Bracken Fern (Pteridium aguillinum)

Description

The scientific name of the plant comes from the following words: pteron in Greek means "wing", and aquila - in Latin "eagle". The leaves of this fern really resemble the wing of a huge bird.

The bracken stem grows underground. Young leaves - fronds are formed in May and at first resemble a snail, and as they grow, they unfold and look like a hook. The petiole of a leaf is called a rachis. Ferns reproduce by spores.

Interesting Facts

The fern is one of the oldest plants on earth that has survived to this day. Scientists believe that the compressed wood of ancient ferns has become the main forming material of coal.

Everyone knows the belief that whoever finds a fern flower on the night of Ivan Kupala will be able to find all the treasures and open all hearts. It's just a legend - the fern never blooms.

Compound

Bracken fern rhizome contains starch, alkaloids, saponins, hydrocyanic and bracken-tannic acid, essential oils, flavonoids, fat, tannins. Young shoots are rich in vitamins, tocopherol, riboflavin, carotene, nicotinic acid.

Bracken fern proteins in their properties and composition are close to the proteins of grain crops, they are easily digested. Fern has long been eaten by taiga residents Far East as well as residents of Korea and Japan. The use of fern favorably affects the growth processes, helps the formation of the skeleton, metabolism, and activity. nervous system, increases efficiency, improves the state of the endocrine system, promotes the removal of radionuclides from the body.

Application

Fern used in cooking different peoples peace. Salads are prepared from young leaves, “snails” are boiled, fried, pickled and salted for the winter, used as a seasoning for meat. Bracken fern rachis taste like mushrooms. Fresh fern is not used!

Beneficial features

Fern has been used for medicinal purposes for a long time. Inside, a decoction of rhizomes and herbs is taken for diseases of the spleen and intestines, for aching joints, diarrhea, jaundice, headache and chest pain, for dry pleurisy, noise in the head, and as a laxative, diuretic, analgesic and anthelmintic.

Outwardly, a decoction of fern rhizomes is used for wounds, eczema, scrofula, abscesses. The infusion can be used for ulcers and rheumatism in the form of baths.

Contraindications

Fern infusions and decoctions should be used very carefully, under the guidance of an experienced herbalist, since the fern is poisonous.

You can not be treated with fern during pregnancy!

Overdose can lead to nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, convulsions, decreased blood pressure, respiratory depression, weakening of cardiac activity and even death.

calories and the nutritional value fern

Fern calories - 34 kcal.

Fern nutritional value: proteins - 4.55 g, fats - 0.4 g, carbohydrates - 5.54 g

fern with meat rich in vitamins and minerals such as: vitamin A - 29.9%, beta-carotene - 31.5%, vitamin B2 - 11.9%, vitamin C - 21.2%, vitamin PP - 15.3%, cobalt - 28%, manganese - 17.7%, copper - 16.1%

What is useful fern with meat

• Vitamin A is responsible for normal development, reproductive function, skin and eye health, and maintaining immunity.
• B-carotene is a provitamin A and has antioxidant properties. 6 micrograms of beta-carotene is equivalent to 1 microgram of vitamin A.
• Vitamin B2 participates in redox reactions, increases the susceptibility of color by the visual analyzer and dark adaptation. Inadequate intake of vitamin B2 is accompanied by a violation of the condition of the skin, mucous membranes, impaired light and twilight vision.
• Vitamin C participates in redox reactions, the functioning of the immune system, promotes the absorption of iron. Deficiency leads to friable and bleeding gums, nosebleeds due to increased permeability and fragility of blood capillaries.
• Vitamin PP participates in redox reactions of energy metabolism. Inadequate vitamin intake is accompanied by a violation of the normal state of the skin, gastrointestinal tract and nervous system.
• Cobalt is part of vitamin B12. Activates the enzymes of fatty acid metabolism and folic acid metabolism.
• Manganese participates in the formation of bone and connective tissue, is part of the enzymes involved in the metabolism of amino acids, carbohydrates, catecholamines; necessary for the synthesis of cholesterol and nucleotides. Insufficient consumption is accompanied by growth retardation, disorders in the reproductive system, increased fragility of bone tissue, disorders of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism.
• Copper is part of the enzymes that have redox activity and are involved in the metabolism of iron, stimulates the absorption of proteins and carbohydrates. Participates in the processes of providing tissues of the human body with oxygen. Deficiency is manifested by violations of the formation of cardio-vascular system and skeleton, the development of connective tissue dysplasia.

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The fern remains one of the most mysterious plants. The first thing that comes to mind is a beautiful legend about one night on the feast of Ivan Kupala. Young people go in search of a mysterious fern flower, which, according to legend, blooms for just a moment on this very night. The one who is lucky enough to find the color of a fern and has time to pick it, gains tremendous magical power, gains access to unlimited wealth and great happiness. Unfortunately, so far no one has managed to pick a fern flower.
The fern is a very beautiful and ancient plant. Its age exceeds more than 400 million years. Once the whole planet was covered with huge ferns, but now they have changed, decreased and some of the species have become indoor plants. To date, there are about 10,000 varieties of fern, of which only 2,000 grow in Russia.

Indoor Fern Care

Grow indoor fern not difficult. It is enough to follow a few rules. The first and main thing is the great whimsicalness of the fern in the water. The soil in the pot should be constantly moist, and the air in the room should not be very dry. For a fern, temperatures above +22 and below +10 C are detrimental. It is better to place a flower on a window on the east or west side. The scorching sun will not burn his leaves, and the moisture will not evaporate so quickly. It is necessary to spray the fern during the day with soft, well-settled water. Additionally, you can humidify the air by placing a container of water next to it.
Today, among flower growers, there are common types of ferns such as Ruddy's maidenhair, Pelleya's nephrolepis, Cyrtomium, Davallia, classic fern and many others. They differ from each other in a rosette and a sheet plate. When placing a fern next to other plants, make sure that its leaves have enough space. Be sure to remove damaged leaves, and then new and beautiful ones can grow in their place. Some types of fern reproduce by spores, but mainly by dividing the root with several leaves.

garden plant species

Indoor fern decorates your interior well, but in addition to growing it at home, there are also species for planting on the site. The most common of them is the common ostrich. In the wild, it can be found near swamps and in damp forests. On the garden plot it multiplies quickly enough and forms lush thickets. During growth, young fern leaves gradually straighten out, and by mid-June form a large green funnel. A month later, spore-bearing shoots grow in the middle of the plant, which are widely used by flower growers to make floral arrangements. It grows well both in the shade and in a sunny area, as long as the soil around it is always moist.
The male fern is also widespread. Its mature leaves reach a length of 1.5 meters and well shade the necessary areas of the garden. It reaches its enormous size only in the third year of life. It is his flower that they are trying to find on the night of Ivan Kupala.
There are other types of ferns that can not only decorate, but also delight with their beneficial properties. So, for example, bracken fern is famous for its rhizomes, which contain many useful properties. AT traditional medicine its dried roots are used to treat coughs, scrofula, joint pain, prostatitis and to get rid of worms.

Vitamin composition

As mentioned earlier, bracken fern root is very useful. It contains starch, saponins, alkaloids, hydrocyanic and tannic acids, essential oils, and fats. Young shoots of the plant are rich in vitamins, tocopherol, riboflavin, carotene. Fern proteins are similar in composition and properties to cereal proteins and are easily digested. The use of fern has a positive effect on the processes of skeletal growth, increased activity of the nervous system, increases efficiency, improves the endocrine system, accelerates metabolism and removes radionuclides from the body.

Application in cooking

The fern is used in various world cuisines. Prepared from young leaves delicious salads, and they are also boiled, pickled for the winter, fried and widely used as a seasoning for meat. The main thing to remember is that it is forbidden to use fern in its raw form, as it contains toxic substances, and you can easily get poisoned. The calorie content of fern is only 34 kcal per 100 grams, while the nutritional value is: proteins - 4.55 g, fats - 0.4 g, carbohydrates - 5.54 g

Beneficial features

Fern has been used in folk medicine for centuries. Inside take decoctions from rhizomes and herbs for aching joints, diarrhea, jaundice, diseases of the spleen and intestines, headache and chest pain. The decoction is used as a laxative, analgesic, diuretic and anthelmintic. Outside, the decoction is used in the treatment of eczema, wounds and abscesses. In the form of tincture baths, it is used for ulcers and rheumatism.

Contraindications for use

Fern infusions and decoctions should be used with extreme caution and preferably under the guidance of an experienced herbalist. It contains a number of acids that adversely affect the human body. It is prohibited for the treatment of diseases during pregnancy. Overdose can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, low blood pressure, convulsions, respiratory depression, and even death.

Description

Fern - herbaceous plant, a representative of the Osmundov family. Scientists consider North China, Korea, and the Far East to be his homeland. There is a fern in the forests of Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Central Asia, Mexico. The plant is a green stem with pinnately dissected leaves (see photo). The fern is considered one of the oldest plants on the planet, originating in the Devonian period. Pressed fern wood, according to scientists, became the material for coal.

In order to understand what this plant is, it is necessary to trace the stages of its development: the fern stem grows underground, young leaves called fronds begin to form in spring, then the leaves grow and most of all resemble a huge snail, the leaves unfold and become like a hook . The fern does not bloom, but reproduces with the help of spores.

The plant received its scientific name Pteridium aguillinum (bracken fern) due to its resemblance to the wing of a huge bird (preton is translated from Greek as “wing”, aqulia means “eagle”).

A lot has to do with the fern interesting legends. People were very wary of this plant, because it looked very mysterious. Our ancestors did not understand how this plant reproduces if it never blooms. Fern blossoming was expected by people as a special holiday. According to a well-known belief, a person who finds a flower of this plant on the feast of Ivan Kupala will be able to get incredibly rich, because on this night the earth itself opens and shows hidden riches. In Russia, they believed that this plant opens any locks and that you cannot hide a single secret in front of a fern. According to an ancient legend, the fern appeared thanks to the goddess of love Venus, supposedly she dropped her beautiful hair, and this grew out of it. amazing plant. Another legend says that a girl fell off a cliff, and a spring arose in that place, and her hair became a plant that looked like a bird's wing.

calories: 34 kcal

Energy value of the product Fern:

• Proteins: 4.55 g
• Fats: 0.4 g
• Carbohydrates: 5.54 g

Beneficial features

The beneficial properties of the fern are due to its valuable chemical composition. The plant is rich in alkaloids, starch, essential oils, flavonoids, tannins. Fern shoots contain carotene, tocopherol (vitamin E), riboflavin, or vitamin B2. The presence of alkaloids makes the plant an excellent pain reliever.

fern contains a large number of proteins similar to cereal protein, which is easily digested and has a positive effect on the body. With regular use, the plant has a positive effect on growth processes.

Fern has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the nervous system, tones the body. There is evidence that the plant helps to remove radionuclides from the human body.

For medicinal purposes, the rhizome of the plant is used, which is harvested in September. Fern is effective for varicose veins, inflammation of the sciatic nerve, and convulsions calf muscle. With these diseases, the course of treatment is 3 weeks.

Use in cooking

Ferns have been used in cooking since ancient times. For food purposes, only two types of fern are used - bracken and ostrich. Edible are the so-called rachis, or plant shoots. And its young leaves are added to salads, fried, marinated, used instead of seasoning. Fern shoots taste like mushrooms. Due to the high presence of proteins, the plant was loved by the inhabitants of Japan, Korea, and the Far East. The calorie content of this product is 34 kcal per 100 grams.

There are two types of fern preparation: boiling and canning. In any case, before preparing the plant, its shoots must first be boiled. You should not neglect this stage and fry fresh rachis: in this way you will spoil the dish, because the fern will be bitter. The leaves are washed in salted water. When the water boils, after a few minutes it is drained, the plant is washed and again poured with salted water. Next, the fern is boiled until tender. The shoots should not break, it is enough to bring them to a state where they will easily bend. The cooked plant is thrown into a colander and used according to culinary recipes.

A popular option for preparing fern is its salting. Thanks to salting, the product can be stored long time, besides, you get an excellent "semi-finished product", which can be turned into an amazing one very quickly tasty dish. The plant is thoroughly washed, then placed in glass jar and covered with salt, the ferns are folded in layers, pouring them table salt. Next, the container with the plant is pressed down on top with something heavy and placed for 14 days in a cool place. After two weeks, it will be necessary to drain the brine, and transfer the shoots to another container. Moreover, the plant is folded again in layers with the difference that the layer that was on top should be at the very bottom. The fern is again poured with brine with a minimum salt content of 22%. In this form, the fern can be stored for several years.

On sale there is a specially harvested fern for food purposes. The purchased product must be soaked in clean water for several hours to remove excess bitterness and salt. During this time, it is better to periodically drain the water and fill the plant with new water. After two hours, the fern is transferred to a saucepan and boiled for about 15 minutes without adding spices. In parallel, it is necessary to cut the onion and meat. Next, the meat and onions should be fried for vegetable oil. fern after heat treatment cut into small pieces and fried along with the rest of the ingredients. At the end of cooking, add 1 tbsp. l. soy sauce. The dish is served hot.

A well-known recipe for the preparation of this plant is “Korean fern”. Onions and carrots, cut into strips, stew on olive oil until golden. Fern sprouts are added to the vegetables in the pan and mixed thoroughly. The resulting mass is again thoroughly mixed and seasoned with seasoning for cooking carrots in Korean. Next, the vegetables are stewed until tender for 15 minutes.

Fern benefits and treatment

The benefits of the plant have long been known to folk medicine. Fern is used as an analgesic for joint pain, headache. For rheumatism, it is recommended to take warm baths with fern decoction. Also, decoctions of the plant are effective for jaundice, diseases of the intestines and spleen. Externally, the plant is used for eczema, abscesses, scrofula. Fern root powder relieves congestion in the intestines and spleen.

A decoction of fern rhizomes can be prepared at home. To do this, boil 10 grams of crushed rhizome for 10 minutes in 200 ml of water. Take a decoction should be 1 tsp. along with bee honey. Sometimes the decoction is mixed with flour and taken by dividing the "dough" into 10 parts. Fern is a potent remedy, drugs on the basis of which it is impossible to take without medical indications. After taking the plant, be sure to put an enema and take a saline laxative. Taking other types of laxatives is strictly prohibited.

Outwardly, a decoction of fern is used as baths or rubdowns. In order to prepare a bath with a decoction, you will need 50 grams of rhizome per 3 liters of water. The broth is insisted for several hours, and then poured into a cool bath.

Fern harm and contraindications

The plant can cause harm to the body with uncontrolled use. It is better to use fern under the supervision of a phytotherapist or attending physician, since the plant is poisonous.

Fern is contraindicated for pregnant women.

Contraindications to its use are also fever, anemia, tuberculosis, liver and kidney disease, ulcers, chronic diseases.

In case of an overdose, the patient should wash the stomach and immediately seek medical help.

Interesting Facts

The fern is one of the oldest plants on earth that has survived to this day. Scientists believe that the compressed wood of ancient ferns has become the main forming material of coal.

Everyone knows the belief that whoever finds a fern flower on the night of Ivan Kupala will be able to find all the treasures and open all hearts. It's just a legend - the fern never blooms.

Fern, young shoots rich in vitamins and minerals such as: vitamin A - 20.1%, beta-carotene - 40.8%, vitamin B2 - 11.7%, vitamin C - 29.6%, vitamin PP - 24.9%, potassium - 14.8%, phosphorus - 12.6%, manganese - 25.5%, copper - 32%

What is useful Fern, young shoots

• Vitamin A is responsible for normal development, reproductive function, skin and eye health, and maintaining immunity.
• B-carotene is a provitamin A and has antioxidant properties. 6 micrograms of beta-carotene is equivalent to 1 microgram of vitamin A.
• Vitamin B2 participates in redox reactions, increases the susceptibility of color by the visual analyzer and dark adaptation. Inadequate intake of vitamin B2 is accompanied by a violation of the condition of the skin, mucous membranes, impaired light and twilight vision.
• Vitamin C participates in redox reactions, the functioning of the immune system, promotes the absorption of iron. Deficiency leads to friable and bleeding gums, nosebleeds due to increased permeability and fragility of blood capillaries.
• Vitamin PP participates in redox reactions of energy metabolism. Inadequate vitamin intake is accompanied by a violation of the normal state of the skin, gastrointestinal tract and nervous system.
• Potassium is the main intracellular ion involved in the regulation of water, acid and electrolyte balance, is involved in the processes of nerve impulses, pressure regulation.
• Phosphorus takes part in many physiological processes, including energy metabolism, regulates acid-base balance, is part of phospholipids, nucleotides and nucleic acids necessary for the mineralization of bones and teeth. Deficiency leads to anorexia, anemia, rickets.
• Manganese participates in the formation of bone and connective tissue, is part of the enzymes involved in the metabolism of amino acids, carbohydrates, catecholamines; necessary for the synthesis of cholesterol and nucleotides. Insufficient consumption is accompanied by growth retardation, disorders in the reproductive system, increased fragility of bone tissue, disorders of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism.
• Copper is part of the enzymes that have redox activity and are involved in the metabolism of iron, stimulates the absorption of proteins and carbohydrates. Participates in the processes of providing tissues of the human body with oxygen. Deficiency is manifested by violations of the formation of the cardiovascular system and skeleton, the development of connective tissue dysplasia.

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