Indian Medicinal Plants An Illustrated Dictionary

538 Rauvolfia serpentina Benth. ex Kurz.
R
side, pelargonidin diglycoside, cyanidin
diglycoside, 5-methyl-L-cysteinesulphoxide
(methiin), steroidal sapogenins
and sulphorophene.
The enzymes present in the radish
are phosphatase, catalase, sucrase,
amylase, alcohol dehydrogenase and
pyruvic carboxylase.
Radish contains caffeic acid and ferulic
acid which exhibit hepatoprotective
and choleretic properties. It contains
choline which prevents deposition
of fat in liver. Amino acids, ornithine,
citrulline, arginine, glutamic
acid and asparatic acid remove toxins
from the body and urea acumulation.
Radish is a good source of ascorbic
acid (15–40 mg/100 g), trace elements
include aluminium, barium, lithium,
manganese, silicon, titanium, also iodine
(upto 18 mcg/100 g) and ascorbigen.
Roots, leaves, flowers and pods are
active against Gram-positive bacteria.
The seeds are reported to contain
a broad spectrum antibiotic, machrolysin,
specific against Mycobacterium
tuberculosis. Raphanin, extracted from
the seeds, is active against Grampositive
and Gram-negative bacteria.
A purified basic protein, homologous
to nonspecific lipid transfer proteins,
from seeds showed antifungal activity.
Raphanus caudatus Linn., synonym
R. sativus var. caudatus, is known as
Rat-Tail Radish.
A native to Java, it is cultivated in
northern and western India. The root
is not used; pods, purple or violet in
colour, are consumed for properties
attributed to Raphanus sp. These are
known as Mungraa or Sungraa.
Dosage ◮ Whole plant—20–40 ml
juice; root—15–30 ml juice. (API,
Vol. II.) Seed—1–3 g powder. (API,
Vol. III.)
Rauvolfia serpentina
Benth. ex Kurz.
Family ◮ Apocynaceae.
Habitat ◮ The sub-Himalayas tract
from Punjab to Nepal, Sikkim,
Bhutan, Assam, Western Ghats and
the Andamans.
English ◮ Rauvolfia root, Serpentina
Root, Indian Snakeroot.
Ayurvedic ◮ Sarpagandhaa
of Ayurvedic texts was not
the Sarpagandhaa of modern
medicine. (Sarpagandhaa was
equated with Naakuli, Sarpachhatrikaa
and Varshaasu Chhatrikaaraa.
Sarpagandhaa and
Sarpasugandhaa were synonyms of
Naakuli.)
Folk ◮ Chhotaa Chaand.
Action ◮ Root—decoction is
employed to increase uterine
contractions and for expulsion
of foetus in difficult cases. The
total alkaloidal extract of the root
induces bradycardia, hypotension,
sedation. It finds application
in hypochondria, neuropsychiatric
disorders, psychosis and
schizophrenia.
Key application ◮ In mild, essential
hypertension (borderline
hypertension, especially with elevated
tension of the sympathetic
nervous system, for example,