Botany
Pigeon orchid has stems that are slender, fascicled, smooth, elongated, up to 1 meter in length, with pseudobulbs at the base, 8 to 12 cm long, about 2 cm thick. Leaves are scattered, distichous, oblong, 5 to 8 cm long and 1.5 to 2.5 cm wide, with a blunt tip. Flowers are white, fugaceous, very fragrant, solitary or somewhat fascicled, appearing on the upper parts of the stems at the nodes; the center of the lip is pale yellow, 2.5 to 3 cm long.

Distribution
Common and widely distributed orchid in the Philippines.
Growing at sea level to an altitude of 500 meters.

Constituents
Plant yields trace alkaloid in the pseudobulbs and leaves.

Parts used
Pseudobulbs and leaves.

Uses
Folkloric
The Malays commonly used the juice of the pseudobulbs for treating ears.
Poultice of leaves used on boils and pimples.
Others
Fibers from the stems are used as decorative material in basket making and other crafts.

Studies
• Analgesic / Anti-Inflammatory / Antioxidant: Study of ethanol and methanol extracts showed anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive and antioxidant activities which may be related to the changes in the content of total alkaloids.

Availability
Wild-crafted.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Pigeon Dendrobium, Dendrobium and wood cups of analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of the study ; Study on anti-nociceptive, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects of Dendrobium crumenatum SW., Dendrobium moniliforme (L.) SW. and Ephemerantha lonchophylla HUNT & SUMMERH. / Chen Songbin and Sung-Ping Chen / Institute of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University