ISO 21370:2026

International
Standard
ISO 21370
Second edition
Traditional Chinese medicine —
2026-02
Dendrobium officinale stem
Médecine traditionnelle chinoise — Tige de Dendrobium
officinale
Reference number
© ISO 2026
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ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Descriptions . 2
5 Quality and safety requirements and recommendations . 3
5.1 General characteristics .3
5.2 Morphological features .3
5.2.1 Fresh stem .3
5.2.2 Dried stem .3
5.2.3 Processed stem .3
5.3 Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) identification .3
5.4 Moisture .3
5.5 Total ash .3
5.6 Ethanol-soluble extractives .3
5.7 Marker compounds .4
5.8 Heavy metals .4
5.9 Pesticide residues .4
6 Sampling . 4
7 Test methods . 4
7.1 Macroscopic identification .4
7.2 TLC identification .4
7.3 Determination of moisture content .4
7.4 Determination of total ash .4
7.5 Determination of ethanol-soluble extractives .4
7.6 Determination of marker compounds .4
7.7 Determination of heavy metals .4
7.8 Determination of pesticide residues .4
8 Test report . 5
9 Packaging, storage and transportation . 5
10 Marking and labelling . 5
Annex A (informative) TLC identification . 6
Annex B (informative) Determination of polysaccharides . 7
Annex C (informative) Determination of mannose and peak area ratio of mannose to glucose . 9
Annex D (informative) Reference information of national and regional requirements .12
Bibliography .13

iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
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The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
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of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the
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This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 249, Traditional medicine, Subcommittee SC 1,
Traditional Chinese medicine.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 21370:2019), which has been technically
revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— addition of the definition of "stem" in 3.1;
— addition of the definition of "Dendrobium officinale stem" in 3.2;
— update of Normative references and Bibliography;
— Clause 4: insertion of Figure 1 a) "plant of Dendrobium officinale stem';
— Annex D: update of the edition date of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia; addition of the data from the Korean
Herbal Pharmacopoeia; removal of all data from Taiwan Herbal Pharmacopoeia.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

iv
Introduction
Dendrobium officinale stem is a widely used herb medicine in China and many other Asian countries, also
known as Tiepishihu in Chinese. In traditional Chinese medicine, this herb is used to treat fever, retching and
excessive thirst. Modern pharmacological studies also demonstrate its great potential in diabetes treatment
and immuno-enhancement. Therefore, the market for Dendrobium officinale has developed very rapidly, as
indicated by the increase in yield, production output and trade volume.
However, there remain many challenges, such as adulteration of similar species and lack of suitable testing
methods for quality assessment. In addition, though Dendrobium officinale has been recorded in several
[1] [2]
pharmacopoeias and standards, such as Chinese Pharmacopoeia , the Korean Herbal Pharmacopoeia and
[3]
Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards , specifications and quality requirements of these standards
vary, thus there is a clear and urgent need to develop an International Standard for harmonizing the existing
standards, as well as ensuring the safety and effectiveness of Dendrobium officinale.
As national implementation can differ, national standards bodies are invited to modify the values given in
5.4, 5.5 and 5.6 in their national standards. Examples of national and regional values are given in Annex D.

v
International Standard ISO 21370:2026(en)
Traditional Chinese medicine — Dendrobium officinale stem
1 Scope
This document specifies minimum requirements and test methods for Dendrobium officinale stem that is
derived from cultivated Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo.
It is applicable to Dendrobium officinale stem that is sold and used as Chinese materia medica (whole
medicinal materials) and decoction pieces derived from this plant.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 18664, Traditional Chinese Medicine — Determination of heavy metals in herbal medicines used in
Traditional Chinese Medicine
ISO 19609-2, Traditional Chinese medicine — Quality and safety of raw materials and finished products made
with raw materials — Part 2: Identity testing of constituents of herbal origin
ISO 21371, Traditional Chinese medicine — Labelling requirements of products intended for oral or topical use
ISO 22217, Traditional Chinese medicine —Storage requirements for raw materials and decoction pieces
ISO 22258, Traditional Chinese medicine — Determination of pesticide residues in natural products by gas
chromatography
ISO 23723, Traditional Chinese medicine — General requirements for herbal raw material and materia medica
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
Dendrobium officinale stem
stem of Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo, including fresh stem (3.2), dried stem (3.3) and processed stem
(3.4)
3.2
fresh stem
stem that is newly harvested and has not undergone any processing
3.3
dried stem
stem prepared by cleaning, cutting and then heating or sun-drying

3.4
processed stem
stem processed by trimming off the fibrous root and leaves, stir-baking while twisting to a spiral or spring
form and drying
Note 1 to entry: This is the common trade form of dried stem of Dendrobium officinale. It is usually called Tiepi Fengdou
in Chinese.
4 Descriptions
Dendrobium officinale stem generally has three trade forms, including fresh stem, dried stem and processed
stem (Tiepi Fengdou), as shown in Figure 1.
a) Plant of Dendrobium officinale stem b) Fresh stem c) Dried stem d) Processed stem
(Tiepi Fengdou)
Key
1 leaf
2 leaf sheath
3 root
4 node
Figure 1 — Structure of Dendrobium officinale

5 Quality and safety requirements and recommendations
5.1 General characteristics
The following requirements shall be met before sampling:
a) Dendrobium officinale stem shall be clean and free from foreign matt
...