Fitoterapia 82 (2011) 102–140 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Fitoterapia journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/fitote Review Therapeutic orchids: traditional uses and recent advances — An overview Mohammad Musharof Hossain ⁎ Department of Botany, University of Chittagong, Chittagong 4331, Bangladesh article info abstract Article history: Orchids have been used as a source of medicine for millennia to treat different diseases and Received 27 January 2010 ailments including tuberculosis, paralysis, stomach disorders, chest pain, arthritis, syphilis, Accepted in revised form 4 September 2010 jaundice, cholera, acidity, eczema, tumour, piles, boils, inflammations, menstrual disorder, Available online 21 September 2010 spermatorrhea, leucoderma, diahorrhea, muscular pain, blood dysentery, hepatitis, dyspepsia, bone fractures, rheumatism, asthma, malaria, earache, sexually transmitted diseases, wounds Keywords: and sores. Besides, many orchidaceous preparations are used as emetic, purgative, aphrodisiac, Salep vermifuge, bronchodilator, sex stimulator, contraceptive, cooling agent and remedies in Vanilla scorpion sting and snake bite. Some of the preparations are supposed to have miraculous Chyavanprash Shi-Hu curative properties but rare scientific demonstration available which is a primary requirement Tian-Ma for clinical implementations. Incredible diversity, high alkaloids and glycosides content, Bai-Ji research on orchids is full of potential. Meanwhile, some novel compounds and drugs, both in phytochemical and pharmacological point of view have been reported from orchids. Linking of the indigenous knowledge to the modern research activities will help to discover new drugs much more effective than contemporary synthetic medicines. The present study reviews the traditional therapeutic uses of orchids with its recent advances in pharmacological investigations that would be a useful reference for plant drug researches, especially in orchids. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Contents 1. Introduction ...................................................... 103 2. Traditional uses of orchids ............................................... 103 2.1. South-East Asia ................................................. 103 2.2. China and Japan ................................................. 103 2.3. Europe ..................................................... 112 2.4. Africa ...................................................... 112 2.5. America ..................................................... 113 2.6. Australia .................................................... 113 3. Popular orchid preparations............................................... 113 3.1. Salep ...................................................... 113 3.2. Vanilla ..................................................... 114 3.3. Chavanprash. .................................................. 114 3.4. Shi-Hu, Tian-Ma and Bai-Ji ............................................ 115 4. Important phytochemicals in orchids .......................................... 115 5. Pharmacological studies of orchid phytochemicals .................................... 116 6. Threats to orchids ................................................... 138 ⁎ Tel.: +880 1712684778; fax: +880 31 726310. E-mail addresses: [email protected], [email protected]. 0367-326X/$ – see front matter © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2010.09.007 M.M. Hossain / Fitoterapia 82 (2011) 102–140 103 7. Conclusions ....................................................... 138 Acknowledgments ...................................................... 138 References .......................................................... 138 1. Introduction oldest references to the use of medicinal herbs in India are found in the Sanskrit literatures. There are four Vedas —‘Rig Veda’, Orchidaceae, the largest and most evolved family of the ‘Sama Veda’, ‘Ayur Veda’ and ‘Atharva Veda’ which form the main flowering plants comprises 25,000 to 35,000 species under 750 literary source for Vedic era. The ‘Rig Veda’ and ‘Atharva Veda’, to 850 genera [1–3]. They are virtually found in all regions written between 400 and 1600 B.C. dealing with varied use of around the globe except the icy Antarctica and hot deserts, but plant drugs, are the oldest books in the library of humans supply their greatest diversity occurs in the tropical and sub-tropical curious information on this subject. It is in the ‘Ayurveda’ which regions. Orchids are undoubtedly the ornamental elite because is considered as an ‘Upa Veda’ (=applied knowledge), that of their perplexingly complex flowers of exquisite beauty. property of plant drugs and their uses is described. ‘Charaka Reason being, orchids nowadays became an object of multibil- Samhita’, the earliest treatise on ‘Ayurveda’ written by Charaka in lion dollar business. Evident by recent increase in the world 600 B.C., listed 341 plants and plant products, is a great reference floriculture trade, orchids became the second most popular cut to diseases and medical procedures for health care. One flowers as well as potted floriculture crop rising at the rate of additional Sanskrit literature ‘Sushruta Samhita’ which was 10–20% [4,5]. Apart from their ornamental value, many orchids written by Sushruta, a surgeon and teacher of ‘Ayurveda’ in 600 have apparent medicinal and glycosidal importance. However, B.C., is a more comprehensive and authoritative works of the fact that orchids could play an important role in herbal ‘Ayurveda’ that contains description of 1120 illnesses, 700 medicines is often overlooked. The history of orchids probably medicinal plants and 121 preparations. Interestingly, all this started with their use for medicinal purposes. Numerous orchid ancient Sanskrit literature incorporated some orchids as medic- species have been and are being used in different countries for inal herbs. It is greatly the credit of the Indians that they were therapeutic properties. A good number of research papers, acquainted with a far larger number of orchid species than the popular articles and books have been published on medicinal native of any other country in the face of the earth [10].Inthe uses of orchids throughout the world. However, the informa- Ayurvedic system of medicine, a rejuvenating herbal formulation tion is scanty for high value medicinal plants like orchids. ‘Astavarga’ is derived from a group of 8 herbs, some of these Furthermore, all the existing information generally corre- herbs i.e. jivak (Microstylis wallichii), kakoli (Habenaria acumi- sponded to a particular region or community. It is therefore nata), riddhi (H. intermedia) and vriddhi (H. edgeworthii)are important to aggregate the information of medicinal uses of orchids [11,12]. Flickingeria macraei is used in ‘Ayurveda’ in the orchid that will provide useful references for plant drug name of ‘jeevanti’ which is used as astringent to the bowels, research. In the present study an attempt was made to amass aphrodisiac and in asthma and bronchitis [13]. Other commonly the available information on medicinal orchids throughout the used orchid drugs in the Ayurvedic system are salem (Orchis world. It would be impossible to give an exhaustive review of latifolia and Eulophia latifolia), jewanti (Dendrobium alpestre), the medicinal uses of orchids within the limits of a small essay shwethuli and rasna (Acampe papillosa and Vanda tessellata). In like this, but a brief summary will permit some idea with ‘Sushruta samhita’ it is mentioned that the underground tuber of respect to traditional use, the advances made and the Orchis latifolia is used in the drug ‘munjatak’ which pacifies cough popularity extended to orchids for the time being. [14]. The leaves of Vanda roxburghii have been prescribed in the ancient Sanskrit literature for external application in rheuma- 2. Traditional uses of orchids tism, ear infections, fractures and diseases of nervous system. In some regions of Malaya, the women boil the leaves of The origin of orchids on the earth probably dates back to Nervilia aragoana and drink the liquid immediately after 120 million years. However, available written records are as childbirth as a precaution against possible sickness. Corym- early as 4th millennium B.C. only. Orchids have been used as a borchis longiflora, Tropidia curculigoides, and Acriopsis javanica source of herbal remedies in China since 2800 B.C. [6,7].Since are valued as febrifuges in treating malaria. Eria pannea plant the Vedic period (2000 B.C.–600 B.C.), some orchids have been is boiled to furnish a medicinal bath to cure ague and several used by Indians for their curative and aphrodisiac properties species of Lissochilus are used as aphrodisiac. The stems of [8]. In the Indian Vedic scriptures there is a mention of orchid L. dilectus are used in scabies and skin lesions and the under the name ‘Vanda’. Some parts of Europe, America, pseudobulbs of Epidendrum bifidum have been used to expel Australia and Africa have also been using orchids as herbal cure tapeworms and other intestinal parasites. In Indonesia, a for long. A mega list of medicinal orchids and their traditional scented ointment made from the pseudobulbs of Gammato- uses is given in Table 1. In the following section brief history of phyllum scriptum is believed to cure sores [15]. medicinal orchids of the world is discussed. 2.2. China and Japan 2.1. South-East Asia There is no doubt that the Chinese were the first to Indians have one of the oldest, richest