Rauwolfia serpentina - Sarppa gandha - അമല്‍പ്പൊരി

Botanical Name :

Rauwolfia serpentina Benth ex. Kurz.

Family :

Apocynaceae 

Vernacular Names : 
Malayalam : Sarppa gandhi, Amal pori - അമല്‍പ്പൊരി    

English : Rauvolfia, Indian snake root  

Sanskrit : Sarppa gandha, Naakuli, Sarppaadhanee, Raktha thrika, Kukkudee 

Hindhi : Chottaa chandh, Chandrabhaga, Sarpagandha      
Bangali : Chandhraa, Chandra 

Tamil : Shivan mel podi, Chevanamalpodi, Sarpagandha  
Gujarathi : Sarppa gandhaa

Kannada : Sutranabhi, Keramaddinagaddi  

Telugu : Patalaguni, Patalagandha, Sarpagandha, Paadala gandhi 

Marathi : Harkaya, Harki, Hadaki, Adakai
Assamese : Arachoritita

Chinese : Lu fu mu 

Plant Description : 

It is an evergreen, perennial, glabrous and errect undershrub grows up to a height of 60 cm (rarely more than it). 

Roots are tuberous with pale brown cork.

Leaves are in whorls of three, elliptic to lanceolate or obovate, bright green above, pale green below, tip acute or acuminate, base tapering and slender. 

Petioles long. 

Flowers are in many flowered irregular corymbose cymes. Peduncles long but pedicels stout. Flowers white, often has violet coloured tinge. 

Calyx glabrous, bright red and lanceolate. 

Corolla is longer than calyx, tube slender, swollen a little above the middle, lobes 3, and elliptic-oblong. 

Disc is cup shaped. 

Drupes are slightly connate, obliquely ovoid and purplish black in colour.

Chemical Composition : 

The major alkaloid present in root, stem and leaves of the plant is Reserpine  varies from 1.7 to 3.0 %. The root barks has more than 90% of the total alkaloids in roots. The minor alkaloids present in the plant are Ajmalicine, ajmaline, isoajmaline, ajmalinine, chandrine, rauwolfinine, renoxidine, rescin-namine, reserpiline, reserpin, reserpinine, sarpagine,  serpentine, serpentinine, tetraphyllicine, yohimbine, 3-epi-a-yohimbine.  The root contains ophioxylin , resin, starch and wax. 

Rasaadhi Gunaas :

Rasa : Kashayam

Guna : Rooksham

Veeryam : Ushnnam

Vipakam : Katu

Useful Parts : 

Root

 

Indications : 

01. Reduces blood pressure

02. Nerves relaxation

03. Produces sleep

04. Dysentery

05. Insanity

06. Mental illness 

07. Hysteria

08. Dysmennorhea

Side Effects : 
01. Nasal congestion

02. Lethargy

03. Drowsiness

03. Peculiar dreams

04. Vertigo 

05. Mental depression which may lead to suicide

06. Dyspnea 

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