Word: rauwolfia
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...constrict and raise blood pressure. Others, like hydralazine, are relaxers that seem to act directly on the muscle walls of the blood vessels, causing them to dilate and thus decrease pressure. Still others, such as guaneth-idine and reserpine-a drug extracted and purified from the Indian plant Rauwolfia serpentina-achieve the same effect by reducing the action of norepinephrine, the body chemical that causes blood vessels to constrict. Another class of drugs has proved equally useful. Diuretics decrease the kidneys' retention of salt. This in turn decreases the amount of fluid retained by the body. The volume...
...women in the over-50 age group have some degree of hypertension, and hundreds of thousands of them are being medically treated for the condition. Most of these patients take a small daily dose of reserpine or a related alkaloid, both extracted from the roots of the Indian shrub, Rauwolfia serpentina. The rauwolfia products have been in use for 20 years, have generally been well tolerated in the dosage used by patients, and are inexpensive compared with newer medications for lowering blood pressure, such as guanethidine and methyldopa. The Boston team listed six products containing reserpine, usually in combination with...