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Orchids in Traditional Medicine and Food


Today we know orchids as showy and decorative plants in homes and gardens. Many of those having a palate for vanilla, perhaps, know that natural vanilla comes from the seedpods of one species of orchids, the Vanilla planifolia. In recent years, though, the use of artificial vanilla flavor has reduced the desire for natural vanilla.

Less known to most of us are the other interesting uses of orchids in traditional food and medicine. A brief look at some of the world cultures reveals orchid plants as significant from both nutritional and medicinal viewpoints.

Orchids as Medicine

Historical records show that the ancient Chinese used orchids as medicine. Even today, paintings of orchid plants can be seen on old vases of Chinese origin. John Parkinson wrote in 1640 about the possibility of having many children for a man who eats a large orchid tuber. In fact, the name orchid comes from the Latin, meaning testicle (ancient Greek and Romans believed orchid roots to be a cure for many sexual problems).

Today, primitive people around the world use various orchids for a variety of folk medicines and cures. In the West Indies, a liquid is obtained by boiling bulbs of the orchid Bletia purpurea. This liquid is used for curing poisoning from fish. In Malaya, women take a drink from boiled leaves of the orchid Nervilia aragoana to prevent sickness after childbirth.

In Malacca, scalds of boiling liquid are treated with a poultice prepared from the plant body of Oberonia anceps. In Chile, the orchid Spiranthes diuretics is known to be a strong diuretic. In Ecuador, the mucilage from Catasetum is thought to be good for fractured bones.

Orchids as Food

In various parts of the world, certain orchids are used for food or food supplements. In Malaya, for instance, the leaves of one species of orchid, Anoectochilus, are sold as a vegetable. Similarly, leaves of the famous orchid Dendrobium salaccense are cooked as seasoning with rice.

In certain parts of Asian Tropics, the tubers of some species of Gastrodia are eaten the way we eat potatoes, hence the name Potato Orchid for Gastrodia. Salep is (or Saloop) is a kind of nutritional drink, made in India in the 19th century from orchid tubers. Salep is derived from the tubers of several species of Orchis. The tubers are boiled, dried, and then powdered. The resulting preparation is often used as flour substitute.

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