Rauwolfia (Noun)

Meaning ¹

Any shrub or small tree of the genus Rauwolfia having leaves in whorls and cymose flowers; yield substances used medicinally especially as emetics or purgatives or antihypertensives.

Classification

Nouns denoting plants.

Synonyms

• Rauvolfia

Hypernyms

• Bush

Hyponyms

• Rauwolfia Serpentina

Meaning ²

Any of several alkaloids extracted from the shrub Rauwolfia serpentina.

Classification

Nouns denoting substances.

Examples

• The rauwolfia extracted from the roots of the plant were used to treat high blood pressure and anxiety.
• One of the rauwolfia alkaloids, reserpine, was found to have antipsychotic properties.
• The pharmaceutical company isolated several rauwolfia alkaloids from the plant, including ajmaline and yohimbine.
• The use of rauwolfia to lower blood pressure was discovered by indigenous peoples in the Himalayas.
• The rauwolfia alkaloids found in Rauwolfia serpentina have been used in traditional medicine for centuries.