1. indian snakeroot

Question 1

member of what family

Answer 1

periwinkle (apocynaceae)

Question 2

what type of plant

Answer 2

small shrub

Question 3

native to?

Answer 3

moist tropical areas of india and adjacent southeast Asia

Question 4

The tapered, bitter-tasting root has long been used in ..

Answer 4

• traditional Ayurvedic medicine to treat mental disorders and agitation, and to soothe fretful babies.
• holy men also chewed the root while meditating

Question 5

was first mentioned in?

Answer 5

charaka smhita written in 2500 years ago

Question 6

known for

Answer 6

its calming effect

Question 7

german chemist M. Greshoff

Answer 7

-in the 1980’s, he reported that Rauvolfia species are rich in physiologically active alkaloids

Question 8

what happened in the 1930s

Answer 8

formal chemical analyses of the plant were undertaken by the indian chemists S and RH Siddiqui. this early research was largely ignored by the western medical establishment, however claims regarding the efficacy of Indian snakeroot extracts were considered extavagant.

Question 9

1952

Answer 9

• detailed clinical trials, using crude powdered root extracts were finally undertaken. These trials demonstrated both hypotensive activity (reduction in blood pressure) and a powerful sedative effect (relaxation without drowsiness).
• german researchers isolated the active compound the indole alkaloid reserpine.

Question 10

1953

Answer 10

european and american pharmaceutical companies began marketing reserpine

• it was promoted for treating moderate to severe hypertension, as well as acute or chronic psychoses (especially schizophrenia)
• also marketed as a prescription tranquillizer for treating general anxiety

Question 11

the discovery of reserpine opened up new areas of medical therapy and research.

Answer 11

• reserpine was shown to deplete stores of the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain
• this mode of action provided critical insight into the role played by brain amines (neurotransmitters) in mental disorders
• it revolutionized the treatment of schizophrenia, which had previously involved crude procedures with terrible side effects; these included metrazol injection (producing severe convulsions), electroshock therapy, and insulin injection. reserpine is not a cure, however, and must be taken regularly by schizophrenic patients.

Question 12

reserpine side effect (or thought to be side effect)

Answer 12

reduce blood pressure

Question 13

treats moderate hypertension (high blood pressure) which is a common problem in

Answer 13

elderly patients

Question 14

symptoms of hypertension include

Answer 14

• fatigue
• nervousness
• heart palpitations

Question 15

resperine is extremely effective in treating hypertension

Answer 15

• the drug is cumulative in effect, and treatment is generally completed within three to six weeks.
• in the 1970’s sales of reserpine exceeded $30 million annually in the US, with most of the supply coming from four-year-old roots grown in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Today, resperine has been replaced by safer, more effective synthetic analogue drugs for treating hypertionsion