Ophioxylon. Radix mustelae. Rauwolfia serpentina.

Ophioxylon. Radix mustelae. Rauwolfia serpentina Benth. (Ophioxylon serpentinum L.) (Fam. Apocynaceae.)—In the root of this plant, which is used in East India as a purge and anthelmintic, Wefers-Bettink found a yellow crystalline principle, ophioxylin, melting at 72° C. (161.6° F.), and possessing the formula C₁₆H₁₂O₆; also a volatile oil. (A. J. P., 1890.) It is widely used in India as an antidote against bites of serpents, stings of insects, etc.

The Dispensatory of the United States of America, 1918, was edited by Joseph P. Remington, Horatio C. Wood and others.