Organized by:Regional Research Institute of Himalayan Flora, Tarikhet(Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha)

Department of AYUSH,Ministry of Health & Family Welfare,Govt. of India.

~-POTENTIAL AND PROSPECT

National Seminar

Jeewan Singh JalaP'2, Pankaj Kumar, Lalit TewarP and Y.P.S.Pangteyf'Department of Botany, Kumaun University, Nainital-263001 Uttarakhand

"Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun- 248001, India

2Corresponding author's email: jeewansinghjalal@rediffmailcom

Orchids are extremely popular for their mesmerizing marvelous flowers In the whole world, but it is in thelesser know that many species are used in traditional system of medicine and form remedial measures fornumber of ailments. Orchids are an abundant treasure of alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, carbohydrates andother phytochemicals The present paper deals with the enumeration of medicinally important orchids of India. Atotal 79 species belonging to 41 genera have been enumerated with their medicinal values. Different parts oforchids are used for different therapeutic purposes viz., simple joint pain, acute rheumatism, tuberculosis, bonefracture, hyper acidity, eye disorder, stomach disorder, headache, burn, pain killer, wounds, aphrodisiac, nervousdisorders, blood purifier and diarrhea.

Keywords: Medicinal orchids, phytochemicals, India

Introduction

Orchids are the members of the family Orchidaceae, one of the largest families of flowering plants(Atwood 1986). The estimated number of orchid species varies from 12 000 to 35 000 (Heywood 1985 andDressler 1993), contributing up to 10% of all flowering plant species in the world (Dressler 1981). Orchids form 9%of our flora and about 1331 species are reported from India (Mishra 2007). But there still exists a large section ofour rural population, who unlike others, don't just recognize the orchids for their beauty but also appreciate themfor their medicinal value. Medicinal plants are an important element of every indigenous medical system in India.Now categorized under the subject of Ethnobotany, they provide a rich yet mysterious resource for natural drugresearch and development. In recent decades, the use of traditional medicine and research on potential medicinalplants in India has received considerable interest. Orchids, which are still trailing on the roads of experimentationand research, have already shown to be therapeutically successful in all cases of nervous irritability, hysteria,spasm, fits and all derangements of the function of the brain such as madness and delirium. There are severalorchid species, which are valued, as febrifuge in treating malaria, and in clearing tapeworms and other intestinalparasites. They are also used in treating skin diseases such as boils, pimple, rashes, eruptions and skin lesions,either in the form of ointment or poultice. Its roots, seeds, leaves, flowers and stems are used in various ways fortheir curative powers.

Since time immemorial, orchids are known for their medicinal properties in various parts of the world.Perhaps Chinese were the first to understand the versatility of orchids and hence made them a household namethrough the process of cultivation. They were not only the first to describe orchids with respect to nature, beautyand the basic botanical aspects but almost certainly were also the first to describe orchids for their medicinal use.(Bulpitt 2005). As early as 200 BC the Chinese pharmacopoeia - "the Sang Nung Pen Tsao Ching", mentionsDendrobium as a source of tonic, astringent, analgesic, anti-inflammatory substances (Singh et at. 2007). Theancient Greeks were the first to take note of these strange plants. It was the famous Greek philosopherTheophrastus, (370-285 B.C.), who in his Enquiry into Plants first referred the group of plants having paired,testiculate tubers as Orchis. As the Greeks believed in the Doctrine of Signature such plants were consideredgood for human vitality. Disocorides (1st century AD) later adopted this name in his Materia Medica wheredescription of two orchids was given along with several species of medicinal plants. In the Indian Vedic scripturesthere is a mention of the plants under the name Vanda, which has been adapted as a generic name in one of themost beautiful groups of orchids. Another proof which indicates that orchids have made their presence felt in theVedic India is the existence of "Ashtawarga" which is a group of 8 drugs in Ayurvedic system that is used for thepreparation of tonics, such as 'Chyavanparas', which used till date successfully by the Indian common man and

consists of 4 orchid species, viz Malaxis muscifera, Malaxis acuminata, Habenaria intermedia and Habenariaedgeworthi A good number of orchid species playa significant role in traditiooal systems of medicine, as they arean abundant resource of alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides and phytochemical contents. Orchids are still beingevaluated in depth for its pharmacological properties, in spite of its conventional uses in various therapeutic curesin various parts of country. But it is sad that necessary scientific studies on the medicinal properties of theseorchids are still on the bottom of the agenda.

Materials and Methods

Study Area

India is lies between 8°N to 37"N latitudes and 68°E to 97"E longitudes and covering an area of 328.78million hectare The country has a land frontier of about 15,200 km and a coastline of some 6,000 km (Figure 1)The forest cover is over an area of 677,088 km2

, which is 2060 per cent of the total geographical area Of this,54,569 km2 is very dense forest, 332,647 km2 is moderately dense forest, while 289,872 km2 is open forest cover(FSI 2005) About '17,500 flowering plants are found in the country of which nearly 35% are endemic. India has 16different major forest groups, which are further sub-divided into 20 sub-groups and 160 sub-divisions (Champion& Seth 1968) The vegetation varies from tropical evergreen forests on the west coast and northeast to alpineforests in the Himalayas in the north. Between these, the country has semi-evergreen, deciduous, sub tropicalbroad leaved, sub- tropical pine and sub tropical montane temperate forests In, India orchids are found from thesea level to snow covered alpine regions but their number varies in different regions due to prevailing climaticconditions The maximum orchids are concentrated in Eastern India and the Western Ghats Majority of theterrestrial species grow in the Western Himalayas and the higher altitude in the Eastern Himalayas.

Data collections:

The present information is based on floristic and ethnobotanical literature at different libraries andherbaria viz, Botanical Survey of India, Northern Circle (BSD), Forest Research Institute (DO), KumaunUniversity Nainital (KUH), H.N.B Garhwal University, Srinagar (GUH), Wildlife Institute of India herbarium (WII),Herbarium of Panjab University, Chandigarh (PAN), Herbarium of National Botanical Research Institute (LWG)and Herbarium of Regional Research Laboratory, Jammu (RRL) The information was collected on the basis ofvernacular name, parts used and therapeutic uses in various parts of India.

Results

79 species in totality, belonging to 41 genera have been enumerated with their medicinal values used byvarious communities in many parts of India (Table 1). Of these 39 species are epiphytic and 40 species belong toterrestrial groups These orchids are used to cure various diseases such as simple joint pain, acute rheumatism,tuberculosis, bone fracture, hyperacidity, eye disorder, stomach disorder, headache, burn, pain killer, wounds,aphrodisiac, nervous disorders, blood purifier and diarrhoea. Different parts of orchids are used for differenttherapeutic purposes (Figure 2). In 33% of the orchid species which are used medicinally, the whole plant isincorporated while in 21% only tubers, in 16% only pseudobulbs, in 6% just the roots, in 4% only leaves, in 2%only stems and in1% only the shoots are used.

Discussion

In India, over 2000 drugs used are of plant origin and more than 90% of medicinal botanical raw materialsare drawn from the natural habitat As a result, 20- 25% of existing plant species have become endangered. Alarge number of orchid species, which are being used by local communities in traditional medicine, have beensubjected to ruthless collection from their natural habitats. Being an important group of plants of high exotic aswell as aesthetic value, these orchids need immediate protection as their population is dwindling very fast indifferent parts of the country. Maximum orchid species that are used for their medicinal properties are foundmostly in the various forest types spread across the Western and Eastern Ghats, the Vindhyas, Chotta Nagpurplateau, Aravalis & Himalayas There is an urgent need to document this fast disappearing precious species andtheir therapeutic uses. India is also inhabited by a large number of tribal communities who also posses a preciousand unique knowledge about the use of wild plants for treating human ailments. Recently there has beentremendous progress in medicinal plants research in India but orchids still have not been exploited fUlly for theirpharmacological properties.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the Head of the Botany Department, Kumaun University, Nainital forencouragement and facilities for conducting this study

• Anonymous. 2005. State of Forest Report Forest Survey of India, Dehradun.

• Atwood, J. T. 1986. The size of the Orchidaceae and systematic position of epiphytic orchids. Selbyana 9: 171 - 186.

• Balasubramanian, P., A. Rajasekaran & S. N. Prasad 2000 otes on the Distribution and Ethanobotany of someMedicinal Orchids in Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Zoo's Print Journal 15 (11): 368.

• Bentley, R. & H. Trimen. 1983. Medicinal Plants. International Book Publishers, Dehra Dun. Vol. IV.

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• Dash, P.K., S. Sahoo & B. Subhasisa. 2008. Ethnobotanical Studies on Orchids of Niyamgiri Hill Ranges, Orissa,India. Ethnobotanical Leaflets 12: 70-78

• Dey, K. L. 1984 Indigenous drugs of India. Indian Book Distributors, Dehra Dun.

• Dressler, R. L. 1981 The orchids: natural history and classification. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.

• Dressler, R. L. 1983 Classification of the Orchidaceae and their probable origin. Telopea 2: 413 - 424.

• Hajra, P. K. & A. K. Baishya. 1981. Ethnobotanical Notes on the Miris (Mishings) of Assam Plains (in Glimpses ofEthnobotany, edited by S.K. Jain). Oxford and IBH Publishing Co., New Delhi. pp. 169.

• Heywood, V. H. 1985. Flowering plants of the world. Equinox (Oxford), Oxford.

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• Jalal, J.S., Lalit M. Tewari & Y.P.S.Pangtey. 2009. Pholidata articulata Lindl., An Orchid Used in Bone Jointing inKumaun Region, Western Himalaya. Ethnobotanical Leaflets 13: 1047-50.

• Kapoor, L. D. 2001.Handbook of Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants. CRC Press, LLC

• Kirtikar, K. R. and B. D. Basu. 1987. Indian Medicinal Plants. Surendra Nath Basu Panini Office, Bahadurganj,Allahabad. pp. 2399-2415.

• Kumar, P. 2008. Systematics and Some Aspects of Ecology of Orchids in Jharkhand State, India. Ph. D. thesis, FRI,Dehradun.

• Medhi, R.P. & S. Chakrabarti. 2009. Traditional Knowledge of NE People on conservation of wield Orchids. IndianJournals of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 8(1) 11-16.

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• Prajapati, N.D., S.S. Purohit, A.K. Sharma & T. Kumar. 2003. A handbook of medicinal plants, Agrobios, India.

• Sah, R. 2006. Nature's medicinal Plants of Uttarakhand, Ghyanodya Prakashan, Nainital.

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• Sivarajan V.v. & I. Balachandran, 1994). Ayurvedic drugs and their plant sources. Oxford & IBH Publishing CompanyLtd. Pp 335-337.

• Yoganarasimhan, S.N. 1996. Medicinal Plants of India, Vol 1- Karnataka. Interline Publishing Private Limited,Banglore pp 155, 330, 493.

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Figure 2. Shows the percentage of orchid parts used in medicine

I9% 3% 3%

Whole plants (WP)o Pseudobulbs (PS)• Leaves (LE)• Shoots (SH)

27%

• Tubers (TU)o Roots (RO)

Stems (ST)

iIspeCies

J

IS.N. IHabit

I- .

Acampe carina ta E(Griff) Panig.

1. I

Acampe praem arsa E

2.(Roxb.) Blatt. &McCann

IIvernacular name Parts Therapeutic uses

Rasna (Hindi,Bangia), GandhaNakuli (Sanskrit), IKana-Kata (Orissa)

IChind, Vajnik,

banda (Lodha),Manda(Santhalese),Kana-Kata (Orissa)

In acute rheumatism, sciatica, neuralgia,beneficial in secondary syphilis anduterine diseases (Dey 1984) Root pasteis applied externally on scorpion andsnake bites (Dash et aL 2008)

A paste made from the leaves may betied on the broken part (Jain 1981);Lodhas apply plant paste for healingbone fracture (Pal & Jain 1998) It is alsoused in rheumatism. (Kirtikar & Basu~.~n__ ___.._._ _ ~Used in earacheAerides multiflora

Roxb ..__ . . f.-___ ------- ----.-- -- ----.-----------.--

WP Joint pain swelling, tuberculosis (Dash__.__ .. ~t.:.~L_2008L . .. _

RO As a gummy substance in medicine.5 Anthaganium 9raGileWaiL ex LindL .. - -

6 Aarchis rabara vskii(r.,t1~)(i~1~_~E~__0_---

7. Bulbaphyllumcariniflarum Rchb

---- ---_.

Calanthe triplicata(WJllernJ_Ar:!1e~.. __

Cleisastamawilliamsanii (Rchb. f.)Gar?~

Caelagynecory~~~~Li~<:!l_.... _Caelagyne avalisLindL

12. Coelagyne punctu.lataLindLf.

13. Crepidiumacuminatum (p.Don)Szlach.

=Ma(axis acuminataDDon

14. Cymbidium alaifalium_i~)Sw. . _

PS To induce abortion within 2 to 3 monthsof

... ..p~~gllancy (I:)~~!l_et. ~L2Q98)

Used for healing fractured bones by theMinpa tribales in North East Indiadiarrhea (Medhi & Chakrabarti, 2009)

Burn and pain killer

E Supur, Sikadolai WP The root paste is also used to curerheumatism and nervous disorders----------~- _ .._- .

II

CymbidIUm enSifollUm1·(L) Sw.

Cymbidiumiridioides DDon

= Cymbidiumgiganteum Wall. exLindl:!. _

Cymbidiumlo'!.g!(19IiumP..:... [)S:Jn _

Cypripedium elegansRchb f.

-----·1- --E

Oendrobium ovatum E_ (YVillc!)_K~anzL . _

Oactylorhizahatagirea (D Don)Soo

26. Epipactls helleborine T(L.L Qr~ntz --- - -- - - _._--

27. Eria spicata (D.Don) EHand.-Mazz. .- --._-_.- ------ .--- -- _ .. - - --- _._----- ~ --

28. Eria bambusifolia E KimarLind!. ---_. __ . ----

29. Eria pannea Lind~ E

30 Eria muscicola L. E

Oendrobiumherbaceum Lind!.

Oendrobiumfimbriatum Hook.f.

Dendrobiummoschatum (Buch.-Ha_m}.§w. _

23. Oendrobium nobileLind!.

Oendrobium normaleFalc

(Yoganarasimhan 1996). It furnishessalep (Kirtikar & Basu 1987).

1G0norrhoea and eye sore

Iin Khasi Hills th~ juice Ofl~S lea~es isused for clotting blood in woundsdiarrhea (Medhi & Chakrabarti, 2009).

-- ----or .----- ----- ------ --- .-.----- -- ---- -PS Isalep and emetic

:: e:::~~:~~rd~r- --- ---I1- -- -- ---- -- - ------- - ---~--.

LE Leaf past used in infected wounds

PS Used in aphrodisiac, considered astimulant, demulcents (Dey 1980) andalso used for liver upsets and nervous

. _debility_ (JY1_~dh_i?_Ch9_~E~b§~i,_~9_0'§!L__

Leaf juice used in Meghalaya as dropsfor earache (Medhi & Chakrabarti,2009J.:.. _

WP Known for its aphrodisiac and tonic__I2~cp_~r~ies_.. _. _

WP Stomachache and bile secretion

WP To cure hyper acidity and stomachdisorder

Used to treat chest, heart, lung, eye, earand mental problems (Medhi &Chakr~bart~lQ09)

Blood purifier

32 Eulophia dabia T TU Blood purifier

- -- l..QJ)on) Hs:>ch!:.:-_ --33. Eulophia epidendraea T TU Vermifuge

(JKbnlg ex Retz)C.E.C.Fisch-_._- ~ ...._- - -- ---~ ~- --_. __ ....._,---- ... _. __ .. -- -- - -- ..._-- -- -------_._------ ._--------

4 Eulophia nuda Lindl. T Ambarkand TU Blood purifier---

5 Eulophia spectabilis T Amarkand (Hindi), TU Used exclusively in ayurvedic medicine;(Dennst) Suresh Balakunda tuber is appetizer, hot, useful in(Sanskrit)

(Medicinal Plant tuberculous gland

---- -- Resource Bl?ok) in the bronchitis (Kirtikar & Basu 1987)

6 Flickingeria macraei E 8akar PS Snake bite and scorpions sting

- _.- ('=i!1_~~LS~id_e_~f~___ ----_ .. ________ •• __ •• __ '-0- _ -----~- -_. __ ._-- _ .._-_. - ,----- -_..- -_ .. -

7 Geodorum T Kukurmuria TU To regularize menstrual cycle in women.densiflorum (Lam.)Schltr. f---- ---_.-

8 Geodorum recurvum T Tejraj TU Applied externally to suppress tumors.Roxb.) Alston _.

9. Goodyera repens (L) T WP Eye disorderR Br. ---------.._- ----

0 Gymnadaenia T Panch hath, Salam TU Diarrhoeaorchidis Lindl. pancha -------. ----_._--- -------

1 Habenaria T TU Tonic (Dey 1988).acuminata

----(Thwaites) Trimen ._--- .__._- - -_. -------- 1------- ----'--- ---------- ---

2. Habenaria T Oevsunda (Oriya), TU To cure spermatorrhea and urinarycommelinifolia (Roxb.) Adava Jadu, troubles (Kirtikar and Basu 1987)Wall. ex Lindl. ---- .jf}it}!!.du__ .

--_. - -

3. Habenaria crinifera T WP HeadacheLindl.

--4. Habenaria intermedia T Ridhi TU Ingredient of Chavanprash and refrigent,

D.Don aphrodisiac, rejuvenating properties

- ---- f-----Praiapati et aL 2003)

5. Habenaria marginata T Humari TU For treatment of malignant ulcer andColeb. flatulence (Shah 2006).

-

6. Habeneria T Devasunda TU To cure leucodermalongicomiculataGraham

----

7. Habenaria stocksii T TU TonicHook.f. -- ~-.-

8. Liparis paradoxa T PS It is one of the eight drugs of(Lindl.) Rchb.f. asthravargra group, well known in

ayurveda and used as a general tonic(Bentley & Trimen 1983).

-- ----------- ----- - -------

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49. Liparis odorata Lind!. T LE Leaf juice is used in burans, cancerousulcers and gangrene (Medhi &

- ------------------ ~._---- -_._- ---~------ -- - -------Chakrabarti, 2009) ----

50. Luisia tenuifo/ia E WP Boils and tumourBlume

.- - -

51. Luisia trichorhiza E Koira WP Muscle pain(H~okL!3J,- ___ .___ 1----- - --_._._ .._---_._- -_.._-- f--.-----.

52. Ma/axis T PS Toniccy/indrostach ya

_{LJnd!.) OK~~ ___ ~~_.----_.

53. Ma/axis muscifera T Jeewak PS Ingredient of Chavanprash

--- - -(LindL) O.Ktze.

54 Nervi/ia aragoana T Orilaithamarai WP Earlier studies indicates the whole plantsGaudich. used in

Ayurvedic drugs (Sivarajan &"- ...._.- - - ------ --- - -- ._-------_. __ ._-- _._-- Balachandran 1994)

55. Oberonia cau/escens E WP Liver ailmentsLind!._._---

56_ Oberonia falconeri E Kanchapra (Munda) WP Bone fractures (Kumar 2008)Hook.f.- ---- -------

57. Papilionanthe teres E LE Leaf paste is applied on forehead to(Roxb.) Schltr_ keep it cool during high fever and also

used in cold and cough (Medhi &------ ---- --- ------_._--- Chakrabarti, 2009).

58. Pecteilis susannae T TU Boil

---- (U.!3af.

59_ Phaius tankervilleae T PS Boil and wounds(Banks ex L'Her.)Blume - -- --~ -- ---.. -~.--._--- ------------ - ------ . --_._----- --- ---

60. Pho/idata articulata E Harjojan WP Bone jointing in Kumaun Region ofLind!. Uttarakhand (Jalal et. a!. 2009)

.._---

61. Pho/idata imbricate E Lai/ad PS RheumatismLind!.

-

62. Pho/idata pallida E PS RheumatismLind!.--- -- ---------- ---- --- ---- ..__ .- +----+---- ------ ---- f---.

63. P/atanthera c/avigera T TU Componenet of Anti AIDS medicineLindl

- .- ---~ ..~+----- -------- ----- --

64. P/atanthera T Virdhi TU Ingredient of Chavanprash and refrigent,edgeworthi(Hook. ex aphrodisiac, rejuvenating propertiesCollet) Gupta (Prajapati et al. 2003)

= Habenaria1---- edgeworthii Hook.f.

65 P/atanthera /ati/abris T TU Blood purifierLindl ---. -- -------.-------- ----

75 Vanda tessel/ata(Roxb) Hook. exG.Don.

76 Vanda spathiJlcUa_____(~l§p,-e!1fl· . . .

77. Vanda testacea(Lind!.) Rchbf.

I66 ip,atanthera

lsikkimensis (Hook f)IKraen~

67 Pleione maculata(Lind!.) Lind!. &Paxton

68 Polystachya concretaI(Jacq) Garay &ISweelI -

69 Rhynchostylis retusa(L) B!.

70. Satyrium nepalense TD.Don_.

71 Seidenfia rheedii T_ C?\I\i L§~1_9_c_h_ . --+~~-- ._-

72 Spiranthes sinensis TWElrsJAme~ _

73 Tropidia curculigoides TLind!.

Vanilla walkeriaeWight

79 Zeuxine strateumatica(L) Schl,

WP !Tonic called SalepI

WP Rheumatic disease (Bentley & Trimen1983).

LE Used as tonic and expectorant (Medhi &_ g_hal<ra_b9~tl,?90~L ._.__. _

RO Roots are used in dyspepsia,

bronchitis, rheumatism and fevers.

Skin diseases and diarrhea (Medhi &Cll_Cl_~r~ba r!l, 2Qg~~ . _

Kopou phool (Northeast India).

WP These are used to treat nervousdisorders,

rheumatism and scorpion sting

_______ tBe_ntley & Tr~e_Q..1__9_8_.3~). _

ST Stem paste is orally feed to treat

cattle fever (Balasubramanian et a!._?OQQ) . . _

ST The tubers are used as salep (Kirtikar &Basu 1987)

Abbreviations: T- Terrestrial and E- Epiphytic, LE- Leaves, PS- Pseudobulbs, RO- Roots, SH- Shoots, ST-Stems, TU- Tubers and WP- Whole plants

E Rasna (Sanskrit,Hindi and Bangia)