Traditional, Therapeutic Uses and Phytochemistry of Terrestrial European Orchids and Implications for Conservation

Abstract

The Orchidaceae family accounts for about 28,000 species, and most of them are mentioned in the folk medicine of nations around the world. The use of terrestrial orchids in European and Mediterranean regions has been reported since ancient times, but little information is available on their medicinal properties, as well as on their phytochemicals and biological activities. However, plant collection for human use is still listed as one of the main threats for terrestrial orchids, alongside other menacing factors such as wrong habitat management and disturbance to symbionts, such as pollinators and mycorrhizal fungi. Therefore, the primary aim of this review was to resume and discuss available information regarding the past and current popular uses of European orchids. We then grouped phytochemical data to evaluate the presence of bioactive compounds of pharmacological relevance, and we discussed whether these could support the therapeutic employment of the different organs. Finally, we briefly debated the sustainability of orchid utilizations, considering the different threatening factors and conservation actions including plant propagation methods.

Taxonomic Identification and Molecular DNA Barcoding of Collected Wild-Growing Orchids Used Traditionally for Salep Production

“…The results of DNA barcoding using applied markers revealed that salep samples from northwestern Greece represent nine members of four different genera of Orhidaceae (Figure 1). Other review studies [8] reported as many as 46 tuberous and 1 rhizomatous orchid species used for salep in the European context, up to 90 different taxa in Turkey [10], and up to 38 species from 7 genera in Iran [12,13]. Nonetheless, it seems that members of specific genera such as Orchis, Anacamptis, and Ophrys in addition to Dactylorhiza, Himantoglossum, Neotinea, Platanthera, and Serapias are usually common between different regions [8].…”

“…The commercial product commonly called 'salep' ('salepi' in Greek) is the most famous folk preparation comprising orchids [8]. For thousands of years, terrestrial orchids in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans have been harvested to ground their tubers to produce the famous salep powder [7,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”

“…Given the ethnic importance of salep and the concomitant concerns for orchid conservation [7,10,15,19], several investigations have already focused on this nutritious and valuable yet controversial product with largely unproven health or aphrodisiac effects [8]. Previous review studies [8] report as many as 46 tuberous and 1 rhizomatous orchid species sourced from the wild for salep in the European context.…”

“…Given the ethnic importance of salep and the concomitant concerns for orchid conservation [7,10,15,19], several investigations have already focused on this nutritious and valuable yet controversial product with largely unproven health or aphrodisiac effects [8]. Previous review studies [8] report as many as 46 tuberous and 1 rhizomatous orchid species sourced from the wild for salep in the European context. However, other studies from Turkey have reported that up to 90 different taxa (species and subspecies) may be harvested for this aim [10], and 38 species from 7 genera were reported to be harvested in Iran [12,13].…”

“…However, other studies from Turkey have reported that up to 90 different taxa (species and subspecies) may be harvested for this aim [10], and 38 species from 7 genera were reported to be harvested in Iran [12,13]. In one way or another, several members of the genera Orchis, Anacamptis, and Ophrys and also Dactylorhiza, Himantoglossum, Neotinea, Platanthera, and Serapias are reported as common among these studies [8].…”