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Rauvolfia vomitoria
Also called African Serpentwood, African Snakeroot, Poison Devil Pepper, Swizzle Stick Tree
Rauvolfia vomitoria, the poison devil's-pepper, is a plant species in the genus Rauvolfia. It is native from Senegal east to Sudan and Tanzania, south to Angola; and naturalized in China, Bangladesh, different ranges of Himalayan and Puerto Rico. The plant contains a number of compounds of interest to the pharmaceutical industry and is widely used in traditional medicine.
This is a fast-growing tree that produces large quantities of seeds which are dispersed by birds. The seedlings and saplings are tolerant of shade and the tree regenerates after cutting or burning, soon forming dense thickets.
Rauvolfia vomitoria has been used across its range in traditional medicine. A decoction or extract of the roots is used for diarrhea, jaundice, venereal disease, rheumatism, snake-bites, colic, fever, to calm people with anxiety or epilepsy, and to lower blood pressure. The macerated root, or sometimes the pulped fruit, is used for a variety of skin conditions, and the bark, twigs, and leaves are used as a purgative and emetic.
Rauvolfia mannii · Rauvolfia media · Rauvolfia micrantha · Rauvolfia nukuhivensis · Rauvolfia sachetiae · Devil's-pepper · Serpentine wood · Rauvolfia sumatrana · Be still tree · Rauvolfia verticillata · Devil's-pepper
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rauvolfia vomitoria by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
