Nature is so wisely arranged that it has everything that 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, snake rauwolfia, which contains more than 25 alkaloids, is able to stabilize blood pressure. This has long been known to people and used its roots to treat hypertension.
Description of Rauwolfia Snake
This is an evergreen shrub with a rod curved root up to 3 m long. It has a non-fibrous structure and gives large lateral roots. Although it has a narrow bark of brown color, inside the root is light, odorless and bitter in taste.
Leaves are arranged from three or more pieces on one node, less commonly there is snake rauwolfia with another distribution. They have a dense, smooth and shiny structure, mainly oval in shape with a short petiole.
The flowers of this plant are collected in inflorescences - apical or umbrella-shaped, white or pink. Corolla of tubular five-blade structure, the blades of which are superimposed one on top of the other. The fruits of rauwolfia are black in color like drupes with juicy flesh, fused to the middle.
Rauwolfia serpentine, whose description is presented in the article, got its name due to the fact that in India it was used in the case of bites of these reptiles. In every peasant hut, several bushes of this plant must have grown before.
Growth environment
Today, rauwolfia is cultivated in some countries, but in the wild it has long been found in such parts of India as the tropical regions of the Himalayas, in Central and Northern Bengal, Sikkim. Today it can be found in Sumatra, Peru, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Java. Rauwolfia snake 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 application is from the bites of snakes and insects, with fever, cholera, diarrhea, children, as a sleeping pill, and in Java it was used as an anthelmintic.
Chemical composition
Valuable are the roots of Rauwolfia serpentine, since they include 2% alkaloids, including:
- reserpine: the main property is blockade of adrenergic neurons;
- Aymaline has antiarrhythmic properties;
- yohimbine improves blood circulation, increases motor activity;
- papaverine has antispasmodic properties;
- sarpagin lowers blood pressure;
- thebaine is a toxic substance.
These are far from all alkaloids found in the roots of the plant. According to some reports, their number ranges from 25 to 50 species. Leaves and stems are rich in flavonoids, carotenoids and milky juice. Reserpine is the main alkaloid of Rauwolfia serpentine, 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 the plant was harvested in December in the Indian state of Assam, then their percentage will 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 use
Scientists only in the 20th century were able to properly study and evaluate the pharmacological properties of this plant. They have revealed:
- Reserpine has an effect on the peripheral nervous system. At the same time, the heart rate in the human body slows down without changing the minute volume of the heart. Reserpine has the property of gradually lowering the pressure in any form and stage of development of hypertension. Its positive effect on lipid and protein metabolism is also noted.
- Raunatin is most effective at the 1st and 2nd stages of the development of hypertension.
- The property of aimalin 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, which decreases the excitability of the myocardium.
Preparations containing alkaloids of Rauwolfia serpentine 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 human clinical conditions, it became possible to produce drugs based on it. This even today removes hypertensive crises and makes life easier for patients.
Application in traditional medicine
It is not known how Asian peoples in ancient times found out that snake rauwolfia 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.
In traditional medicine, it is used:
In the early stages of hypertension, but subject to dosage. Only by using 1-1.5 g of respect 3 times a day for two weeks, the first result will 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. Full cure can be achieved in 3-4 months. If there are any side effects, then treatment can be suspended for a month, and then continue again until complete recovery.
- In case of mental disorders, a few drops of tincture of dichloteazide should be added to the broth of rauwolfia.
- With gastrointestinal diseases, plant leaves are used. It is enough to take 1 tbsp. l leaves, pour 1 tbsp. boiling water, insist, and then grind the mixture into gruel and insist for another 4 hours. Strain the mass and divide into 4 daily servings.
- With insomnia, 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 this, add boiled water to the previous level and drink 75 g before bedtime until a positive result.
- With a rapid heart rate per 100 g of water, there is 20 g of the root of the rauwolfia snake. Pour the root with water, bring to a boil and let it boil for 1-2 minutes, after which pour the hot broth into a thermos and insist overnight. Ready broth strain and drink 1 tbsp. l month before meals.
Rauwolfia snake, the use of which is widely known in medicine and in homeopathy, should be used only as directed by a doctor and under his supervision. This is due to the fact that it can be poisonous if the dosage is not observed.
Harvesting raw materials
Since the need for alkaloids, which are part of the roots of Rauwolfia serpentine, 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 at the fruiting stage, it is dug out along with the root, which is carefully cut together with all the roots and cleaned of dirt, trying not to damage the bark, which contains the largest number 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 remedies in antihypertensive therapy. It is used by clinics and research institutes around the world. For a 60-year practice of studying the properties of Rauwolfia snake, scientists have identified:
- Reserpine therapy significantly increases resistance to stress and fatigue with increased physical activity. At the same time, patients improve their mood, manifestations of anxiety disappear, which is especially important with 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, and the general mental background in people working under stress is leveled out.
- Adelfan-Ezidrex is a reserpine-containing drug that gently evens out pressure without showing side effects. The use of this drug 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, drugs from which (Raunatin, Kristepin, Brinerdin) can be bought at any pharmacy, remains in demand, despite the fact that new drugs for hypertensive patients appear annually. Apparently, 60 years of positive results is enough time to trust her.
Side effects
If the dosage is observed, then side effects in preparations with rauwolfia snake were not detected. In case of its violation, there may be such manifestations:
- skin rash;
- increased blood flow in the mucous membranes of the eyes;
- stomach cramps and pain;
- weakness and dizziness;
- dyspnea;
- nausea with vomiting;
- nightmares.
In some cases, with a course of treatment, insomnia, anxiety and depression may occur. If these symptoms occur, you should immediately stop taking the drug and consult a doctor to adjust the dosage.
The history of the study of Rauwolfia snake
While in India this plant has been used for centuries to treat snake bites, as sleeping pills for children, to relieve spasms and relieve pressure, in Europe they became interested in it only in the 30s of the 20th century. The first alkaloid was isolated in 1931, then the discoveries of its new properties followed one after another.
For example, in Germany, studies began not only of pharmaceutical preparations from Rauwolfia serpentine, but also of its individual components, checking their properties one at a time and in combination with each other.
