Herb Spotlight: Checkered Orchid

Native to India and Southeast Asia, the Checkered Orchid (Vanda tessellata) is an epiphytic orchid with abundant aerial roots and beautifully checkered, sweet-smelling orchid flowers.

While orchid enthusiasts and tropical gardeners might be in love with its enchanting flowers, it is also a key medicinal plant in Ayurveda and Unani systems of medicine — Unani is a medical tradition similar to Ayurveda and grew out of traditional Greek and Persian healing traditions which found there way in the course of history to the Indian subcontinent)

Also known scientifically as Vanda roxburghii, and as rāsnā in Sanskrit, the Checkered Orchid is a unique Ayurvedic herb with very specific healing properties. While most medicinal applications utilize the aerial roots of the orchid, a few rely on crushing its succulent leaves into a paste.

rāsnā’mapācinī tiktā guruṣṇā kaphavātajit।
śothaśvāsasamīrāsravātaśūlodarāpahā।
kāsajvaraviṣāśītavātikāmayasidhmahṛt

Rāsnā is a bitter digestive, with a heavy and hot potency; it pacifies kapha and vātā.
It is used to treat pain, inflammation, asthma, gout and colic.
It is also used to treat cough, cold, fever, poison, leprosy and diseases caused by excess vātā.

From the bhāva prakāśa nighaṇṭu

Ayurvedic Properties of Checkered Orchid

• Reduces kapha and vātā – Checkered Orchid pacifies both kapha and vātā doshas in the body. Being both warm and heavy, it is especially useful in all kinds of vātā disorders.
• Anti-inflammatory – Checkered Orchid has anti-inflammatory properties and is traditionally prescribed for fever, joint and muscle injury or pain, arthritis and gout.
• Analgesic – Checkered Orchid also has strong pain-relieving properties which makes it doubly useful in the above conditions (joint and muscle pain, arthritis, gout) as well as for headaches.
• Rejuvenative – Checkered Orchid is considered a rejuvenative (or rasāyana) herb in Ayurveda. It is considered especially useful in the healing of wounds and injuries, including joint sprains and bone bruises & fractures.
• Checkered Orchid is also traditionally used for the treatment of cough, asthma, colic pains, indigestion, and for purifying the blood from toxins and poisons.

Auromère Products with Checkered Orchid

Checkered Orchid is part of Auromère’s unique Ayurvedic Massage Oil formula (labeled as Vanda roxburghii), which relies on the amazing properties of cold-pressed Sesame Oil along with 25 other Ayurvedic herbs, oils and minerals (including Castor oil, Ashwagandha, Bala and Sandalwood!).

Checkered Orchid imparts its amazing rejuvenative, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties to the formula and makes the massage oil a must-use oil for self-massage to help with all kinds of muscle and joint pain, stiffness or injury (including arthritis and gout).

With all best wishes for your health and wellness from Auromère