The efficacy and function of Dendrobium officinale

Dendrobium officinale is one of the common traditional Chinese medicines in our country. It has a very long history of medicinal use and is recorded in many ancient medical books. Dendrobium officinale has good edible and medicinal value. Let’s take a look.

【English Name】 Pale Ephemerantha

[Other names] Dendrobium with claws, fruit leaves

[Source] Medicinal material source: the whole herb of Dendrobium officinale of the Orchidaceae family.

[Original form] Dendrobium fringed, a perennial epiphytic herb with creeping rhizomes. The stem is pseudo-monopodial and branched, 30-50 cm long, erect or drooping, with the branch tips swollen into pseudobulbs; the pseudobulbs are 3-6 cm long, with one leaf at the top. The leaves are elliptical or oblong, 7-20cm long, 2-5cm wide, with obtuse tips; sessile or narrowed to a short petiole. 1-3 flowers, clustered at the top of the pseudobulb, light yellow with purple spots; small bracts; pedicel about 1 cm long; middle sepal and petals lanceolate, about 1.2 cm long, about 1 mm wide; lateral sepals slightly longer than middle sepals, calyx sac short conical; lip equal to lateral sepals, 3-lobed, middle lobe longer, fan-shaped at tip, constricted at middle, with 2 cockscomb-like folds on top, edges deeply divided into irregular teeth on both sides, lateral lobes triangular, slightly forked, rounded at tip.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: epiphytic on rocks or trees under the forest.

【Properties】 Identification: The rhizome is long, with many fibrous roots on the lower side. The stem is cylindrical, smooth or with longitudinal grooves, golden yellow in surface, with obvious nodes and many branches. Each branch has an enlarged flat spindle-shaped pseudobulb (commonly known as "melon") at the top, 3-4cm long, 0.3-1cm in diameter, with deep longitudinal lines. It is soft and easy to break, and the cross section is fibrous. There is one leaf on the top of the pseudobulb, which is elliptical or oblong, 7-20cm long, 2-5cm wide, obtuse at the apex, sessile or narrowed into a short stalk at the base. It has a faint smell and a slightly bitter taste.

[Chemical composition] This product contains dendrobium, etc.

【Nature and flavor】 Sweet; Light; Slightly cold

【Meridian】 Lung meridian

【Functions and indications】 Clears heat, moistens the lungs and relieves cough. Mainly used for cough, tuberculosis, asthma, pleurisy, thirst due to loss of body fluid

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoction, 6-12g.

[Discussions by various scholars] "Xinhua Compendium of Materia Medica": The whole plant: has the functions of clearing heat, moistening the lungs and relieving cough. Used for pulmonary cough, tuberculosis and asthma.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

The above are the effects and functions of Dendrobium officinale. We can also eat Dendrobium officinale reasonably according to our own situation to relieve the pain caused by the disease.