Drugs with reserpine changed the psychiatric
care
 The
picture shows the plant Rauwolfia serpentina.
The greatest revolution within psychiatric
care took place when a new efficacious drug against psychosis was
synthesized, at the same time as an old Indian nature-cure medicine
was rediscovered. In India the pulverized roots from the bush Rauwolfia
serpentina have been utilized as a drug for a few thousands of years.
Gradually Indian doctors discovered that this plant was especially
active against psychotic anxiety and hypertension. In the sixteenth
century the German botanist and doctor Leonard Rauwolf brought the
medicine to Europe. There it was utilized to a varying degree but
was forgotten in the end of the nineteenth century. Not until well
into the twentieth century the Indian doctors succeeds in making
Western scientist interested in the medical plant, because of its
capability to reduce hypertension. In 1952 Swiss researchers analyze
the roots and discover that the active substance is reserpine. When
the doctors began to utilize reserpine against hypertension they
found that this substance had a good effect in psychotic patients.
The patients became calmer and started to function socially again.
Unfortunately, though, some of them became depressed.
|
|
