Ethnomedicinal properties of orchidaceae by local communities in Lake Toba region, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Abstract

Orchids are plant species with beauty and medicinal purposes, but, limited exploration has been conducted on potential utilization of Orchidaceae for medicinal purposes. This study aims to describe the local wisdom in utilization of Orchidaceae in traditional medicine and to identify the phyto-chemical content in particular orchid species which utilized for herbal medicine by local communities in the Lake Toba region. The study was conducted through exploration and in-depth interviews with 24 local communities that applied orchids in their traditional medicine in Karo, Simalungun and Toba of North Sumatra during 2020 to 2021. This study also reviewed various phyto-chemical content and safety issues of orchids utilization. The study identified about 23 orchid species from 15 genera as a main therapeutic agent. Various parts or entire plant are various parts of plant including roots, leaves, stems, flowers or entire plant contain phytochemical compounds with anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, antimicrobial, antipyretic properties, and applied for various medicinal. Some of well-known orchids are Anoectochilus formosanus and Calanthe triplicata. The entire plants are applied in traditional medicine to smooth the liver, to treat rheumatism, diabetes, bronchitis, wound infection, tonic or detoxification. These activities are due to various bio-active compounds, mainly alkaloids, stilbenoids, dimeric phenanthrenes, flavonoids, triterpenoids, etc. These information have been illustrated the excellent potential of Orchidaceae for novel constituents of therapeutic and herbal medicine.

In vitro studies on quality assessment and ethnobotany of Acampe rigida (Buch.-Ham. ex Sm.) P.F.Hunt encountered in Ultapani Forest Range, Assam

“…Ethnobotanical information collected by means of interviews and questionnaires among the traditional community healers revealed that A. rigida leaf is popular among the Santhal community and has a number of beneficial effects as mentioned in Table 1. It was reported that the juice (boiled) of A. rigida is effective as tonic to strengthen body when taken orally on daily basis among the Lake Toba community, Indonesia which is in compliance with those of the Santhal community traditional healers, though the processing and dose is different (9). Similarly, the ethnomedicinal use of the whole plant of A. rigida was documented in Thailand as body tonic (21).…”

“…Apart from being an ornamental plant, A. rigida is used amongst a group of people residing around the globe for its medicinal values. The Bataknese tribe residing in Indonesia uses the decoction of A. rigida whole plant as a tonic to strengthen body (9). Similarly, the leaf and root are reported to stimulate blood circulation and relief from joint and muscular pain (10).…”

Antimicrobial and Phytochemistry study of Liparis resupinata Ridl. from Mount Gumitir, East Java, Indonesia

“…Toba (Aswandi and Kholibrina, 2021), Papua (Utami et al, 2017), and middle Java (Nugroho et al, 2016). Some orchid species from the genus Liparis have been used in traditional Chinese for the treatment of anti-inflammatory, antibacterial activities, and hemostasis (Liang et al, 2019).…”

Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids—Pros and Cons for Pharmaceutical and Medical Applications

“…Liparis nervosa belongs to the Orchidaceae family and is found in many parts of China. It is used in traditional herbal medicine for skin inflammation, swelling, and the detoxification of snake venom [105]. Chen et al [17] conducted a study on the antitumor effect of PAs isolated from L. nervosa on HCT116 human colorectal cancer cells.…”