Yuthog Foundation for Tibetan Medicine

Medicinal Plants

Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D.Don) Soo

Altitude:

3800 m (12,467 foot)

Location:

South slope, wet, between small brooks

Medical usage:

general tonic, increase sperma, aphrodisiacum

Used part:

bulbous root, whichs is shaped like a root (lags = hand)

This plant and other orchids are famous not only in Tibetan Medicine but also in Ayurveda, Unani etc.
The tuber of this particular species has got the Tibetan name dbang lags ("Wang lag").
The name is based on two things. For one thing, there are the medicinal properties. This is reflected by "Wang", which stands for Wang po, the vedic God Indra, who is associated with longevity and virility and who is being worshipped both in India and in Tibet as a bestower of these qualities. Then, there is the shape of the tuber which resembles a hand . "lag pa" means hand in Tibetan.

The plant, as many of the wild growing plants of the Himalayas, is endangered by extinction today. Tubers are being collected in large quantity, dried, cleaned and sold to the Indian markets.
Another well know name for various orchid tubers is "Salep". In India, people boil them with milk and use the brew as a rejuvenating tonic and aphrodisiac.