine), flavonoids, glycosides, cardiac glycosides, phlobatannins, resins, saponins, steroids, tannins, triterpenoids, phenols, phytosterols, and oleoresin.