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rauwolfia
[ raw-wool-fee-uh, rou- ]
noun
- any tropical tree or shrub of the genus Rauwolfia, as R. serpentina, of India.
- an extract from the roots of the rauwolfia, R. serpentina, containing alkaloids the most important of which is reserpine: used in medicine chiefly for the treatment of hypertension and as a sedative.
rauwolfia
/ raʊ-; rɔːˈwʊlfɪə /
noun
- any tropical tree or shrub of the apocynaceous genus Rauwolfia , esp R. serpentina of SE Asia
- the powdered root of R. serpentina : a source of various drugs, esp reserpine
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Word History and Origins
Origin of rauwolfia1
1745–55; < New Latin, named after L. Rauwolf, 16th-century German botanist; -ia
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Word History and Origins
Origin of rauwolfia1
C19: New Latin, named after Leonhard Rauwolf (died 1596), German botanist
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