''Vanda coerulea'', commonly known as blue orchid, blue vanda or autumn lady's tresses, is a species of
orchid
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...
found in
Northeast India
, native_name_lang = mni
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with its range extending to
China (southern
Yunnan
Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...
). It is known as ''kwaklei'' in
Manipuri and ''vandaar'' in
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
. It has bluish purple flowers (''
Thelymitra crinita
''Thelymitra crinita'', commonly known as the blue lady orchid, queen orchid or lily orchid, is a species of orchid which is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single broad, oval leaf and up to fifteen brilliant blue flower ...
'' is the only orchid that has true blue flowers) which are very long-lasting compared to other orchids. The plant bears up to 20 to 30 spikes.
Medicinal uses
The flower's juice is used as eye drops against
glaucoma
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that result in damage to the optic nerve (or retina) and cause vision loss. The most common type is open-angle (wide angle, chronic simple) glaucoma, in which the drainage angle for fluid within the eye rem ...
, cataract and blindness.
Active ingredients of ''Vanda coerulea'' may fight against the visible signs of ageing skin.
[Bonté F, Simmler C, Lobstein A, Pellicier F, Cauchard JH "Action of an extract of Vanda coerulea on the senescence of skin ]fibroblasts
A fibroblast is a type of biological cell that synthesizes the extracellular matrix and collagen, produces the structural framework ( stroma) for animal tissues, and plays a critical role in wound healing. Fibroblasts are the most common cells ...
". Ann Pharm Fr. 2011 May;69(3):177-81
References
External links
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coerulea
Orchids of Assam
Orchids of Yunnan
{{Vandeae-stub