Expert says no strong scientific proof plant serves as effective aphrodisiac
KUCHING: Beautiful, lovely and exotic are words often used to describe the orchid.
Incidentally, somewhere in the origin of orchids, they were actually “testicles”.
These are really basic elements of romance, it is therefore, really no surprise that the orchid, too, has found its way into the sex life of man.
Indeed, orchids have been used as aphrodisiacs (substances that increase sexual libido) in many societies around the world for thousands of years.
But, former Orchid Society of Southeast Asia (Ossea) president Dr Teoh Eng Soon from Singapore sounded his disapproval of this particular usage of the plant, stating that there was no scientific proof that orchids could increase the libido.
“These claims were based on very small studies which used only five or six animals. This sort of publication would never be accepted by a real scientific journal,” he revealed during his keynote speech titled ‘Orchids as Aphrodisiacs’ on Thursday, part of the 13th Asia Pacific Orchid Conference (Apoc13) at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here.
“However, aphrodisiac orchids have been very extensively investigated. Several hundred compounds have been isolated from the different species of Dendrobium,” he said, adding that some of these compounds had anti-cancer effects or the ability to protect the skin from ultraviolet light.
The genus name of the plant is derived from the ancient Greek word ‘órkhis’, literally meaning “testicle”. This is attributed to the shape of the twin tubers in some species of orchids which resembles the aforementioned human organ.
According to Dr Teoh, historically, a group of Greeks and Italians was the first to promote the orchid as an aphrodisiac.
The idea was taken up by Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides, who wrote the famous De Materia Medica,
a pharmacopoeia of medicinal plants, between 50 and 70 CE.
“Later on, it was adapted by the Arabs and the Turks, and the Middle East promoted the use of salep (a powder made from orchid tubers). Salep plants flourished in Europe during the Renaissance period,” he further said.
Dr Teoh explained that salep was consumed as a nourishing beverage, akin to how we drink soybean here, and it was not just treated as an aphrodisiac.
“The Indian paradigm regarding the use of orchids as aphrodisiacs is different — aphrodisiacs and tonics are used to prevent symptoms of old age, to increase natural immunity and to promote longevity,” he said, indicating that the Indian perception of aphrodisiacs was that they were an essential component of one’s daily sustenance.
In his presentation, Dr Teoh also spoke of a number of other places that incorporated the use of various orchid species as aphrodisiacs, such as Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Africa and China.
Touching on its usage in Tibet, he mentioned that Tibetan yogis consumed a small pill containing Dactylorhiza hatagirea before retreating into caves, claiming that one of these pills was their sustenance for the entire day.
“The pill is referred to as an essence extraction, and they believe its vital compounds will sustain life,” he said, contemplating aloud that perhaps the energy provided from the aphrodisiac could be sublimated into their religious advancement.
These pills are even marketed in Tibet as a body energiser, claiming to provide vital nourishment, boost the immune system, and strengthen the activities
of the sexual organs — but they are not labelled as aphrodisiacs.
Dr Teoh stated that in China, the most famous aphrodisiac orchid grown was the medicinal Dendrobium, referred to as shihu.
He said that various physicians promoted the use of shihu after the oldest available Chinese medical text Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing printed in the first century mentioned that the Dendrobium “enhances male sexuality and reinforces the vital essence.”
“I was told that in China, 10,000 hectares are devoted to the cultivation of Dendrobium for medicine, 7,000 of which is dedicated to just one species — Dendrobium officinale,” said Dr Teoh.
He went on to say that Dendrobium officinale was nursery-grown for two years before being transplanted onto rock cliffs in the Sichuan province, following the original shihu which was recorded in their historical medical texts as growing on rocks.
“These rock-grown plants can fetch four times the price of plants grown on the ground,” he disclosed.
Dr Teoh stated that aphrodisiac orchids were the most widely cultivated, but a number of species were under threat in certain countries.
“It is important that these countries protect their natural species,” he urged.
