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PC-10

Ethnobotanical, pharmacological, and phytochemical insights into the

flowers of Shi-hu (Dendrobium spp.)

2
3
1
Anham Abbasi, Chuan-Teng Liu, Ke Wang, Michael Heinrich,* ,3,4 Hung-Rong
Yen* ,5,6,7

1 School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
2 Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Medical Research, China
Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
3 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, China.
4 UCL School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, UK
5 Chinese Medicine Research Center, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
6 School of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University,
Taichung, Taiwan
7 Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
* E-mail: hungrongyen@gmail.com

Abstract
The genus Dendrobium is a medicinal plant with nutraceutical importance. Dendrobium
species have been used to nourish "Yin" and tonify the five viscera in traditional Chinese
th
medicine. The Taiwan Herbal Pharmacopoeia (4 English Edition,2022) includes the fresh or
dried stem of seven Dendrobium species (Shi-hu in Chinese) in the monograph. However, it is
not clear how the flower part of these seven species could be used. We reviewed various aspects
of the chemical composition and pharmacological characteristics of Dendrobium flowers
aiming at defining future research and development priorities. Additionally, traditional uses,
conservation status and cultivation techniques relevant to ascertain a sustainable use of the
species were summarized. The Web of Science, SciFinder, Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar
and CNKI were used to gather data on the phytochemistry and pharmacological studies of
Dendrobium flower usage. The keywords for this study are Dendrobium, Pharmacology and
Chemistry. Open column chromatography, GC-MS, UPLC, HPLC and GC-FID are common
separation and analytical techniques that have been utilized for the isolation, characterization
and quantification of polysaccharides, alkaloids, essential oils and flavonoids. They have
prominent pharmacological/biological activities like pro-apoptotic, immune-modulatory,
antioxidant and anti-microbial activities. The most investigated species of flowers are D.
officinale Kimura & Migo. and D. chrysanthum Wall.ex Lindl. This study sheds light on the
historical uses of Dendrobium flowers, their current clinical significance and future potential.
The study systematically assesses the link between chemical composition, pharmacological
activity and current or potential uses. According to our findings, in-depth investigations are
needed in areas where there is a paucity of knowledge on the potential of flowers, such as
quality control, phytochemical characterization, and dosage form development.

Keywords: Dendrobium flowers; Phytochemistry; Pharmacology; Traditional Chinese
medicine, Traditional uses; Harvesting management