Therapeutic Orchid - Amitostigma Schltr.

Scents create an impression that will stick in our memory for a long time, you will never remember which branded watch or bags your friends carries but you will always remember that nice fragrance around them. The type of perfume speaks volumes about one’s personality, in Jet’aime Perfumery Workshop, they offer individual and couples’ workshop that allows you to create your signature scent based on your personality. The wide range of orchids fragrance oils in Jet’aime PerfumeryWorkshop will transform you into a garden, surrounding by all the floral scents.

Perfume have inevitable become part of our life, many people do not consider themselves fully-dressed without a spritz of perfume, thus making it an incredibly necessary invisible accessory for many. When mentioned, many will associate orchids with fragrances, but they actually are more than just beautiful scents. Many orchids have therapeutic benefits to us and we will look into the orchid genus - Amitostigma Schltr.

Amitostigma Schltr, also known as Wuzhu lan in Chinese are small orchids found in the Himalayas, China and Japan.  They are mostly found on wet mossy rocks or in humus- covered soil in forests and meadows or on hill slopes and cliffs. There are a few species of Amitostigma but the below few do have some medicinal usage.

Amitostigma gracile (Blume) Schltr.

There are a lot of different Chinese names for this orchid such as Xitingwuzhu, Xiewuzhu, Huawuzhu, but it is more known as Duyeyizhiqiang, its Chinese medicinal name. This orchid is usually grow on damp, rocky soils in forests, valleys and crevices at 200–3000 m

Some uses of this orchid include their ability to reduce swellings and arrest bleeding. The entire plant including the roots are use to treat bites from snake, dysmenorrhea and menstrual irregularities. 

Amitostigma pinguicula (Rchb.f. & S.Moore) Schltr.

This orchid grows on rocky soils in wet grasslands, forests and valleys at 200–400 m in northeast Zhejiang. It is often being known as Dahuawuzhu Lan in Chinese.

This orchid has the same Chinese medicinal names as the above plant although they are different flower. Similarly, this entire plant is being use to prepare medicine. It is used for detoxification, reducing noxious swellings, treatment of trauma and snake bites.

Amitostigma simplex Tang & F.T. Wang

Known as Huanghuawuzhu Lan in Chinese, it is endemic to China where it occurs on grassy slopes above 2300–4400 m in western Sichuan and Southwest- ern Yunnan. This orchid has the same medicinal benefit as the above mentioned Amitostigma pinguicula. Unfortunately, this plant is on the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Photo Credits: a.biglobe.ne.jp, Plant Photo Bank of China and Liu Ming.