Rauvolfia

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Rauvolfia
File:Starr 030628-0122 Rauvolfia sandwicensis.jpg
Rauvolfia sandwicensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Asterids
Order:
Gentianales
Family:
Apocynaceae
Subfamily:
Rauvolfioideae
Tribe:
Vinceae
Genus:
Rauvolfia
Type species
Rauvolfia tetraphylla L., 1753[2]
Synonyms[3]

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File:Rauvolfia serpentina at Kudayathoor.jpg
Rauvolfia serpentina in Kerala

Rauvolfia (also spelled Rauwolfia) is a genus of evergreen trees and shrubs in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. The genus is named to honor Leonhard Rauwolf. The genus can mainly be found in tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and various oceanic islands.[3][4]

Chemical constituents

Rauvolfia serpentina, commonly known as or Indian Snakeroot or Sarpagandha, contains a number of chemicals, including ajmaline, aricine, corynanthine, deserpidine lankanescine rauwolscine, rescinnamine, reserpine, reserpiline, isoreserpine, isoreserpiline, serpentinine, and yohimbine.[citation needed]

Medicinal uses

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Reserpine is an alkaloid first isolated from R. serpentina and was widely used as an antihypertensive drug.[citation needed] It had drastic psychological side effects and has been replaced as a first-line antihypertensive drug by other compounds that lack such adverse effects, although combination drugs that include it are still available in some countries as second-line antihypertensive drugs.[citation needed]

Other plants of this genus are also used medicinally, both in conventional western medicine and in Ayurveda, Unani, and folk medicine.[citation needed] Alkaloids in the plants reduce blood pressure, depress activity of the central nervous system and act as hypnotics.[citation needed]

Conservation

Rauvolfia serpentina is declining in the wild due to collection for its medicinal uses.[5] Consequently, it is listed in CITES Appendix II.[6] Rauvolfia vomitoria is a highly invasive species in Hawaiʻi, and is capable of establishing dense monotypic stands.

Precautions

Women who are pregnant, may be pregnant, or plan pregnancy in the near future should not ingest Rauvolfia plants or preparations made from them.[citation needed] They may also be harmful for people with any chronic disease of the gastrointestinal tract, such as stomach or duodenal ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease (reflux esophagitis), ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and diverticulosis.[citation needed] No "safe" dosage has been established.

Species[3]

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2
formerly included[3]
  1. Rauvolfia celastrifolia Baker = Stephanostegia hildebrandtii Baill.
  2. Rauvolfia dentata Tafalla ex D.Don = Citharexylum dentatum D.Don
  3. Rauvolfia flexuosa Ruiz & Pav. = Citharexylum flexuosum (Ruiz & Pav.) D.Don
  4. Rauvolfia glabra Cav. = Vallesia glabra (Cav.) Link
  5. Rauvolfia laevigata Willd. ex Roem. & Schult. = Tabernaemontana amygdalifolia Jacq.
  6. Rauvolfia longifolia A.DC. = Alstonia longifolia (A.DC.) Pichon
  7. Rauvolfia macrophylla Ruiz & Pav. 1799 not Stapf 1894 = Citharexylum flexuosum (Ruiz & Pav.) D.Don
  8. Rauvolfia oppositifolia Spreng. 1822 not Sessé & Moc. 1888 = Tabernaemontana oppositifolia (Spreng.) Urb.
  9. Rauvolfia pubescens Willd. ex Roem. & Schult. = Citharexylum quitense Spreng.
  10. Rauvolfia spinosa Cav. = Citharexylum flexuosum (Ruiz & Pav.) D.Don
  11. Rauvolfia stenophylla Donn.Sm. = Alstonia longifolia (A.DC.) Pichon
  12. Rauvolfia strempelioides Griseb. = Strempeliopsis strempelioides (Griseb.) Benth. ex B.D.Jacks.
  13. Rauvolfia striata Poir. = Ochrosia borbonica J.F.Gmel.

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 157 萝芙木属 luo fu mu shu Rauvolfia Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 208. 1753.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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