Advance on chemical components and pharmacological effects of Dendrobium officinale

Tie-Pi Shihu,the dried stem of the perennial herb Dendrobium officinale in the genus Dendrobium of the family Orchidaceae,has a long history of medicinal usage and is widely distributed in the southern part of China. Researches showed that different parts（leaves,stems and flowers） of D. officinale are rich in flavonoids,bibenzyl,alkaloids,phenylpropanoids,terpenes,phenanthrene and nucleosides,which have significant pharmacological activities such as antioxidant,antitumor,hypoglycemic,constipation relief,osteoporosis prevention,liver and kidney protection,etc.. They are very effective in treating malignant tumor,gastrointestinal diseases,diabetes,cataract,arthritis,thromboangiitis obliterans and chronic pharyngitis,etc. Particularly,it is effective in the treatments of gastric cancer,liver cancer,dry eye and diabetes. In this paper,the reported 261 compounds from Dendrobium officinale and the progress of research on pharmacological effects are reviewed,providing the reference for subsequent research and development of Dendrobium officinale.