Indian Snakeroot

At a glance

Origin / distribution: Nepal, Spanish, Turkey, India, Sanscrit, Malaysia, Chinese, English

Cultural traditions: not documented

Recorded uses: Bite(Snake), Brachycardia, Fever, Hypertension

Science studied: ALKALOIDS, AJMALEXINE, AJMALICINE, AJMALINE

Research volume: 0 indexed records · volume only · methodology ↗

Legal status: Varies by jurisdiction; not assessed in this record.

Names and identity

Family: Apocynaceae

Scientific name: Rauvolfia serpentina

Common names: Indian Snakeroot, Serpentine Wood, Java devil-pepper, Java-Teufelspfeffer, Pule Pandak, Sarapagandha, Snakeroot, ajmaline, devilpepper, intiankäärmepuu, rauvolfia hadovitá, rauwolfia, serpentine wood, serpentine-wood, serpentwood

History

The source record documents this plant in Nepal, Spanish, Turkey, India, Sanscrit, Malaysia, Chinese, English and 1 additional place.

It records these historical or traditional applications:

• Bite(Snake)
• Brachycardia
• Fever
• Hypertension
• Hypnotic
• Hypochondria
• Hypotensive
• Insanity

This summary is limited to the cited source record.

Origins and distribution

• Nepal
• Spanish
• Turkey
• India
• Sanscrit
• Malaysia
• Chinese
• English
• Asia

Documented cultural uses

• Bite(Snake)
• Brachycardia
• Fever
• Hypertension
• Hypnotic
• Hypochondria
• Hypotensive
• Insanity
• Insomnia
• Poison
• Sedative
• Tonic

Contemporary uses

Contemporary practice is not documented separately in this record.

Scientific research

Indexed records indicate research activity; they do not establish efficacy or safety.

Indexed research records

• Retraction Note: Biotechnological interventions and indole alkaloid production in Rauvolfia serpentina. · 2025 source ↗
• Anthropogenic Disturbances and Invasion of <i>Mikania micrantha</i> Threaten <i>Rauvolfia serpentina</i> Populations in Nepal. · 2025 source ↗
• Alkaloid Composition and Antiarrhythmic Activity of the Extracts from Rauvolfia serpentina Tissue Culture. · 2025 source ↗

Scientific compounds

Chemical presence is not evidence of clinical efficacy.

• ALKALOIDS
• AJMALEXINE
• AJMALICINE
• AJMALINE
• ALLOYOHIMBINE
• ASK
• CALCIUM
• CORYNANTHINE
• DESERPIDINE
• 3-EPI-ALPHA-YOHIMBINE
• EUDESMIC-ACID
• ISOAJMALINE
• ISORAUNITIDINE
• ISOSANDWICINE
• 11-METHOXY-DELTA-TOHIMBINE
• NEOAJMALINE

Legality

Country-specific legal status is not documented in this record.

Consult the CITES species checklist for international trade protections and listings. This is not a complete statement of local law.

Reference images

Sources

Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases · CC0

GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0

CC0 · Dr. Duke raw CSV archive

Contributions and revisions

No published revisions are documented for this record. Community submissions enter review and retain attribution before any published change.