Rauwolfia snake: description and habitat

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

Nature is so wise that it has everything a person needs to live happily ever after. Even plants are endowed with special properties that allow you to avoid diseases or prevent them. For example, serpentine rauwolfia, which contains more than 25 alkaloids, is able to stabilize blood pressure. People have known about this for a long time and used its roots to treat hypertension.

Description of serpentine rauwolfia

This is an evergreen shrub with a taproot curved root up to 3 m in length. It has a non-fibrous structure and produces large lateral roots. Although it has a narrow brown bark, inside the root is light, odorless and bitter in taste.

Leaves are located from three or more pieces on one node, Rauwolfia serpentine with the next distribution is less common. They have a dense, smooth and shiny structure, mostly oval in shape with a short petiole.

The flowers of this plant are collected in inflorescences - apical orumbellate, white or pink. The rim has a tubular five-bladed structure, the blades of which are superimposed on one another. Rauwolfia black drupes with juicy pulp, fused to the middle.

The snake rauwolfia, described in the article, got its name due to the fact that in India it was used in case of bites of these reptiles. In every peasant hut, several bushes of this plant used to grow.

Growth environment

Today, rauwolfia is cultivated in some countries, but it has long been found in the wild in parts of India such as the tropical regions of the Himalayas, in Central and North Bengal, Sikkim. Today it can be found in Sumatra, Peru, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Java. Rauwolfia serpentina is cultivated in Georgia.

At one time, healers and shamans of Asia actively used its roots to treat not only people, but also animals. The main use is for snake and insect bites, fever, cholera, diarrhea, children, as a mild sleeping pill, and in Java it was used as an anthelmintic.

Chemical composition

Rauwolfia snake roots are valuable, as they contain 2% alkaloids, including:

reserpine: the main property is the blockade of adrenergic neurons;
aymalin has antiarrhythmic properties;
yohimbine improves blood circulation, increases motor activity;
papaverine hasantispasmodic properties;
sarpagin lowers blood pressure;
thebaine is a poison.

This is not all the alkaloids found in the roots of the plant. According to some reports, their number ranges from 25 to 50 species. The leaves and stems are rich in flavonoids, carotenoids and milky juice. Reserpine is the main alkaloid of serpentine rauwolfia, which is used in medicine and homeopathy.

In many ways, the place of growth of this plant and the time of collection are directly related to the amount of alkaloids in its roots. For example, if a plant was harvested in December in the Indian state of Assam, then their percentage would be 2.57, which is a record compared to other habitats. At the same time, the age of the plant has nothing to do with these indicators.

Medical applications

Scientists only in the 20th century were able to properly study and evaluate the pharmacological properties of this plant. They revealed:

Reserpine has an effect on the peripheral nervous system. At the same time, the heart rate slows down in the human body without changing the minute volume of the heart. Reserpine has the ability to gradually lower blood pressure in any form and stage of development of hypertension. Its positive effect on lipid and protein metabolism was also noted.
Raunatin is most effective at the 1st and 2nd stages of the development of hypertension.
Aymaline's property is a calm decrease in pressure without jumps and sudden drops. It has a negative inotropic effect, that is, it reduces the force of contraction of the heart, withwhich decreases myocardial excitability.

Preparations containing rauwolfia serpentine alkaloids are widely used in medicine today. When scientists in the 20th century were able to isolate reserpine from it and tested its effect on animals, and then in clinical conditions on humans, it became possible to produce drugs based on it. Even today, this relieves patients of hypertensive crises and makes life easier.

Use in traditional medicine

It is not known how Asian peoples found out in ancient times that Rauwolfia serpentina can be useful and for what diseases, but there is evidence that even hunters used it. They smeared it with the juice of arrows and spears so that they became deadly, and thus killed animals.

It is used in folk medicine:

In the early stages of hypertension, but subject to dosage. Only by using 1-1.5 g of uvar 3 times a day for two weeks will the first result be obtained. The course can be extended for another 2 weeks and increase the dose by another 1 gram if there is no allergic reaction. A complete cure can be achieved in 3-4 months. If there are any side effects, then treatment can be suspended for a month, and then continued again until complete recovery

In case of mental disorders, a few drops of dichloteazide tincture should be added to Rauwolfia decoction.
Gastrointestinal diseases use the leaves of the plant. It is enough to take 1 tbsp. l. leaves, pour 1Art. steep boiling water, insist, and then grind the mixture into gruel and insist another 4 hours. Strain the mass and divide into 4 daily servings.
For insomnia, both bark and leaves are used in equal proportions. Take 25 g of the mixture, pour 1 tbsp. water and boil in a water bath to half a glass. After that, add boiled water to the previous level and drink 75 g before going to bed until a positive result.
With a rapid heart rate, 20 g of rauwolfia snake root is used per 100 g of water. Pour the root with water, bring to a boil and let it boil for another 1-2 minutes, then pour the hot broth into a thermos and insist overnight. Ready broth strain and drink 1 tbsp. l. before eating a month.

Rauwolfia serpentine, whose use is widely known both in medicine and in homeopathy, should be used only under the direction of a doctor and under his supervision. This is due to the fact that it can be poisonous if the dosage is not followed.

Procurement of raw materials

Since the need for alkaloids, which are part of the roots of serpentine rauwolfia, is very high in the world, it is specially grown on plantations. The cultivated plant is suitable for use at the age of 3-4 years. When it is in the fruiting stage, it is dug up along with the root, which is carefully cut along with all the roots and cleaned of dirt, trying not to damage the bark, which contains the largest amount of alkaloids.

If the bark is somehow damaged, then such a product is considered defective and is not subject to further processing. Rauwolfia snake is cut into pieces and left to dry in the sun or in specially made ventilated rooms using dryers at a temperature of +50-60 degrees.

Reserpine therapy

This drug is one of the oldest and most proven drugs in antihypertensive therapy. It is used by clinics and research institutes all over the world. Over the 60-year practice of studying the properties of Rauwolfia serpentine, scientists have identified:

Reserpine therapy significantly increases resistance to stress and fatigue during increased physical activity. At the same time, patients' mood improves, manifestations of anxiety disappear, which is especially significant in the complex treatment of hypertensive patients - people suffering not only from high blood pressure, but also from excessive nervousness and irritability.

When reserpine is combined with Piracetam, mental performance and memory improve, the general mental background is leveled in people working under stress.
"Adelfan-Ezidrex" is a reserpine-containing drug that gently equalizes pressure without showing side effects. The use of this remedy stops the development of such manifestations of hypertension as nephrosclerosis, heart failure and hypertensive retinopathy. Patients who take Adelfan-Ezidrex regularly can lead a full life without fear of complications

Thus, snake rauwolfia, preparations from which ("Raunatin","Kristepin", "Brinerdin") can be bought at any pharmacy, remains in demand, despite the fact that new drugs for hypertensive patients appear every year. Apparently, 60 years of positive results is enough time to trust her.

Side effects

If you follow the dosage, then no side effects were found in drugs with rauwolfia serpentine. In case of its violation, there may be such manifestations:

skin rash;
increased blood flow in the mucous membranes of the eyes;
gastric colic and pain;
weakness and dizziness;
shortness of breath;
nausea with vomiting;
nightmares.

In some cases, insomnia, anxiety and depression may appear during the course of treatment. If you experience these symptoms, you should immediately stop taking the drug and consult a doctor to adjust the dosage.

History of the study of Rauwolfia serpentine

While in India this plant has been used for centuries to treat snake bites, as a sleeping pill for children, to relieve spasms and lower blood pressure, in Europe they became interested only in the 30s of the 20th century. The first alkaloid was isolated in 1931, then the discovery of its new properties followed one after another.

For example, in Germany they began to conduct research not only on pharmaceutical preparations from serpentine rauwolfia, but also on its individual components, checking their properties one by one and in combination with each other.