Abstract In 1931, Sen and Bose 20 described the pharmacological and clinical properties of a drug of plant origin, sold under a variety of names in the bazaars of India, which they had identified as Rauwolfia serpentina Benth. Chief among the actions they attributed to it were a hypnotic effect, a calming effect on agitated, mentally deranged patients, and a hypotensive effect in arterial hypertension. They concluded their paper with the wish ‘that medical men all over the world would work out the effects of this remedy both pharmacologically and clinically, as it promises to be a valuable addition to the armamentarium of the physician'. Now, half a century later, it is interesting to look back on the myths that have surrounded this substance, the approaches taken in the investigation of its pharmacology, and the progress achieved.