Rauvolfia Serpentina, Sarpgandha - 0.5 kg Seeds

Sarpgandha (Rauvolfia serpentina) is a small evergreen medicinal undershrub with whorls of glossy leaves and clusters of white-to-pink flowers followed by tiny black-purple berries. Its fleshy, snake-like roots are the source of reserpine, a classic alkaloid used to treat high blood pressure.

Native to the moist deciduous forests of the Himalayan foothills, the Eastern and Western Ghats and the eastern plains of India, it is one of the most renowned drugs of Ayurveda, historically used for hypertension, insomnia, anxiety and snakebite. Because of over-collection from the wild it is now a protected, conservation-priority species best raised in cultivation.

• Family: Apocynaceae
• Native region: Himalayan foothills and peninsular India
• Mature height: 0.3-0.6 m
• Growth rate: slow

Seed viability is naturally low, so use fresh, heavy seed and soak it in water for 24 hours before sowing. Sow about 1 cm deep in a rich, well-drained seed-tray mix kept warm and shaded; germination is slow and uneven, often taking 30 days or more. Transplant the seedlings to a partially shaded, humus-rich bed once they are 8-10 cm tall.