rauwolfia derivative
any of a group of alkaloids obtained from plants of the genus Rauwolfia, primarily R. serpentina, the ancient Hindu snakeroot. They have sedative and antihypertensive actions and have been used in neuropsychopharmacology since about 1000 bce by Hindu healers. The genus was named for 16th-century German botanist Leonhard Rauwolf, who reported its tranquilizing effect in 1575 while traveling in India. The prototype drug of the group is reserpine, which acts by depleting stores of catecholamine neurotransmitters in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Rauwolfia derivatives were initially used in the management of psychosis but were erroneously thought to induce depression and therefore abandoned for this use in the 1950s.