Botanical Name - Rauwolfia serpentina Category - Medicinal Form - Dry Part Used - Leaves, Roots General Information - Rauwolfia (Rauwolfia serpentina), also spelled ravolphia, is a medicinal shrub in the milkweed family. Its root is ground into a powder and packaged in this form or sold in tablets or capsules. It is a compound commonly used in Asian medicine, including traditional Ayurveda medicine native to India. Phytochemicals - Its active components are alkaloids and about 50 have been identified, although the primary psychoactive components appear to be reserpine, rescinnamine, and deserpidine. The primary effect of these alkaloids is the blockage of vesicular storage of monoamines, ultimately leading to greater degradation of these neurotransmitters by the MAO enzyme and an overall decrease in neuronal activity in monoamine pathways. Thus, the overall effect is inhibitory and sedative.