Sixty-five species of Dendrobium are used in traditional Chinese medicine and in folk medicine in India and various parts of Southeast Asia. An attempt is made in this chapter to identify species by their recognized botanical names and to resolve the confusion over their numerous synonyms which are frequently used in scientific and herbal publications. Shihu (Dendrobium) has been studied by many scientific teams and their discoveries are reviewed individually at species level and collectively as a genus. Among the compounds isolated, several show considerable promise as potential anticancer agents because of their ability to overcome chemo-resistance of cancer cells and render them again responsive to standard chemotherapeutic agents.
Dactylorhiza has an interesting cultural history. Shakespeare referred to its tuber as “dead men’s fingers” and he alluded to its usage by witches. They are collected for salep: D. hatagirea is a prized Himalayan aphrodisiac. D. viridis has also been extensively studied but for different reasons. Several of its compounds may be neuro-protective. Dienia, Diploprora and Dipodium are also described.