The active ingredients and processing status of Dendrobium officinale

May 13, 2024

Dendrobium officinale is a perennial epiphytic herbaceous plant of the Dendrobium genus in the Orchidaceae family. It has been known as the "gold in medicine" since ancient times and is commonly referred to as the "life-saving herb" in Chinese folklore. The Shennong Materia Medica Classic first mentions Dendrobium and lists it as a top-grade plant, recording that it has a sweet taste, mainly affecting the middle of the body, removing dampness, lowering qi, strengthening yin, tonifying the deficiency and weakness of the five internal organs, and thickening the intestines and stomach after long-term consumption. Dendrobium officinale has gained widespread attention due to its unique medicinal and health value. With its official inclusion in the list of edible and medicinal substances by the National Health Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation, Dendrobium officinale is bound to usher in a development boom in the field of health.

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1. Current situation of Dendrobium officinale cultivation

Dendrobium officinale prefers to grow in semi shaded, warm, humid, and well ventilated environments. Wild Dendrobium officinale often grows on loose and thick tree trunks or cool and humid cliffs, making it difficult to pick and therefore very precious. The raw materials of Dendrobium officinale have shifted from mining wild resources to artificial domestication and cultivation in the 1980s. In the past 20 years, the domestication and cultivation techniques of tissue culture seedlings, greenhouse planting techniques, and simulated wild cultivation techniques of Dendrobium officinale have been rapidly developed and promoted. The domestication and cultivation of tissue culture seedlings includes seedling cultivation, disinfection, and the preparation of culture media. This technology has reached maturity and laid the foundation for the industrialization of Dendrobium officinale. Greenhouse planting techniques include bed planting, ground planting, and three-dimensional aerial cultivation, which are more conducive to human control of planting factors such as temperature, humidity, light, and fertilizer, and can reduce pest and disease problems.
Imitation wild cultivation mainly includes understory and rock imitation wild cultivation, which has more stringent requirements for the planting environment. However, due to the large temperature difference between day and night and low nitrogen during the cultivation process, it is more conducive to the accumulation of functional substances such as polysaccharides, and is therefore widely promoted. According to the statistics of the Dendrobium Committee of the Chinese Medical Association as of 2021, there are a total of 92 wild Dendrobium resources in China, with a total planting area of 30267 hectares and a comprehensive output value of over 50 billion yuan. Among them, the planting area of Dendrobium officinale has increased nearly 50 times in 10 years, with a total planting area of 13300 hm2, including 6500 hm2 for greenhouse planting and 7700 hm2 for simulated wild cultivation.

2. Effective ingredients and effects of Dendrobium officinale

The main functional components of Dendrobium officinale are polysaccharides, flavonoids, alkaloids, benzyl, amino acids, and trace elements. Currently, 261 compounds have been isolated and identified from Dendrobium officinale. Polysaccharides are the most abundant bioactive substances in Dendrobium officinale, with a dry content typically ranging from 10% to 30%. In some artificially cultivated varieties, the polysaccharide content can even reach over 50%. The flavonoid components in Dendrobium officinale are mainly flavonoids, flavonols, dihydroflavonols, and their glycosides, which are important material foundations for its antioxidant and immune regulatory functions. Dendrobium alkaloids are the earliest compounds isolated from Dendrobium officinale, mainly present in the protocorms of Dendrobium officinale. Currently, 52 types of Dendrobium alkaloids have been identified, which have functional characteristics such as reducing cholesterol absorption, alleviating anxiety, alleviating memory impairment, and inhibiting tumor proliferation. The main benzyl compounds contained in Dendrobium officinale are macrohuanol and dendritic fungi, which are also its main antioxidants. In addition, Dendrobium officinale also contains 20 amino acids (including 8 essential amino acids for the human body) and 22 trace elements. They are not only important functional components, but also have the function of regulating the taste of raw materials.

The main functional role of Dendrobium officinale is to benefit the stomach and generate fluids, nourish yin and clear heat. It can be used to treat symptoms such as heat disease and Tianjin injury, dry mouth and thirst, insufficient stomach yin, insufficient food and dry vomiting, persistent deficiency heat after illness, yin deficiency and excessive fire, bone steaming and fatigue heat, unclear vision, and weak muscles and bones. The prescription is Shihu Night Light Pill, which nourishes yin and tonifies the kidney, clears the liver and brightens the eyes. It is used to treat liver and kidney deficiency, yin deficiency and excessive fire, internal obstruction and dark vision, and blurred vision; Shihu powder is used to treat symptoms such as kidney qi deficiency, residual urine, and nocturnal nocturnal ejaculation after typhoid fever; Shihu Qingwei Formula is used to clear the stomach and produce fluids, strengthen the spleen and cool blood. It is used to treat symptoms such as late stage measles, stomach heat and fluid injury, weak temper, vomiting, dry mouth and thirst.

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3. Current status of Dendrobium officinale processing

The dried products of Dendrobium officinale mainly come in two forms: dried strips and maple leaves, with the former in a segmented shape and the latter in a spiral shape. Compared to fresh Dendrobium, although Iron Maple Dipper is easier to preserve and retains the rich nutrients and functional activities of Dendrobium, it is best to boil or powder it for a long time before consumption, which is inconvenient to consume. According to the ancient books and records of Chinese medicine, Dendrobium officinale is compounded with other Chinese herbal medicines, and traditional Chinese patent medicines and simple preparations products with various effects can also be developed, such as Dendrobium noctilucent pill, Mailuoning injection, Tongsaimai tablet, Yangyin oral liquid, etc. However, these products are mainly sold in pharmacies, and their medicinal properties greatly limit the circulation channels of the products. Dendrobium officinale health products have greatly expanded their distribution channels. Common Dendrobium officinale health products on the market mainly exist in powder, granules, capsules, tablets, oral liquids, extracts and other dosage forms, which are more convenient to consume than dry products. However, these product forms are conservative, lack innovation and creativity, and have weak appeal to young consumers. At present, new foods developed using dendrobium as raw material are mainly sold in the form of dendrobium beverages, dendrobium wine, and crispy biscuits.

These product forms are relatively novel and convenient to consume, making them more likely to attract the attention of young consumers. However, some products have issues such as inaccurate functional positioning and unclear content of functional ingredients. The promotion method of "treating all kinds of illnesses" hinders correct consumer mental education, restricts the improvement of product quality, and leads to insufficient product reputation and influence. In addition, toothpaste, facial mask, soap and other daily chemical products containing Dendrobium officinale extract have also been active in the market in recent years. At present, some daily chemical products have problems such as unclear ingredients, unclear dosage, and unknown functional characteristics of Dendrobium officinale extract. Overall, the prominent problems with existing Dendrobium officinale related health products are: lack of scientific formula design, lack of investment in new technologies, lack of creation of new products, investment in new technologies, and development of new products. These are the necessary paths for achieving high-quality and deep processing of Dendrobium officinale resources in the future.

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2024-05-13

Shaanxi Huike Botanical Development Co., Ltd.

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