MEDICINAL ORCHIDS OF NEPAL

Out of more than 400 orchid species in Nepal, 82 species are used for medicinal purpose. An article by me and MB Rokaya contains this information. The article is published on 2010 issue of a journal Our Nature. This article provides information on total number of medicinal orchids (compiled from various published literature) and their distribution pattern in Nepal. Out of 82 species, 33 are terrestrial (40 %), 43 are epiphytic (53 %) and six are of mixed habitat (7 %). The center Nepal harbors highest number of species (69 species i.e.

43%) followed by east Nepal (58 species i.e. 36%) and west Nepal (33 species i.e. 21%). Among them, six species are recorded only from east Nepal, eight species only from center Nepal and three species only form west Nepal and rest of the species are recorded from wider distributional ranges. Maximum richness of total medicinal orchid species richness is observed at an elevation of 1700 m a.s.l.

List of orchids used for medicinal purpose in different parts of Nepal is provided below:

S.N.	Accepted name of a species	Altitudinal distribution	Medicinal use Source/s
1	Acampe praemorsa (Roxb.) Blatt. & McCann	200-1200	Vaidya et al. 2000
2	Aerides multiflora Roxb.	200-1100	Vaidya et al. 2000
3	Aerides odotata Lour.	200-1200	Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000
4	Anoectochilus setaceus Blume	1000-1500	Vaidya et al. 2000
5	Arundina graminifolia (D.Don) Hochr	400-2300	Vaidya et al. 2000
6	Brachycorythis obcordata (Lindl.) Sunnerh.	1000-2638	Jha et al. 1996, Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000, Rajbhandari 2001, Manandhar 2002, IUCN 2004, DPR 2007
7	Bulbophyllum careyanum (Hook.) Sprengel	6002100	Subedi 2003
8	Bulbophyllum leopardinum (Wall.) Wall. Ex lindl.	1500-3200	Subedi 2003
9	Bulbophyllum umbellatum Lindl.	300-1800	Shrestha 2000
10	Calanthe griffithii Lindl.	2200-2300	Subedi 2003
11	Calanthe plantaginea Lindl.	1500-2200	Subedi 2003
12	Calanthe sylvatica (Thouars) Lindl.	1500-2800	Vaidya et al. 2000, Manandhar 2002
13	Coelogyne corymbosa Lindl.	1500-2900	Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000, Manandhar 2002
14	Coelogyne cristata Lindl.	675-2450	Vaidya et al. 2000, Manandhar 2002, DPR 2007
15	Coelogyne flaccida Lindl.	900-1100	Manandhar 2002
16	Coelogyne fuscescens Lindl.	1200-1830	Vaidya et al. 2000
17	Coelogyne nitida (Wall. ex. D. Don) Lindl.	1300-2400	Manandhar 2002
18	Coelogyne ovalis Lindl.	500-2700	Shrestha 2000
19	Coelogyne prolifera Lindl.	1000-2300	Rajbhandari et al. 2000, Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000, Manandhar 2002, Subedi 2003
20	Coelogyne stricta (D. Don) Schltr.	14002135	Rajbhandari et al. 2000, Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000
21	Conchidium muscicola(Lindl.) Rauschert	1500-1800	Shrestha 2000
22	Cymbidium alofolium (L.) Sw.	300-1600	Rajbhandari et al. 2000, Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000, Manandhar 2002
23	Cymbidium devonianum Paxton	1500-1800	Manandhar 2002
24	Cymbidium iridioides D.Don	1500-2800	Vaidya et al. 2000
25	Cymbidium longifolium D.Don	1500-3000	Vaidya et al. 2000, Baral & Khurmi 2006
26	Cypripedium cordigerum D.Don	2800-3800	Manandhar 2002
27	Cypripedium elegans Rchb.f.	2500-4200	Vaidya et al. 2000
28	Cypripedium himalaicum Rolfe	3000-4800	Lama et al. 2001, Manandhar 2002
29	Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D.Don) Soó	2800-3960	Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000, Lama et al. 2001, Rajbhandari 2001, Manandhar 2002, IUCN 2004
30	Dendrobium amoenum Wall. ex Lindl.	1100-2900	Vaidya et al. 2000
31	Dendrobium crepidatum Lindl. & Paxton	1200-2400	Subedi 2003
32	Dendrobium densiflorum Lindl.	900-2900	Manandhar 2002
33	Dendrobium fimbriatum Hook.	200-2135	Vaidya et al. 2000
34	Dendrobium longicornu Lindl.	1300-2900	Manandhar 1995, Manandhar 2002
35	Dendrobium monticola P.F.Hunt & Summerh.	1525-2700	Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000
36	Dendrobium moschatum (Buch.-Ham.) Sw.	200-1200	Subedi 2003
37	Dendrobium nobile Lindl.	400-1500	Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000
38	Dendrobium transparens Wall. ex Lindl.	700-2000	Subedi 2003
39	Ephemerantha macraei (Lindl.) P.F. Hunt & Summerh.	500-2400	Jha et al. 1996, Vaidya et al. 2000, IUCN 2004, DPR 2007
40	Epipactis gigantea Douglas ex Hook	2900-3200	Vaidya et al. 2000
41	Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz	1500-3300	Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000, Rokaya 2002
42	Epipactis royleana Lindl.	1400-3400	Manandhar 2002
43	Eria spicata (D.Don) Hand.-Mazz.	900-2200	Vaidya et al. 2000
44	Eulophia comestrs Wall.	300	Shrestha 2000
45	Eulophia dabia (D.Don) Hochr.	400-2000	Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000, DPR 2007
46	Eulophia spectabilis (Dennst.) Suresh	400-1800	Rajbhandari et al. 2000, Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000
47	Flickingeria fimbriata (Blume) A.D.Hawkes		Sharma 2000
48	Flickingeria macraei (Lindl.) Seidenf.		Rajbhandari et al. 2000, Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000
49	Gymnadenia conopsea (L.) R. Br.	4300	Rokaya 2002
50	Gymnadenia orchidis Lindl.	1352-4700	Manandhar 1995, Vaidya et al. 2000, Manandhar 2002, Rokaya 2002
51	Habenaria commelinifolia (Roxb.) Wall. ex Lindl.	300-1200	Vaidya et al. 2000
52	Habenaria furcifera Lindl.	150-800	Manandhar 2002
53	Habenaria intermedia D.Don	1800-3300	Shrestha 2000, Manandhar 2002
54	Liparis nervosa (Thunb.) Lindl.	1200-2800	Shrestha 2000
55	Liparis rostrata Rchb.f.	2000-3000	Vaidya et al. 2000
56	Luisia trichorrhiza (Hook.) Blume	1000-1400	Vaidya et al. 2000
57	Luisia tristis (G.Forst.) Hook.f.	300-2300	Rajbhandari et al. 2000, Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000, Manandhar 2002
58	Malaxis acuminata D.Don	450-3050	Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000, DPR 2007
59	Malaxis cylindrostachya (Lindl.) Kuntze	2100-3500	Manandhar 2002
60	Malaxis muscifera (Lindl.) Kuntze	2000-4100	DPR 2007
61	Nervilia aragoana Gaudich.	500-1300	Vaidya et al. 2000, DPR 2007
62	Oberonia caulescens Lindl.	1300-2400	Vaidya et al. 2000
63	Orchis latifolia Linn.*		Sharma 2000
64	Otochilus porrectus Lindl.	900-2300	IUCN 2004
65	Papilionanthe teres (Roxb.) Schltr.	200-2100	Manandhar 2002
66	Pholidota articulata Lindl.	570-2285	Vaidya et al. 2000, Manandhar 2002
67	Pholidota imbricata Lindl.	600-2900	Rajbhandari et al. 2000, Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000, Manandhar 2002
68	Platanthera sikkimensis (Hook.f.) Kraenzl.	2600-2900	Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000
69	Pleione humilis (Sm.) D.Don	1800-3000	Manandhar 2002
70	Pleione maculata (Lindl.) Lindl. & Paxton	1400-2700	Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000
71	Pleione praecox (Sm.) D.Don	1500-2500	Rajbhandari 2001, Manandhar 2002
72	Ponerorchis chusua (D.Don) Soó	2400-4900	Rokaya 2002
73	Rhynchostylis retusa (L.) Blume	300-1850	Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000, Manandhar 2002, DPR 2007
74	Satyrium nepalense D.Don	600-4600	Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000
75	Smitinandia micrantha (Lindl.) Holttum	500-1400	Vaidya et al. 2000, Rajbhandari 2001, Manandhar 2002
76	Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames	150-4600	Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000 Rokaya 2002
77	Thunia alba (Lindl.) Rchb.f.	500-1800	Manandhar 2002
78	Trudelia praviflora*	350-915	Vaidya et al. 2000
79	Vanda cristata Wall. ex Lindl.	620-2300	Vaidya et al. 2000, Rajbhandari 2001, Manandhar 2002
80	Vanda tessellata (Roxb.) Hook. ex G.Don	200-600	Rajbhandari et al. 2000, Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000
81	Vanda testacea (Lindl.) Rchb.f.	460	Vaidya et al. 2000
82	Zeuxine strateumatica (L.) Schltr.	230-1220	Shrestha 2000, Vaidya et al. 2000

Full article can be found here.