Approximately 50,000-70,000 MAP species are harvested around the world for their healing properties, cultural significance, and economic value. Of these, 1,500 are listed in the Appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Hong Kong is one of the world’s biggest transit hubs for the trade in MAPs. Analysis commissioned by the CITES Secretariat places Hong Kong as the second-largest importer, and that includes orchids. Signs of high demand in orchids can also be seen in the significant number of illegal trade cases: Hong Kong authorities seized orchids in 249 smuggling cases in 2025.

Conservationists at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Gardens (KFBG) have been conducting research on the legal and illegal flow of trade in medicinal orchids, and regulation enforcement strategies. We spoke with the KFBG Flora Conservation Department’s Senior Conservation Geneticist, Dr. Huarong Zhang about the Hong Kong orchid trade’s scale, impact, and what consumers can do about it.

The Big Picture

Q: What is the size of the medicinal orchid trade passing through Hong Kong?

A: We don’t have a precise published number yet as our research work is still ongoing. But we can say with confidence that it’s not a small issue. We have multiple indicators that point to a significant, non-trivial problem.

Recent enforcement cases are a key clue. For example, Hong Kong authorities have made seizures involving products containing Gastrodia elata, a medicinal orchid commonly known as tianma (天麻). More tellingly, our regular market surveys of Hong Kong’s more than 5,000 TCM shops show that medicinal orchids are widely and easily available.

An area that may warrant further attention is that some of the species we observed for sale are not reflected in the available official CITES import records. If it’s being sold but not recorded as imported, that’s a strong sign of undocumented and potentially illegal trade.

The Usual Suspects

Q: Which medicinal orchids are the most common ones we might find in a typical Hong Kong TCM shop?

A: The most frequently encountered products would fall into two main categories. The first is Dendrobii caulis, commonly known in Chinese as shihu (石斛). This isn’t one single species, but a trade name that covers a whole group of orchids from the genus Dendrobium. The second is Rhizoma gastrodiae, or tianma, which comes from the species Gastrodia elata. These are the workhorses of the medicinal orchid trade.

We also found other species being sold, like Herba nerviliae fordii (from Nervilia orchids) and Rhizoma gymnadeniae (from Gymnadenia orchids). Interestingly, these are the very species that are missing from the CITES import data, suggesting they may be entering the market through unofficial channels.

From Forest to Pharmacy

Q: Can you walk us through the journey of a wild-harvested orchid? Who is collecting these plants and how do they end up in Hong Kong?

A: The story usually begins in the forests of source regions. Think of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, countries like Laos, Myanmar, and northern Vietnam, as well as parts of South China, like Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guangxi. This is where local collectors, often from rural communities, do the actual wild harvesting.

The reality is that these harvesters are typically very poorly compensated for their labor. They are the first and most vulnerable link in a chain. From there, the plant material is amassed and moved. Traffickers exploit porous borders to get the orchids into China, where they enter established logistics networks and are transported south to the massive markets of Guangdong and finally to Hong Kong.

The Enforcement Challenge

Q: How effective is CITES and what are some enforcement challenges?

A: CITES provides the essential global framework and Hong Kong enforces it through local law (Cap. 586) with significant penalties. The challenge lies in the practicalities of enforcement.

The biggest problem is identification. Once an orchid is harvested, dried, and processed, it’s difficult to tell what species it is just by looking at it. A basket of dried stems could be any one of dozens of Dendrobium and other orchid species, some common, some critically endangered.

The sheer diversity of orchids is another hurdle. The orchid family is one of the largest on Earth, and it is highly challenging for enforcement officers to identify thousands of species at a border. At the same time, traffickers are sophisticated. They misdeclare shipments, sell openly on e-commerce platforms, and send small parcels through the post to avoid detection.

Orchids Off the Radar

Q: How does Hong Kong’s own Chinese medicine standards play into all this?

A: Hong Kong has excellent quality medicinal standards captured in the Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards (HKCMMS). It provides detailed monographs for testing common ingredients, including some orchids like tianma and some Dendrobium species.

However, the orchids we found missing from import records, such as Nervilia and Gymnadenia, also lack these HKCMMS monographs. This creates a regulatory gap. Without a standardized, official method for identifying and testing these specific species, it’s much harder for regulators and laboratories to verify what a product actually contains and to build a strong enforcement case. This lack of clarity can be exploited.

Is This a Risk to Me?

Q: For the average person buying TCM, what are the real-world risks of this unregulated trade?

A: This is a critical point. The illegal trade isn’t just an environmental problem — it is a public health issue. There are three main risks for consumers.

1. You don’t know what you’re getting: All orchids are protected under CITES. However, if a product is sold as shihu, there is no way of knowing whether it is an endangered high-altitude species, or a more common, cheaper substitute. Sometimes these substitutes have different chemical properties and may not have the intended efficacy, or they could even be toxic.

2. You don’t know what’s in it: Wild-harvested material isn’t subject to the same quality controls as cultivated products. It could contain unsafe levels of heavy metals, pesticide residues, or harmful mycotoxins from improper storage.

3. You could be breaking the law: You might unknowingly purchase a product made from a highly endangered, CITES-protected species. By simply possessing it or bringing it across a border, you could face serious legal consequences.

A Ray of Hope: What Can Be Done?

Q: Are there sustainable alternatives to wild harvesting?

A: Absolutely. Sustainable cultivation is the future, and CITES provides a range of mechanisms, such as permitting, traceability, and management frameworks that can support it.

The barriers are mostly market-driven. Many consumers still believe that wild is more potent, and it can take years to scale up cultivation for slow-growing orchids. We also need better traceability to prevent wild orchids from being laundered and sold as cultivated ones.

The Future: New Tools and New Momentum

Q: What gives you hope that things can change?

A: First, we have the technology. Hong Kong has world-class labs, like the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute and KFBG’s Conservation Genetics Laboratory. We’re advocating for targeted genetic monitoring, using rapid DNA tests at borders and in markets to accurately identify species. This would give us real data on what’s being traded and create a true chain-of-custody from forest to pharmacy.

Second, there’s new policy momentum. The recent inclusion of wildlife trafficking under Hong Kong’s Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 455) is a game-changer. It allows authorities to treat these cases as serious, organized crime, which opens the door for proactive, intelligence-led enforcement against the entire trafficking network, not just the individual harvester or shop owner.

The data gap is still our biggest challenge. But with better technology and stronger legal tools, we are finally in a position to close it.