Rauwolfia

Overview

Aliases

Mountain pepper; mountain horseshoe; mountain pepper tree; luofu vine; false pepper; fish-gall wood; knife-wound medicine; ewe’s milk; dog-poison medicine; false fish gall; fire-scorch wood; bone-penetrating dispeller

Nature and Flavor

Cold; bitter. Slightly toxic

What's Inside

Ingredients

Various alkaloids have been isolated from the root, including reserpine, ajmaline, rauwolfine, serpentine, ajmalicine, yohimbine-related alkaloids, rauwolscine derivatives, corynanthine-type alkaloids, and perakine-type alkaloids.

Therapeutic Effects

1. Hypotensive effect: Reserpine extracted from Rauwolfia lowers blood pressure and slows heart rate; its action is very slow, mild, and long-lasting. 2. Sedative effect: It exerts a sustained calming effect on the central nervous system. Larger doses may cause weakness, sedation, and sleep, but the sleep is shallow and patients are easily awakened; EEG examination does not show sleep waves. 3. Other effect: Yohimbine-type alkaloid extracted from Rauwolfia is a water-soluble quaternary ammonium compound with ganglion-blocking and curare-like effects, but without anti-adrenergic action.

Precautions

Avoid use in patients with gastric disorders or signs of qi and blood deficiency.

NOTE: THE INFORMATION PROVIDE IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES
ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED AS MEDICAL ADVICE.