Tiepi Shihu is a perennial epiphytic orchid. Its Chinese materia-medica name is Tiepi Shihu, commonly romanized as Tie Pi Shi Hu. Kew accepts Dendrobium officinale Kimura & Migo; POWO lists Dendrobium catenatum Lindl. among rejected synonyms under its current treatment. When consulting older material, compare scientific name, plant part, and source instead of relying only on “Dendrobium.”

The plant forms slender

green pseudobulbous canes, upright or slightly arching, with conspicuous nodes. Narrow lance-shaped leaves usually cluster toward the upper portion; leaf sheaths may bear purple spots. Short inflorescences typically carry a few yellow-green flowers, with a white lip bearing a central purple-red blotch as a useful feature. China’s protected-plant database describes it as an epiphyte on moist, partly shaded mountain rocks, records it around 1,600 m, and gives a March–June flowering period. Cultivated plants can vary with age and growing conditions.

The profile contains separate AI illustrations of the living plant, dried stems, close-up traits, habitat, epiphytic cultivation, and reference processing. These images are for study, not voucher-backed specimen photos; do not use them to identify wild plants, decide whether to harvest, or distinguish cultivars.

The pharmacopoeia uses Tiepi Shihu for the stem of Dendrobium officinale. A medical review recounts Dendrobium’s history in Chinese medicine and quotes classical descriptions such as nourishing yin, benefiting the stomach, and generating fluids. These passages describe

historical thought and traditional classification; they do not establish that the stem treats dry mouth, diabetes, stomach or eye disorders, or chronic disease.

Modern markets include fresh stems, dried sections, curled stems, and food ingredients, sometimes under related names. These forms differ in plant part, specification, cultivation origin, and quality. In 2024, China’s health authority announced cultured protocorms from Dendrobium officinale or D. huoshanense as a novel food ingredient under specific conditions. That notice concerns cultured protocorms; it should not be generalized into approval of every plant part, preparation, or treatment claim for Tiepi Shihu stems.

When reading traditional material, distinguish historical description, pharmacopoeial standard, and research hypothesis. Do not turn a drug name into an individual prescription; this section supports study of context, not self-administration.

The project’s CITES Trade Database 2026.1 extract contains nine comparative-tabulation rows for Dendrobium officinale, term MED (medicine), purpose T (commercial), in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2023, and 2024. CITES describes the database as official annual reports submitted by Parties. These rows are not nine independent shipments, total production, revenue, or all international trade. Quantities in different units or reported by exporters and importers must not be combined into an unsupported total. A transaction record does not prove efficacy or present-day legality of a particular product.

Modern research studies

polysaccharides, chemical markers, extracts, and activity in vitro or in animal models. An industry review notes that human clinical data remain limited and better studies are needed to assess efficacy, safety, and dose. Mechanistic, cellular, or animal results therefore are not treatment advice. Studies may use different samples, parts, cultivars, processes, and standards; a laboratory extract does not represent a home-grown plant or untested material.

A trade count describes only records reported within a particular query. It does not show how many people used a product, how many retail products were sold, active-compound concentration, or health benefit. The page separates trade evidence from traditional-use history so commodity movement is not mistaken for clinical proof.

CITES records trade in the species within the Convention framework; orchid requirements depend on current appendices and annotations, specimen origin, product form, and route. China’s protected-plant database lists Tiepi Shihu as Category II protected in China. This is jurisdiction-specific

and does not replace checking Vietnamese or other national rules. Do not collect wild plants for identification or commercial supply.

Health Canada lists Dendrobium officinale in its approved herbal-name database and records fresh or dried source material. An ingredient listing is not authorization for every product, proof of efficacy, or a recommendation to use it. People taking medicines, pregnant or breastfeeding, living with a health condition, or with allergy history should consult a qualified professional about the exact product and ingredients.

Supply-chain risks include species substitution, mixing stems from several Dendrobium species, missing traceability, pesticide residues, mold from poor storage, and labels that misstate processing form. AI images do not authenticate plants or certify product quality. Prefer suppliers documenting scientific identity, plant part, cultivation source, testing, and trade papers; do not infer safety because a product is labeled an herb or food.

No formula is included because reviewed primary sources did not establish the exact species, purpose, ingredient amounts, and ratio together. A multi-ingredient product does not prove

benefit for a disease, and a study of a mixture cannot isolate Tiepi Shihu’s effect.

The reviewed sources do not name a specific herb that becomes poisonous when combined with Dendrobium officinale. This profile therefore does not label another plant a toxic partner, invent ratios, or infer incompatibility from the broad genus name Dendrobium. This does not prove every combination safe: risk may depend on product, dose, health conditions, and medicines used.

Any formula added later should preserve source, scientific name and synonym, plant part, units, context, and cautions. Ingredient images should only be added after verification. There is no “toxic pair” image because no reliable specific pair was found; a composite would falsely imply a proven interaction.

When examining a living plant, look for stem nodes, sheathing leaf bases, narrow upper leaves, and short inflorescences with few flowers. Flowers may be absent outside the season or on young plants; their absence alone does not rule out the species. Cane color changes with age, light, and plant health. Reliable identification may require provenance, a botanist, and microscopic or molecular traits; the close-up image is AI-generated and not a voucher specimen.

The pharmacopoeia describes

dried curled stems as usually having 2–6 coils, a yellow-green or slightly golden surface, longitudinal wrinkles, distinct nodes, and a grey-white to grey-green cut face. A short remnant of adventitious roots may remain. Another form is cut into sections and dried. Sensory traits support study but cannot confirm species, purity, or pharmacopoeial quality without testing and traceability.

“Tiepi Fengdou” commonly describes stems twisted into coils or springs; it is a product form, not a separate species name. Distinguish the living plant, fresh stems, dried cut sections, curled stems, and extracts. Each has separate specifications and should not be treated as interchangeable in notes or trade data.