Rauvolfia serpentina (L). benth. ex kurz.-A review

Abstract

Rauvolfia serpentina (L). Benth. ex Kurz. (Apocynaceae) has long being used in India for the treatment of snakebites and mental illness. It also controls hypertension and reduces blood pressure. The present review deals with the enormous amount of studies undertaken in different aspects of this plant in the areas of tissue culture, phytochemistry, pharmacology, molecular biology, chromosomal constituents, morpho- taxonomy, medicine and ethnobotany. © 2010 Asian Network for Scientific Information.