Medicinal Orchids – An Overview

Orchids are distinctive plants and highly priced in the international florist trade due to their intricately designed spectacular flowers with brilliant colours, delightful appearance, myriad sizes, shapes, forms and long lasting qualities. Orchids are grown primarily as ornamentals; many are used as herbal medicines, food, and other have cultural value by different cultures and tribes in different parts of the world. Orchids have been used in many parts of the world in traditional healing system as well as in the treatment of a number of diseases since the ancient time. Though orchidaceae is regarded as a largest family of plant kingdom, few studies have been done regarding their medicinal properties. Some species like Dendrobium nobile, Eulophia campestris, Orchis latifolia, Vanda roxburghii and Vanda tessellata have been documented for their medicinal value. Phytochemically, orchids have been reported to contain alkaloids, triterpen­oids, flavonoids and stilbenoids.