Medicinal Ferns and Fern Allies: 4 short entries

Adiantum venestum

This cousin of the other Maidenhair ferns grows in very remote places and at high elevations, mostly in Asia. It does not have much documentation in herbal medicine, but is known to be astringent, diuretic, emetic, expectorant emenagogue. It has traditionally been used externally for headaches and scorpion stings and to treat wounds.





Arthromeris wallichiana

The root of this fern is antiseptic and used topically for wounds and for skin infections.





Asplenium bulbiferum

I have not found any medicinal uses for this fern, but it is one that has been traditionally eaten as a wild food. No toxicity has been reported, and it is considered to be a delicacy.





Asplenium rhizophyllum, Walking Fern

Little information has been documented about the medicinal use of the this fern, But, Plants of The Cherokee tells us that it was used as an ingredient in two medicinal formulas:

For when their breast swells. An infusion of four plants is used four times before noon, for four days, to cause vomiting: horse-balm (Collinsonia canadensis), Walking Fern, Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) and Sharp Lobed Hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba). The whole plant is used in every case except the first plant, in which the leaf or root tea is used.


Walking Fern was also used in the formula for “Dreaming of Snakes”. Apparently, such dreams were believed to cause both mental and physical illness when the person dreamed he was bitten by a poisonous snake. The formula consisted of a decoction of Rattlesnake Fern, or Virginia Snakeroot and the bark of the Tulip Poplar. This would be applied both externally, in the place where the person dreamed he was bitten, and taken internally as a tea. An incantation was recited and the area was breathed upon by a native healer. The tea would cause the patient to vomit.



Photo credits:

Adiantum venestum By Kembangraps - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3473138

Arthromeris wallichiana DSC_0161.JPG (3008×2000) (googlegroups.com)

Asplenium bulbiferum By Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64996880

Asplenium rhizophyllum, Walking Fern By Choess - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22853796



This article is an excerpt from

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