Ajmaline (Rauvolfia Indole Alkaloid · Antiarrhythmic · Informational)
Compiled from published pharmacological and botanical literature. Not independently verified by Herbuno. Spotted an error or have a correction? Flag it below →
| Compound | Ajmaline (Cardiorythmine; Gilurytmal) |
| Chemical class | Alkaloid — Indole (ajmalan-type; Rauvolfia alkaloid) |
| CAS | 4360-12-7 |
| Primary source | Rauvolfia serpentina (Indian snakeroot, Sarpagandha), dried roots |
| Key applications | Class Ia antiarrhythmic; Brugada syndrome diagnostic provocation; informational-only |
| Claim strength | High (pharmaceutical) |
| Typical form | Pharmaceutical injectable (ajmaline); not a supplement ingredient |
| Buy from Herbuno | Informational reference — see HerbIQ Compound Index → |
Name origin: Ajmaline is named in honour of Hakim Ajmal Khan, the eminent early-twentieth-century Unani physician, a naming that reflects the compound's origin in Rauvolfia serpentina — a plant central to South Asian traditional medicine. Structurally it is an ajmalan-type indole alkaloid, a scaffold distinct from the yohimbane skeleton of reserpine, which is why the two alkaloids of the same plant behave so differently. Traditional use: Rauvolfia serpentina (Sarpagandha) has extensive Ayurvedic and Unani use for agitation, hypertension, insomnia, and cardiac complaints, and ajmaline was isolated as one of the cardioactive constituents that helped account for part of that reputation. Research trajectory: Ajmaline became a Class Ia antiarrhythmic and, uniquely among the Rauvolfia alkaloids, the standard pharmacological challenge used to unmask the concealed type-1 Brugada-syndrome ECG pattern. Its diagnostic sensitivity has been quantified head-to-head against procainamide, where ajmaline more reliably provokes the diagnostic pattern Dobbels 2019, and its underlying ion-channel actions have been dissected in human induced-pluripotent-stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes Walsh 2018. Safety context: Ajmaline is a prescription cardiac drug administered only under continuous ECG monitoring in a setting with resuscitation facilities, because the same sodium-channel blockade that makes it useful also gives it proarrhythmic potential. It is not a dietary-supplement ingredient and appears here as a reference only.
Evidence for Ajmaline Applications
Sodium-channel blockade: Ajmaline blocks the cardiac fast sodium current (INa), slowing conduction velocity through the myocardium — the defining Class Ia antiarrhythmic action. In human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes it has been shown to block both INa and the rapid delayed-rectifier potassium current IKr, giving it a mixed but sodium-dominant channel profile Walsh 2018. Claim strength: High (pharmaceutical context).
Brugada syndrome diagnosis: Ajmaline is the standard provocation agent used to expose the type-1 Brugada ECG pattern in patients with a suspected or concealed phenotype. In a direct comparison of sodium-channel-blocker challenges, ajmaline was significantly more likely than procainamide to provoke the diagnostic type-1 pattern, which is why it is the preferred agent in many electrophysiology centres Dobbels 2019. Claim strength: High (pharmaceutical context).
Antiarrhythmic use: By slowing conduction, ajmaline can terminate or suppress certain supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias; it is given intravenously under monitoring for this purpose. Its rapid onset and short duration of action make it convenient for acute, controlled use but also demand close observation. Claim strength: High (pharmaceutical context).
Mixed channel pharmacology: Beyond INa and IKr, ajmaline has documented effects on additional potassium currents including the transient outward current (Ito) and voltage-gated Kv1.5 and Kv4.3 channels, a broader ion-channel footprint that is relevant to interpreting its full electrophysiological effect and to ongoing debate about the precise mechanism by which it reveals the Brugada phenotype Walsh 2018. Claim strength: Moderate.
Co-occurrence in the plant: Ajmaline is one of several pharmacologically active alkaloids present together in Rauvolfia serpentina root, alongside reserpine, ajmalicine, and serpentine, so any Rauvolfia-derived material is intrinsically a multi-alkaloid mixture rather than a single-compound source. Claim strength: Moderate.
This compound is documented for research and formulator education purposes. For commercially available botanical ingredients, explore the HerbIQ Compound Index →
Dosage & Formulator Specification
Ajmaline is a pharmaceutical compound not appropriate for dietary-supplement formulation, and no consumer dosing applies. The Brugada provocation protocol uses a weight-based intravenous dose infused over minutes under continuous ECG monitoring in a controlled clinical setting with resuscitation equipment immediately available, reflecting the drug's proarrhythmic potential.
Rauvolfia serpentina-derived material is a regulated botanical, and isolated ajmaline is a prescription cardiac drug. There is no supplement-grade application, and formulators should treat any Rauvolfia material as a controlled multi-alkaloid feedstock rather than an ingredient.
Where Rauvolfia botanicals are evaluated at all, the co-occurrence of ajmaline with reserpine, ajmalicine, and serpentine means total-alkaloid and individual-alkaloid profiling by HPLC is the only defensible specification, since the pharmacological character of the material depends on the full alkaloid distribution rather than any single marker. Root and root-bark material carries the highest alkaloid load.
Historically, ajmaline occupied an unusual niche: derived from a plant of deep traditional importance yet used in one of cardiology’s most technically demanding diagnostic procedures. That trajectory — from Sarpagandha root to a standardised intravenous challenge agent — illustrates how a single botanical source can yield compounds spanning the whole range from traditional remedy to precision pharmaceutical, and it is part of why the Rauvolfia alkaloids collectively occupy several distinct entries in the HerbIQ index rather than a single one.
This monograph documents ajmaline as a chemical-family and mechanistic reference within the HerbIQ index, linking it to reserpine and the other Rauvolfia alkaloids covered elsewhere, and does not constitute sourcing guidance.
Frequently Asked Questions — Ajmaline
What is ajmaline used for?
Ajmaline is a Class Ia antiarrhythmic indole alkaloid from Rauvolfia serpentina. Clinically it is used as a fast-acting sodium-channel blocker and, most distinctively, as the standard pharmacological provocation agent to unmask the type-1 Brugada-syndrome ECG pattern during diagnostic testing.
How does ajmaline work?
Ajmaline blocks the cardiac fast sodium current (INa), slowing myocardial conduction, and it also blocks the rapid delayed-rectifier potassium current (IKr) along with several other potassium currents. This combined ion-channel action produces both its antiarrhythmic effect and its ability to expose the Brugada pattern in susceptible hearts.
Why is ajmaline informational-only?
Ajmaline is a prescription cardiac drug given intravenously under continuous ECG monitoring because of its proarrhythmic potential. It has no dietary-supplement application and appears in HerbIQ as a chemical-family reference to the Rauvolfia alkaloids.
Is ajmaline related to reserpine?
Both are indole alkaloids of Rauvolfia serpentina, but they belong to different structural subclasses (ajmalan versus yohimbane) and have entirely different pharmacology. Ajmaline is a sodium-channel-blocking antiarrhythmic acting on cardiac excitability, whereas reserpine is a VMAT inhibitor acting on monoamine storage.
Related compounds: Reserpine, Yohimbine, Rescinnamine, Sarpagine
Claim-strength scale – High = multiple human RCTs; Moderate = limited trials or strong preclinical convergence; Emerging = early-stage lab or animal data.
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