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Sarpagandha

Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. ex Kurz

Sarpagandha (Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. ex Kurz) is a plant drug, also called Candrika, Chandramarah and Nakuli, from the Apocynaceae family. CITES Appendix II (trade regulation for conservation); IUCN Endangered status; WHO acknowledges traditional antihypertensive use; reserpine is on WHO Model List of Essential Medicines.

Key facts
Botanical nameRauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. ex Kurz
FamilyApocynaceae · other entries in this family
OrderGentianales
Pharmacopoeia statusCITES Appendix II (trade regulation for conservation); IUCN Endangered status; WHO acknowledges traditional antihypertensive use; reserpine is on WHO Model List of Essential Medicines
Taxon identifiersGBIF 3169787 · Wikidata Q1145301 · NCBI Taxonomy 4060
Names in other languages
Sanskritचन्द्रिका (candrikā), Chandramarah, नाकुली (nākulī)
Hindiसर्पगंधा (sarpagaṃdhā), Chhotaa Chaand, छोटा चांद (choṭā cāṃda), Dhavalbaruaa, सर्पगन्धा (sarpagandhā)
EnglishRauvolfia Root, Serpentina Root
Tamilசர்பகந்தி, Sarppaganti
MalayalamAmalpori
TeluguSarpagandhi
KannadaSutranaabhu
MarathiAdkai, Chandra
BengaliChaandar
GujaratiAmelpodee
OriyaDhanbarua, Sanochado

Sources: Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India Part I, SARPAGANDHA (Root) = Rauwolfia serpentina, Tamil: 'Sarppaganti'.; Same attestation as सर्पगंधा: eFloraofIndia, Rauvolfia serpentina, Hindi सर्पगंधा; API monograph title SARPAGANDHA for this species.; eFloraofIndia / Names of Plants in India, Rauvolfia serpentina, Hindi: चन्द्रभाग, छोटा चांद, नाकुली, सर्पगंधा. Corroborated by API Part I, SARPAGANDHA (Root) = Rauwolfia serpentina (Linn.) Benth. ex Kurz, whose Tamil is 'Sarppaganti' and Telugu 'Sarpagandhi'.; eFloraofIndia / Names of Plants in India, Rauvolfia serpentina, Hindi: चन्द्रभाग, छोटा चांद, नाकुली, सर्पगंधा. Corroborated by API SARPAGANDHA Hindi 'Chhotaa Chaand, Dhavalbaruaa'; eFloraofIndia / Names of Plants in India, Rauvolfia serpentina, Sanskrit: चन्द्रिका, नाकुली, पातालगरुड, सर्पगंधा. Corroborated by API SARPAGANDHA Sanskrit 'Nakuli, Candrika, Chandramarah'; eFloraofIndia, Rauvolfia serpentina, Sanskrit: चन्द्रिका; API SARPAGANDHA Sanskrit 'Candrika'. How we source.

The evidence at a glance

11papers on this site for this drug, published 2002 to 2025, every one with a DOI.

  • 3Other clinical studies and reviews
  • 8Laboratory and animal studies

A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Everything listed here is laboratory or animal work, which does not show an effect in people. Each paper is listed with what it measured on the page below. See the research index for how papers are tiered.

Names and identification

LanguageName
EnglishSarpagandha
Latin/BotanicalRauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. ex Kurz

Key Phytochemical Constituents

  • Reserpine
  • Ajmaline
  • Ajmalicine (raubasine)
  • Serpentine
  • Yohimbine
  • Rescinnamine
  • Deserpidine
  • Serpentinine

How does it work?

  • Antihypertensive: Reserpine irreversibly inhibits vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), depleting catecholamine (norepinephrine, dopamine) stores in sympathetic nerve terminals, reducing peripheral vascular resistance
  • Sedative/Antipsychotic: Central depletion of monoamines (dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine) produces tranquilizing effect; historically used before synthetic antipsychotics
  • Anti-arrhythmic: Ajmaline blocks sodium channels (Class Ia antiarrhythmic), prolonging cardiac action potential and effective refractory period

Which traditional uses are supported by research?

These summaries come from the source notes, which do not name the studies behind them.

  • Raktachapa-hara (antihypertensive): traditionally used to lower blood pressure. Reserpine was one of the first antihypertensive drugs used in Western medicine.
  • Nidrajanana (sedative): traditionally used as a sedative and anxiolytic. A mechanism involving VMAT2 inhibition and central monoamine depletion has been described.
  • Anti-arrhythmic use: traditionally used for irregular heart rhythm. Ajmaline is still used clinically in the Ajmaline test, a diagnostic test for Brugada syndrome.

What do recent studies show?

No study for this section could be traced to a published paper. An absence here means we could not identify the source, not that no work exists.

Recent safety updates

  • Serious adverse effects at high doses: depression (from central monoamine depletion), severe hypotension, bradycardia, nasal congestion, and sedation; contraindicated in patients with history of depression
  • Contraindicated during pregnancy (may cause neonatal respiratory depression); interactions with MAO inhibitors, barbiturates, and other CNS depressants; requires close medical supervision

What is it made of?

Key Active Markers

  • Ajmalicine
  • Reserpine
  • Ajmaline
  • Serpentine
  • Yohimbine
  • Rescinnamine
  • Deserpidine
  • Serpentinine

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Vati (tablet), Churna (powder), Capsule, Tincture (mother tincture), Ghana vati (solid extract tablet), Sustained-release tablet

Standard Dosage: 250-500 mg root powder per day. Must be used under medical supervision due to potent hypotensive action.

Optimal Timing: Evening/bedtime dosing preferred for antihypertensive use; always with food to reduce GI side effects

Storage: Store below 25 deg C in airtight, light-protected containers. Reserpine is photolabile, amber glass or aluminum blister packaging mandatory. Controlled substance storage may apply per local regulations.

Marker Compounds: Reserpine, Ajmaline, Ajmalicine (raubasine), Serpentine, Yohimbine, Deserpidine

Synergistic Combinations

  • Jatamansi (traditionally combined for calming support)
  • Shankhpushpi (traditionally combined for calming support)
  • Brahmi (cognitive support with anti-anxiety action)
  • Arjuna (comprehensive cardiovascular formulation)

Published research

Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.

Other clinical studies and reviews3

  1. Mukherjee E, Gantait S, Kundu S and others. 2019. Biotechnological interventions on the genus Rauvolfia: recent trends and imminent prospectsApplied microbiology and biotechnology. PMID 31363825 · doi:10.1007/s00253-019-10035-6
  2. Bhadane BS, Patil MP, Maheshwari VL and others. 2018. Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and biotechnological advances of family Apocynaceae: A reviewPhytotherapy research : PTR. PMID 29575195 · doi:10.1002/ptr.6066
  3. Wu F, Kerčmar P, Zhang C and others. 2016. Sarpagan-Ajmalan-Type Indoles: Biosynthesis, Structural Biology, and Chemo-Enzymatic SignificanceThe Alkaloids. Chemistry and biology. PMID 26827882 · doi:10.1016/bs.alkal.2015.10.001

Laboratory and animal studies8

  1. Khromov A, Dobrelia N, Konvalyuk I and others. 2025. Alkaloid Composition and Antiarrhythmic Activity of the Extracts from Rauvolfia serpentina Tissue CulturePlanta medica. PMID 40633549 · doi:10.1055/a-2629-0226
  2. Neupane A, Jnawali B, Ghimire SK. 2025. Anthropogenic Disturbances and Invasion of Mikania micrantha Threaten Rauvolfia serpentina Populations in NepalEcology and evolution. PMID 41438954 · doi:10.1002/ece3.72731
  3. Guo J, Gao D, Lian J and others. 2024. De novo biosynthesis of antiarrhythmic alkaloid ajmalineNature communications. PMID 38212296 · doi:10.1038/s41467-024-44797-z
  4. Nitin K, Rajakumara E. 2024. Proxy-approach in understanding the bisubstrate activity of strictosidine synthasesInternational journal of biological macromolecules. PMID 38354931 · doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.130091
  5. Touqeer SI, Jahan N, Abbas N and others. 2022. Formulation and Process Optimization of Rauvolfia serpentina Nanosuspension by HPMC and In Vitro Evaluation of ACE Inhibitory PotentialJournal of functional biomaterials. PMID 36547528 · doi:10.3390/jfb13040268
  6. Afsheen N, Khalil-Ur-Rehman, Jahan N and others. 2018. Cardioprotective and Metabolomic Profiling of Selected Medicinal Plants against Oxidative StressOxidative medicine and cellular longevity. PMID 29576858 · doi:10.1155/2018/9819360
  7. Prakash P, Rajakani R, Gupta V. 2016. Transcriptome-wide identification of Rauvolfia serpentina microRNAs and prediction of their potential targetsComputational biology and chemistry. PMID 26815768 · doi:10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2015.12.002
  8. Wachsmuth O, Matusch R. 2002. Anhydronium bases from Rauvolfia serpentinaPhytochemistry. PMID 12423893 · doi:10.1016/s0031-9422(02)00372-2

Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.

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