Summary
Rauwolfia Serpentina has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Hypertension would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Hypertension. No registered clinical trial in this database tests Rauwolfia Serpentina specifically in Hypertension. The evidence below comes from published literature only, so any clinical signal has not yet been tested prospectively against this condition in a registered study. The literature layer holds 3 publications for this pair: 2 Cochrane reviews and 1 clinical trial publication. Publication years run from 1977 to 2016. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Essential Hypertension ranks 376 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: Not well-characterized as population baseline; routinely framed as irreversible in clinical culture despite contrary trial evidence.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 32.0 (trials 0.0, literature 12.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 0 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 0 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 3 (2 Cochrane reviews, 1 clinical trial publication) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | Open Targets, ChEMBL |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
No registered trial links Rauwolfia Serpentina to Hypertension in the current OSMF trial extract.
Published literature
- Cochrane review Blood pressure-lowering efficacy of reserpine for primary hypertensionShamon SD, Perez MI · The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016 · PMID 27997978
- Cochrane review Blood pressure lowering efficacy of reserpine for primary hypertensionShamon SD, Perez MI · The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2009 · PMID 19821434
- Clinical trial publication Treatment of mild hypertension: results of a ten-year intervention trialSmith WM · Circulation research · 1977 · PMID 140029
Mechanism and notes
No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Rauwolfia Serpentina approved for Hypertension?
Rauwolfia Serpentina has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Hypertension would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Hypertension. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Rauwolfia Serpentina in clinical trials for Hypertension?
No registered clinical trial in this database tests Rauwolfia Serpentina specifically in Hypertension. The evidence below comes from published literature only, so any clinical signal has not yet been tested prospectively against this condition in a registered study.
What does the evidence show for Rauwolfia Serpentina in Hypertension?
Synthesis-level literature links Rauwolfia Serpentina to Hypertension, but no registered trial in this database tests the pair, so the evidence is observational, pooled from other indications, or pre-dates registry practice. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.