Table 3.
Orchid species employed in herbal medicines in the MCR
| SN | Name of species | Common name | Use | Mode of application | Plant part used | Method of preparation | No of respondents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ansiella africana Lindl | Ewomboh | Cough | Concoction | Pseudobulbs | Crush with leaves of Piper guinensis boil | 11 |
| Madness | Concoction | Pseudobulbs | In combination with other herbs that were not given is the main ingredient for the treatment of madness | 08 | |||
| Crush and boil | |||||||
| Diabetes | Decoction | Roots | 3 leaves, 10 limes, and parasite boiled in 5 L of water and consume every morning | 05 | |||
| Leaves | Crush with bitter cola (Garcinia kola) consume as tea | 08 | |||||
| Impotence | Concoction | Roots | Grind with dried seeds (7) of Piper guineense and apply | 10 | |||
| Macerate leaves and apply before going to bed | |||||||
| Side pain | Paste | Leaves | Paste act as short-term contraceptives | 15 | |||
| Nightmares (bad dreams) | Maceration | Leaves | Not specified | 02 | |||
| Pregnancy inhibitor | Paste | Pseudobulbs | 05 | ||||
| Love charms | Not specified | Not specified | 08 | ||||
| 2 | Angraecum augustipetallum Rendle | Snake repellant | Not specified | Whole plant | Not specified | 0 | |
| Bone fortification in children | Maceration | Leaf apex | Macerated leaves with kernel oil (“manyanga”) | 12 | |||
| Abortion | Concoction | Whole plant | Crush plant and boil | 04 | |||
| 3 | Angraecum birrimense Rolf | Against sorcery | Not specified | Whole plant | Not specified | 04 | |
| Snake repellant | Not specified | Whole plant | Not specified | 02 | |||
| 4 | Ancistrorhynchus seratus Summerh | Koh | Diabetes | Tea | Leaves | Dried leaves | 06 |
| 5 | Bulbophyllum melinostachyum Schltr. | Anti-poisons | Powder | Whole plant | Grind dried leaves to powder and consume | 10 | |
| 6 | Bulbophyllum barbigerum Lindl. | Side pain | Paste | Whole plant | Grind with dried seeds of Piper guinensis and apply | 12 | |
| Ear pain | Decoction | Leaves | Crush leaves with few drops of lemon or limes (stop mucor). Drop in the infected ear | 07 | |||
| 7 | Bulbophyllum intertextum Lindl. | Mpah | Side pain | Paste (smear) | Whole plant | Grind with dried seeds (7) of Piper guinensis and apply | 10 |
| 8 | Bulbophylum lupulinum Lindl. | Etumukwoboh | Against sorcery (protection) | Planted (not exposed) | Whole plant | Grown plants treated (sprinkled) once or twice a year with blood of a roster accompanied with spoken desires. | 07 |
| Night poisons | Concoction | Whole plant | Put a bottle of water and placed in the room | 03 | |||
| Whole plant | Boil with 7 heads of Ageratum conyzoides and take as tea | 05 | |||||
| 9 | Bulbophyllum calyptratum Kraenzl | Skin diseases (measles, poxes abscesses, rashes) | Maceration | Leaves | Macerate leaves with yellow stone and kernel oil, then apply | 12 | |
| Wounds | Decoction | Whole plant | Wash wounds with decoction | 06 | |||
| Burns | Paste | Whole plant | Apply paste on the burnt spot | 10 | |||
| 10 | Bulbophyllum simonii Summerh | Luck portion | Powder | Whole plant | Mix in body lotion and apply when need be | 06 | |
| 11 | Bulbophyllum falcatum (Lindl.) Rchb.f. | Against thunder and sorcery | Not specified | Whole plant | Grown in compound | 05 | |
| Predictions | Not specified | Leaves | Immediate necrosis young leave means not embarking on a seriously planned journey | 07 | |||
| 12 | Bulbophyllum pumilum (Swartz) Lindl. | Nnokoh | Epilepsy | Concoction | Whole plant | Boil with leaves of Ageratum cornyzoides and Piper guineensis take as bath and consume as tea | 05 |
| 13 | Calyptrochilum emarginatum (Afzel.ex Sw) Schltr. | Charms | Not specified | Leaves | Not specified | 15 | |
| Good luck | Power | Leaves | Make power out of Tapinanthus bangwensis and orchids, mix with body lotion, and apply | 06 | |||
| 14 | Cyrtorchis acuata | Charms | Powder | Whole plant | Consume as tea | 07 | |
| Diabetes | Infusion | Leaves | Dried leaves consume as tea | 04 | |||
| Skin diseases | Paste | Leaves | Mix a quantity at a time in body lotion and apply | 05 | |||
| 15 | Diaphananthe bidens (Afzel ex Sw.) Schltr. | Mbingwoh | Fertility | Powder | Whole plant | Powder of plant mixed in milk act as an aphrodisiac | 03 |
| Diabetes | Concoction | Whole plant | Boiled mixture of orchid and Piper umbellatum | 08 | |||
| 16 | Graphorkis laurida (Sw.) Kuntze | Nkelenkwokwo | Coughs | Concoction | Whole plant | Crush and boil with sweet alligator pepper (Piper guinenses) and ginger | 13 |
| Tuberculosis | Powder | Whole plant | Mix powder with black palm kernel oil and consume | 09 | |||
| Tooth maggot/tooth aches | Concoction | Whole plant | Crush and boil with back of pear | 07 | |||
| 17 | Habenaria procera (Afzel. ex Sw.) Lindl. | Ekuh | Blood purification | Powder | Whole plant | Dried leaves of plants are ground and consumed at such or mixed with lemon and taken as tea | 12 |
| Gastritis (chest and stomach pains) | Concoction | Whole plant | Plants boiled with leaves of Piper guinensis | 05 | |||
| Arthritis | Decoction | Pseudobulbs | Cush, boil and consume. Also massage body with crushed substance | 10 | |||
| 18 | Liparis nervosa (Thunb.) Lindl. | Burns | Paste | Entire plants | Crush and apply to spot | 15 | |
| Ulcers | Concoction | Whole plant | Boil with Bidens pilosa and leaves of Piper guineense, take as tea | 08 | |||
| Stomach aches | Powder | Whole plant | Consume as tea | 10 | |||
| 19 | Listrostachys pertusa (Lindl.) Rchb.f. | Measles | Concoction | Whole plant | Crush and boil take as purgative | 05 | |
| Constipation | Powder | Whole plant | Consume as tea | 04 | |||
| 20 | Polystachya concreta (Jacq.) Garay & H.R.Sweet | Rheumatism Arthritis | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | 01 | |
| 21 | Polystachya cultriformis (Thouars) Lindl. ex Speng. | Neshieh | Measles | Concoction | Whole plant | Boil plants with mistletoes (Tapinanthus bangwensis) and limes | 05 |
| Burns | Paste | Leaves | Grind leaves with seeds of Piper guineense and apply | 04 | |||
| 22 | Polystachya caloglossa Rchb.f. | Ntohpoupou | Rheumatism | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | 02 |
| 23 | Tridactyle tridactylites (Rolfe) Schltr. | Madness | Concoction | Whole plant | Not specified | 03 |