Additional Sources and Suggested Readings

(1) Pigeon Dendrobium, Dendrobium and wood cups of analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of the study ; Study on anti-nociceptive, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects of Dendrobium crumenatum SW., Dendrobium moniliforme (L.) SW. and Ephemerantha lonchophylla HUNT & SUMMERH. / Chen Songbin and Sung-Ping Chen / Institute of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University

(2) Dendrobium crumenatum Sw. / Vernacular names / GLOBinMED

(3) Reproductive function in female Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout, 1769) after oral administration of Pigeon Orchid (Dendrobium crumenatum Swartz, 1799) pseudobulb juice / Fitria, Laksmindra and Ridhowati, Annisa / Bandung: International Conference on Biomedical Science (ICBS) , 18-Jun-2012

Botany
Pigeon orchid has stems that are slender, fascicled, smooth, elongated, up to 1 meter in length, with upright, sympodial pseudobulbs at the base, 8 to 12 centimeters long, about 2 centimeters thick. Leaves are scattered, distichous, oblong, 5 to 8 centimeters long and 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters wide, with a blunt tip. Flowers are pure white, fugacious, very fragrant, solitary or somewhat fascicled, appearing on the upper parts of the stems at the nodes; the center of the lip is pale yellow, 2.5 to 3 centimeters long.

Distribution
– Common and widely distributed orchid in the Philippines.
– Growing at sea level to an altitude of 500 meters.
– Also occurs in Sri Lanka, Burma, the Malay Peninsula, Vietnam, Indonesia, Borneo.
– One of the most common species of orchids in Asia.

Constituents
Plant yields trace alkaloid in the pseudobulbs and leaves.

Parts used
Pseudobulbs and leaves.

Uses
Folkloric
– The Malays commonly used the juice of the pseudobulbs for treating ear infections. In Java, used similarly.
– Poultice of leaves used on boils and pimples.

Others
Fibers from the stems are used as decorative material in basket making and other crafts.

Study Findings
• Analgesic / Anti-Inflammatory / Antioxidant:Study of ethanol and methanol extracts showed anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive and antioxidant activities which may be related to the changes in the content of total alkaloids.
• Reproductive Function Effects: Study evaluated the effect of pigeon orchid pseudobulb juice on female reproductive function using Wistar rats. Results showed a significant increase in estradiol level and increase in the number of tertiary follicles.

Availability
Wild-crafted.