Bracken fern useful properties. Bracken fern: about beneficial properties, harm, cooking recipes

Since ancient times, many peoples sacredly believed that in the middle of summer, on the night of Ivan Kupala, the fern blooms a flower of unprecedented beauty, which was attributed to miraculous properties.

fern description

It's grassy perennial, whose height is from 30 to 100 cm. It has a brown and thick rhizome with a large number of appendages that resemble threads. The fern stalk is underground. In May, young leaves (fronds) appear, at first they are very similar to snails, and over time they unfold and become like hooks. The rachis is the petiole of the leaf. The fern reproduces by spores, so it cannot have any flowers in principle.

The properties of the bracken are well known to people. The thing is that it is one of the most ancient plants on Earth. Fern leaf - scaly, pinnately complex. In autumn, sporangia appear on them, from which spores fall out a little later.

Spreading

Fern, beneficial features which is used by folk healers, grows all over the world. He can be found in northern countries(Norway and Finland), he feels great in hot Mexico or Central Asia. Even in some Arctic regions, you can meet him in the summer. In Russia, the fern grows everywhere: from to Siberia. Most often it is found in forests, preferring spruce, fir, beech and mixed massifs.

Composition

The root of the fern contains starch, alkaloids, eagle-tanning essential oils, tannins, flavonoids, fat. Young shoots are saturated with vitamins, tocopherol, riboflavin, carotene, and nicotinic acid.

Fern: useful properties, application

The bracken fern contains protein, which in its composition and properties is close to the indicators of this valuable substance in cereals. It is easily absorbed by the human body. The fern is included in the diet of taiga dwellers in the Far East and residents of Korea and Japan. Eating it helps proper formation skeleton, normalizes metabolism, normalizes the nervous system, increases the excretion of radionuclides from the body, improves work endocrine system.

Some peoples of the world use fern in cooking. Salads are prepared from young leaves and shoots, and petioles are fried, boiled, salted and pickled for the winter. They are an excellent seasoning for meat and taste like mushrooms.

Modern researchers never cease to amaze healing properties plant root: it contains many unique components that help remove toxins from the human body, cleanse it. For skin diseases, fern is quite effective. The use of preparations based on the root gives a positive effect in the treatment of long-term non-healing wounds, eczema, rheumatism, chronic constipation, relieves headaches. In addition, recent studies have shown that such drugs improve the condition of cardio-vascular system(but at the same time, they are contraindicated for some heart diseases, so a doctor's consultation is necessary).

Medicinal properties

Folk healers use an aqueous infusion of fern roots to treat cramps and rheumatism. Infusion for these diseases is applied externally.

Harvesting roots

Fern in folk medicine is most often used in the form of infusions from the roots of the plant. They are collected in September and October. Thoroughly clean from the ground, remove the scaly leaf of the fern and small roots. Raw materials are dried, as a rule, in ovens or in rooms with good ventilation. Store them in a hermetically sealed container. Raw materials can be stored for no more than one year. Roots that have turned brown inside cannot be used to make medicines.

Fern: cooking recipes

It should be remembered that after taking it, you should definitely take and make several cleansing enemas. It is not recommended to use another laxative, so as not to cause the absorption of this agent into the blood.

Outdoor use

Fern, the beneficial properties of which are very multifaceted, can be used for external use: baths, rubdowns. Take 50 g of dry root (or 100 g of fresh), boil it for 2-3 hours in two liters of water under a closed lid. Add the composition to a cool bath (+ 27-32 degrees).

It is also used for this folk remedy, the basis of which is a fern. Recipes for the preparation of potions from this plant are simple, but the dosage should be strictly observed. Prepare powder (60 g) from dry fern root. Divide it into 30 parts. Powder and Castor oil take according to the scheme:

1 day. Take only liquid food during the day. At night, take 2 tablespoons of castor oil.

Day 2 Every 2 minutes for an hour on an empty stomach, take 1 part of the powder mixed with 2 ml of the essential tincture of the root. Do not eat for 6 hours, then take a laxative.

Contraindications

Remember that fern extract is the strongest poison, so all preparations based on it must be used only for its intended purpose and under medical supervision. They are strictly contraindicated in people with chronic diseases liver, duodenal ulcer and stomach, fever, tuberculosis, anemia. In addition, they should not be given to children under 2 years of age.

Overdose can cause nausea, vomiting, convulsions, severe headache, a sharp decline blood pressure, dizziness, weakening of cardiac activity, respiratory depression and even death.

The use of fern during pregnancy is strictly prohibited. In case of an overdose, it is urgent to empty the stomach, take a laxative and immediately seek help from a medical institution.

Fern, the beneficial properties of which can help with quite serious diseases, can be very dangerous if taken uncontrolled and the dosage is not observed.

Plants are the oldest medicines that man began to use. Our distant ancestors, using not so much experience and knowledge as bestial instinct and intuition, used plants to heal diseases and wounds. Medicinal plants still play an important role in medicine and pharmacology today: a huge number medicines made from plant ingredients.

In our country, there are many medicinal plants that are used by both traditional and non-traditional (folk) medicine. One of the very common and good for everyone famous plants that are used for treatment is bracken or common bracken. This plant is also used in cooking, dishes from it are especially popular in Asian countries.

General information

Common bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn) is a perennial fern belonging to the Bracken family, one of the most common large ferns in Russia. This plant has a very wide geography, it is found almost anywhere on our planet, with the exception of the northern latitudes.

Inhabits both coniferous and deciduous forests, prefers sunny places and poor soils. Can form continuous thickets. Reproduces well with vegetative propagation.

Appearance

Usually the plant is 30-100 cm in height, but specimens up to 150 cm are often found. The leaves are strongly pinnate, sitting on fleshy cuttings. The leaf plate is hard and dense, with a specific smell. The leaf has a triangular shape. The plant has several powerful vertical and horizontal rhizomes, which it uses, among other things, for vegetative propagation. Sori, like other ferns, are on the underside sheet plate.

Active substances

bracken fern contains a large number of very different chemical substances, almost all of them can have a very strong effect on the human body. Here are just a few of them:

Catechins;

Flavonoids;

Riboflavin;

A nicotinic acid;

glycosides;

Carotene;

Tocopherol;

And it's far from full list. In addition, bracken is rich in trace elements that are very useful for our body. Among them are iodine, potassium, calcium, magnesium, nickel, sulfur and phosphorus.

As you can see, this plant is very rich in active substances and they can both help a person from many ailments and cause serious harm if used improperly.

Fern in medicine

This fern has long been used in medicine for healing a wide variety of diseases.

Young shoots and leaves are used to treat digestive system and spleen. A decoction of the leaves is used against coughs, as well as for removing helminths. Rhizomes are used for diseases of the locomotor apparatus: aching joints, rickets, rheumatism. An infusion of bracken rhizome is used to treat skin diseases: eczema, wounds or boils.

In the Middle Ages, bracken was used as an anthelmintic. Today medications from this plant also regularly help with many diseases. Many of the effects that these drugs have can be described in one term: improvement and normalization of metabolism.

What is the bracken fern valued for, what are its useful properties?

Growth promotion;

Increased immunity;

Relieve stress;

Improving the functioning of the endocrine glands;

Increasing efficiency;

Improving the exchange of certain trace elements (iodine, potassium).

And yet, according to Japanese research scientists, as they reported in the press, bracken is a plant that removes radionuclides from the human body.

To whom is bracken fern dangerous, what is the harm from it?

Regardless of which medicinal plant fern - bracken is good, bracken is actually very dangerous, so it should be used with extreme caution. Do not self-medicate at random! An overdose of fern preparations can be fatal. And we warn you about this on this page of the site www.rasteniya-lecarstvennie.ru! The plant is poisonous and should be used only under the strict supervision of a doctor. Remember this!

It is contraindicated to use preparations from orlyak:

• pregnant women;
• small children;
• nursing mothers;
• persons with individual intolerance.

The symptoms of bracken poisoning are as follows: nausea, vomiting, dizziness, severe convulsions, weakening of the heart and lowering blood pressure. Violation of the liver and kidneys. Various allergic reactions are possible.

Use in cooking

The bracken has long been used in kitchens different peoples peace. It is still widely consumed today, especially in Asian countries. Previously, it was also used in Russia. Today, fern shoots are considered a delicacy in Korea, Japan, New Zealand, and China.

For cooking, you can use only young, not yet unfolded shoots (snails). Therefore, it is important for the assembler to choose right time for harvesting shoots. If you missed the right moment and the shoot hardened, then it is no longer suitable for food. It becomes bitter and toxic.

Young shoots are rich nutrients and micronutrients. They can be boiled, fried, pickled, used in salads.

After collection, fern shoots can be stored for no more than two days, after this period it becomes poisonous. So, it is better to process the collected plants immediately. The collected shoots should be soaked for a day in salt water, and then washed in cold water. running water. After that, the shoots need to be boiled several times, and each time after boiling, change the water. Only after that you can fearlessly use the fern for cooking.

Fern can be salted and thus make it a long-term supply. To do this, you need to take a wooden container, put the bracken there and fill it with salt, in a ratio of 3 to 10 (3 kilograms of salt per 10 kilograms of fern). Cover the container with a lid and place a weight on top. After two weeks, drain the brine and make a new one, now taking a ratio of 2 to 10. After another two weeks, do the same operation with a ratio of 1 to 10. Then the fern is taken out and dried. Then it can be used after soaking.

Bracken is very similar in taste to mushrooms, so you can use it in the same way. Fern can be used as a side dish or as an addition to meat, fish, vegetable and other dishes. When crushed, it can be used in sauces or gravies. The amount of protein in bracken shoots approximately corresponds to its content in cereal crops, therefore, bracken is easily absorbed by our body, if it is cooked correctly.

And remember the most important rule of using this plant: it should not be eaten raw. Before use, the bracken must undergo heat treatment.

Bracken fern - cooking recipes

in Korean
Prepare:

600g fern

70ml soy sauce

100ml vegetable oil

1/4 tsp hot ground red pepper

4 garlic cloves

1 tsp ground coriander
Cooking
Soak the fern for about 12-13 hours, changing the water 4 times during this time. Put a 12 liter saucepan on a high heat and wait for it to boil. Cut the plant into 3 parts and throw into the water.

Once the water boils, cook for another 2 minutes. Don't digest! It is better to cook for only 1 minute than 3 or more.

Pour water into a colander.

Place the fern in a bowl. Squeeze the garlic through a garlic press, add pepper, coriander, pour soy sauce and oil. Connect everything. Salt as desired. Let it brew for a few hours.

Give a sample to the guests, use it to your health!
Fern stewed with pork

Prepare:

• 800g bracken fern

250g onion

100g soy sauce

5 heads of garlic

600g pork

Vegetable oil

0.5 tsp hot ground red pepper

Chop the pork without bacon into strips, onion in half rings, cut the fern into 4 parts. Fry the meat in oil, add the onion and bring to readiness.

Put the chopped bracken into the pan. Add crushed or chopped garlic, soy sauce, red pepper, and table salt taste. Mix everything evenly and simmer for about 8 minutes until cooked.

Bracken fern: useful properties and cooking recipes

The bracken fern with its spreading paws adorns the birch groves of the Altai Territory all summer, Far East, Siberia and the Urals. Fans of hiking in these parts enthusiastically admire its mysterious glades, but few people know that this miracle plant is highly valued for its exquisite taste and beneficial properties. Recently, local gourmets have also become interested in fern recipes.

Unpretentious, beautiful and unkilled

The bracken fern is herbaceous plant, similar to low bush. It usually grows in dense colonies united underground by a common rhizome. The bracken is found in different climatic regions throughout the earth. It is very easy to recognize by its beautiful feathery leaves, similar to acacia twigs. If the stalk of a fern is cut across and carefully studied its image, then you can see an eagle in it, which gave the name to this plant.

The common bracken is known for its vitality. In any soil, even in the most infertile, rocky or sandy, he feels great. Having settled once, he remains in this place for many years. Summer residents and farmers do not like him for this, leading a fierce struggle with him as with a difficult weed, which is almost impossible to eradicate. Even if a fire occurs that destroys everything in the forest, grove or garden where this plant grew, it will be the first to sprout and sprout new shoots.

From harm to benefit - one step

Despite the widespread attitude to ferns as weeds, two of their species are still classified as edible - this is the ostrich and bracken. It should be noted right away that these plants can be used for food only after observing certain precautionary rules. They cannot be consumed fresh, as they contain toxic substances that are poisonous to humans.

If there is such a risk, is it worth consuming bracken? The beneficial properties of this plant in many ways exceed the small danger that is easy to eliminate. This has long been understood by residents of many Asian countries, where ferns are not just a delicacy, but are considered national dish. Such love makes it possible for those who live in Kamchatka and in the Primorsky Territory of Russia to have additional income.

Starting in May, when the first bracken shoots appear, many go to the taiga to collect this delicacy, which is bought in bulk from the population for export to China and Japan. Why is this plant so much loved in the East?

A storehouse of benefits, taste and health

Bracken fern dishes contain many useful elements that are found both in young shoots and in rhizomes. Leaves give the body the following substances:

1. Phytosterols - reduce the level of cholesterol in the body.

2. Flavonoids - strengthen capillaries, regulate blood clotting, improve vascular permeability.

3. Sesquiterpenes - have an anthelmintic, antihelminthic effect.

4. Tannins (catechins) - are indispensable for the prevention of cancer, as well as increase immunity, preserve youth.

When eating young shoots and stems of the bracken fern, the body benefits from such elements as essential oils, glycosides, alkaloids, fatty oils, aspartic, nicotinic, glutamic acids, tyrosine, phenylalanine, iodine, phosphorus and many other trace elements and vitamins. Thanks to such a rich composition, the bracken fern is valued. Its beneficial properties stimulate metabolism and increase the level of stress resistance of the body.

Don't miss the short collection period

Let's now proceed to detailed description all the nuances that you need to consider if you want a safe and tasty bracken to appear on your table. Cooking begins with the right collection. Although this plant can be found in forests, ravines, birch forests, and even in your garden during the entire warm season, it should be collected for cooking only in spring. The fact is that young shoots that have not yet released leaves are edible.

At the end of spring, the shoots begin to harden, the spreading paws with leaves turn into a shrub that is no longer suitable for food, since it contains large quantities contains bitter glycosides, and the level of toxic substances also increases significantly. It is important not to miss that short period when the bracken is still young, its stem is fragile, and the young shoots are bent into a hook. Such twigs are as easy to collect as dandelions - they break easily, and their delicate leaves are rich in a variety of substances.

Set goals and make time

Collected bracken fern should be stored in the refrigerator for no longer than two days. During this period, it must be processed, otherwise it will become completely poisonous. This must be taken into account when collecting. If your goal is to surprise exotic dish your friends, do not collect it in large quantities. If you want to stock up while it is still edible in order to indulge yourself with its unusual taste throughout the year, then it is worth setting aside a few days for these purposes, as it will take time not only to go to the forest or grove for ferns, but also to its processing.

Having collected right amount raw materials, immediately proceed to its preparation. Start by sorting - select a small number of beautiful and uniform heads to treat yourself to this delicacy tonight. Put the rest in the refrigerator. We will process it for a long time in order to prepare it for the winter or for future use. To this end, the plants will need to be salted, pickled or dried, but more on that later.

Preliminary processing

So that the dinner from the fern is not overshadowed food poisoning, you need to properly prepare freshly harvested raw materials. First of all, it is necessary to clean it from bitterness and toxic substances. An ideal option that will maximize the preservation of nutrients and marketable condition fern is soaking. Shoots prepared for cooking are lowered into saline solution for a day, after which they are soaked in fresh water. Such pre-treatment will make the young bracken shoots completely safe and palatable.

If you don’t want to wait a whole day, then you can clean the fern from bitterness with the help of several stages of boiling. First, take a copper basin and pour a large amount of water into it. Bring it to a boil, add salt, immerse the shoots very carefully for two to three minutes. After that, you should replace the water - and bring it to a boil again. This should be done two or three times.

At the last boil, the shoots need to be boiled for about ten minutes, constantly monitoring the process. As soon as the fern heads curl into beautiful green rings, they should be removed from the heat. Now let's start preparing the bracken. The recipes for almost all bracken dishes are similar, differing only in the presence of ingredients. They are based on the same cooking methods that we are used to using when processing mushrooms.

We make stocks

Let us now return to the processing of the fern, which was put aside in the refrigerator. We want to stockpile these stocks of raw materials for a long period of time by salting them. To do this, you need to take a large capacity, it is best wooden barrel. Fold in it the collected fern, mixed with salt in a ratio of 3 to 10 (for three kilograms of salt, 10 kilograms of raw materials). Cover with something heavy so that a brine appears under the yoke. After two weeks, the brine should be drained and replaced with a new one, which is already prepared in a ratio of 2 to 10. Leave it again for two weeks, after which the fern, if desired, can be salted again in a ratio of 1 to 10. After that, the shoots must be folded into bunches and dry.

Salted bracken can be stored for as long as dried mushrooms. Before cooking, it should be pre-soaked, then used. In addition to salting, bracken can be prepared in pickled form according to the scheme that is used for mushrooms.

fern salad

The easiest recipe for how to cook bracken is to make meat salad out of it. Boiled beef or veal is best suited. You will also need hard-boiled eggs, green onion, hard cheese, fresh tomatoes and mayonnaise. All ingredients should be taken in equal amounts. Cheese, meat, tomatoes should be finely chopped.

Soak bracken in advance in water (salted) or boil (raw). Put the prepared shoots in a frying pan, in heated oil, and simmer to get rid of excess moisture. After that, evenly mix all the products and season the salad with mayonnaise. Garnish with finely chopped green onions.

It is impossible to embrace all the many recipes that cooks offer for cooking bracken. These can be not only the famous Korean pickled fern salads, but also Russian inventions, such as dumplings, pancakes and even pies stuffed with fried bracken. All these experiments became possible due to the fact that it tastes like mushrooms, so the same dishes are prepared from it.

Also, simple recipes include fried fern, which can be used as a gravy for any side dish. It is very easy to prepare it:

1. Finely chop one onion and fry until transparent.

2. Put 400 grams of boiled fern into the pan and fry for another 10 minutes with onions.

3. Separately, mix half a cup of sour cream with one tablespoon of flour.

4. Pour the mixture into the roasted ferns. Put in the oven. When a golden crust forms, take it out. Serve hot.

Fern and its beneficial properties

Modern ferns (lat. Polypodiphyta) are one of the few ancient plants (appeared about 400 million years ago) that have retained a significant diversity comparable to what it was in the past. Ferns vary greatly in size, life forms(both herbaceous and arboreal forms of life are found), life cycles(alternating asexual and sexual generation), structural features and other features. Appearance they are so characteristic that people usually call them all the same - ferns, not suspecting that this is the largest group of spore plants: there are about 300 genera and more than 10,000 species of ferns.

Ferns are ubiquitous, although they do not always attract attention. But most of them big variety- where it is warm and damp: tropics and subtropics. It is found in birch forests throughout Russia. Widely distributed in the Urals, Siberia, Altai, the Far East.
Their main feature is that they do not have seeds, and they reproduce mainly by spores.

Their main feature is that they do not have seeds. And they reproduce by spores.

Not every fern can be eaten: common bracken is considered edible (pteridium aquilinum), common ostrich (matteuccia struthiopteris), osmunda cinnamon (osmunda cinnamomea) and several other species, while others are absolutely tasteless or even poisonous.

Composition

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.
Of the microelements, the bracken accumulates iodine, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, sodium, nickel, sulfur, and phosphorus.

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 of the 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.

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

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 ears, as a laxative, diuretic, analgesic and anthelmintic.
Orlyak stimulates metabolism, relieves stress.

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, lowering blood pressure, respiratory depression, weakening of the heart and even death.

Application in cooking

Fern is used in cooking around the world. Salads are prepared from young leaves, “snails” are boiled, fried, pickled and salted for the winter, used as a seasoning for meat.

The most popular among cooks. It got its name for the similarity of the leaves with the wing of a bird of prey. The bracken is quite common throughout the territory and it is not difficult to find it. 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 the leaf is called rachis. Young shoots, the so-called rachis, are eaten. Rakhis is a central vein with a petiole of a compound leaf. Young - 10-15 days old - sprouts bracken taste like porcini mushrooms. The best are those that have not yet unfolded leaf blades, with a petiole length of about 20 cm. Rachises are harvested in the spring, at the time of flowering of lilies of the valley, when the fern leaves have not yet unfolded, but the cuttings are already quite large.
When harvesting, you need to know that the cut rachis of the fern do not grow back. Therefore, do not cut the entire bush completely - ruin the plant. Raw rachis are poisonous!

The lower part of the petioles of the bracken instantly hardens, so they need to be salted or boiled in salted water (5 minutes, then put in a colander) immediately after collection, and then dried. salted fern like this: greens are placed in enamel pan, sprinkled with salt (at the rate of 250 g of salt per 1 kg of fern), covered with a wooden lid and pressed with oppression, the weight of which must necessarily be equal to the weight of the salted greens, and left for 6–8 days. As soon as the brine begins to cover the lid, it is drained. With it, the bitterness that is contained in the young shoots will also go away.

The fern prepared in this way is stewed (the fern and onion, and then stewed together in sour cream and served with fried tomatoes and herbs), fried (dipped in pancake dough and deep-fried), added to salads. You have probably seen chopped bracken sprigs in ready-made Korean salads.

Salted fern shoots perfectly retain valuable substances. Fern shoots help with stress, they increase the endurance of the body, improve well-being and metabolism.

Try it - an amazingly tasty, magnificent "mushroom" snack for the whole year is growing under your feet!

Interesting fact: IN Slavic mythology fern flower endowed magical properties although the ferns do not bloom. On the night of Ivan Kupala, lovers are looking for this mythical fern flower (according to legend, it blooms for just a moment), believing that it will bring eternal happiness to their couple.

It's interesting that South America, Australia, New Zealand eat starch-rich rhizomes of bracken fern. Yes and in Western Europe they once made flour and even brewed beer.
Based on materials from wikipedia.org, gastronom.ru, lady.mail.ru

Fern Orlyak is very fond of eating residents of Russian Far Eastern countries. Korea, Japan and China do not forget about him either. Although our compatriots do not even allow how fern can be eaten, nevertheless it is consumed in many parts of the globe.

What is a bracken fern?

It is a perennial plant from the fern family. There are many varieties of this plant, but not all are edible. Orlyak just refers to those plants that can be eaten. Fern Orlyak grows in almost any conditions, so it has taken root in many countries. Only young shoots of this plant are eaten, the old ones are unsuitable for consumption, because they pose a danger to the body.

Shoots can be fried, boiled, pickled, etc. Orlyak is great for eating with meat dishes, fish, vegetable puree and with many others. Bracken fern is widely distributed in folk and modern medicine.

Most often, this type of fern reaches 30-90 m in height, but there are also giants of 150-200 m. The leaves of the plant are dense and hard, have a sharp unusual smell. The plant has powerful and strong roots, which are located both vertically and horizontally. Sori are on the reverse side of the leaf.

The fern can be stored for up to two days before being eaten, if more time passes it becomes toxic. If you do not have time to use it within the specified period, then it is better to subject it immediately after collection. heat treatment let cool and put in the freezer.

The chemical composition of the plant

This type of fern contains a lot of useful substances for human body. It contains the following elements: sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, iodine, etc. Fern is also rich in tannins.

Benefits of bracken fern

• If you regularly eat the plant, the immune system is strengthened.
• Improves heart function, blood circulation
• Normalizes the amount of sugar in the blood
• Displays harmful substances from the body, improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract
• Removes radionuclides from the human body
• Helps strengthen bones and teeth
• Helps to cope with depression and problems of the nervous system
• Antioxidants contained in the plant stop the aging process and wear and tear of the body.

From the above, we can conclude that bracken fern has many useful substances for the body. But I consider it my duty not only to reveal it useful properties, but also warn about contraindications.

Contraindications:

• It is forbidden to use this plant during pregnancy and lactation, since the effect of fern on the body during the period of bearing a baby has not been fully studied.
• If you have any problems with internal organs, then before starting, visit a doctor and consult about taking fern shoots
• Do not abuse, remember that everything is good in moderation

The use of fern in cooking

bracken fern palatability strongly resembles mushrooms, so you can cook it the same way. It can be served as a side dish or used in the preparation of various sauces. This plant is rich in protein, so the body does an excellent job of processing it.

Remember the important rule:

Do not eat the plant raw. It must be subjected to heat treatment before it enters the human body.

In nature there are more than 10 thousand varieties fern. All of them are scattered around the world and over the years of growth have adapted to the area. In the climate of our country, several types of fern grow here, one of which is Orlyak.

Large plant - perennial. It appeared 55 million years ago and is one of the few oldest lichens who not only survived to our time, but also retained their appearance without changes. It reaches almost 70 centimeters in height, and some up to 2 meters in the southern regions, and is unpretentious to the soil.

The name of the fern is associated with the similarity of its oblong leaves to eagle feathers. He poisonous for all representatives of the fauna, but is successfully used by man for decorating rooms, for medical purposes and even in cooking.

At home, the Orlyak fern will live much longer than in natural wild conditions. With proper care, the plant will delight with the violent growth of the crown for up to several decades.

You can more clearly see the Orlyak fern in the photo below:

Home Care

fern bracken can be grown at home. A responsible approach and observance of all the nuances is a guarantee that it will be possible to grow a healthy and beautiful plant.

Features of care after purchase

The first step on the road to success is buying a healthy fern.

Having brought Orlyak home, you should leave it for a day in a shaded place. Then transplant into a pre-prepared spacious pot with soil mixture.

The substrate for planting should consist mostly of sand.
Ferns like well-drained soil, they will not be comfortable in a clay environment, so broken bricks are often placed on the bottom of the pot.

A hole in the pot should be dug deep, overlaid thin layer compost and carefully place the roots of the plant in the recess. Water immediately after planting by special means, which will soften and accelerate adaptation.

Lighting

In the house, the bracken fern will feel good in a dark place away from batteries central heating . Sunny window sills are categorically contraindicated for him - it is better to place a pot with large plant on the opposite side of the window.

Temperature

fern bracken withstands a fairly wide range of temperatures - from +10 degrees to +25.
On the summer period the plant can be taken outside to places protected from direct sunlight, which is detrimental to lichen. The main thing is that it be protected from cold drafts and wind.

Air humidity

IN home care behind the bracken fern, it is important to maintain humidity. In summer, the lush crown and trunk of the plant must be constantly moistened. Leaves should be sprayed with a spray bottle daily, irrigating and air around. In a dry environment, the fern begins to hurt.

Watering

Orlyak loves abundant watering from the beginning of spring to late autumn - the soil is moistened 2 times a week, as it dries out the slightest.

IN winter time years, watering is reduced, performing the procedure 1 time in 2 weeks. During this period, daily spraying is enough to maintain the level of moisture the plant needs.

Fertilizers and top dressing

Fern Orlyak is very sensitive to chemical fertilizing.

Fertilize the plant after hibernation to restore strength and give impetus to growth. They are applied once a week according to the indicated dosage.

Transfer

The plant rarely needs repotting. This is only appropriate in the case of planting an adult, strengthened fern in open ground for a warm summer period or if the pot in which it grows has become small for an overgrown root system.

In the garden Orlyak is transplanted into a deep hole, shaded from sunlight place without drafts. All transplanting work is carried out only in the spring, when the plant enters the phase of active growth.

pruning

The crown of the fern does not need seasonal pruning. At home, the maintenance of Orlyak does not shed its leaves. A representative of the lichen family growing in the garden will “replace” withered leaves in the spring with new ones that will return it to its former healthy appearance.

reproduction

An unpretentious plant reproduces in several ways. Determine which one is the simplest detailed consideration each option.

Reproduction by spores

In the wild, the bracken reproduces by spores, as it is an asexual plant.

In conditions home breeding in autumn, a leaf is cut from the plant, cut into it and put to dry in a paper envelope.

At the end of January, spores, which are a fine powder, are poured into prepared boxes with soil mixture, irrigated with a spray bottle and covered with thick glass.

After 2 months, green moss appears on the surface of the soil - this is the basis for future seedlings. During this period, the glass is removed to provide access to oxygen.

When individual elements grow together and increase in size, they can be transplanted into separate pots of small diameter. By spring, the seedlings are ready and can be planted in another soil. It's pretty the hard way and rarely use it, preferring a lighter alternative.

Reproduction by dividing the bush

Most easy way get a lot planting material- divide the bush into separate parts. Developed and strong root system plants allows you to do this without harming the main fern and get a lot of child elements ready for planting.

The procedure is carried out in early spring, after the end of frost, as soon as the thermometer of the thermometer shows consistently above 0.

Fern Orlyak does not reproduce by tubers and shoots.

Diseases and pests

Beneficial features

Fern Orlyak is used not only for decorative ornament home or garden.

Its successful use in medicine and cooking is known. However fern Orlyak has not only useful properties, but also contraindications.

Under the name of the fern, 10560 species are hidden.

They have been known to mankind since the Paleozoic - this is the only ancient plant that has managed to preserve such a diversity of species so far.

They are distributed throughout the world, and differ markedly from each other.

What species are used by humans

The fern family is extensive, however, not all of them are used by humans.

Consider the most common.

Male (Dryopteris filix-mas) or shield bug

Known in the northern hemisphere, in temperate zones.

Medicinal preparations are prepared from the rhizomes, the shoots are eaten.

The plant itself is actively used in decorative gardening. Some species are used in perfumery production.

The scientific name Dryopteris (lat.) is translated as oak oak forest fern.

Large land plants with a strong rhizome protruding above the ground and covered with scales.

The leaves are double- or triple-pinnate, the upper leaf plate is smooth, and the lower one contains sporangia, with the help of which reproduction occurs.

Leaf rachis covered with the same scales as the rhizome.

Openwork patterned leaves are collected in neat bunches and are very decorative. The height of adult plants averages 0.3-1 m, sometimes more.

Reproduces by spores, does not bloom. It remains a mystery why the myth of a fern blooming on the night of Ivan Kupala is so widespread among the people.

The plant is poisonous, so it is not recommended to use it on its own.

Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum)

A perennial herbaceous plant with beautiful double- and thrice-pinnate leaves (fronds), sometimes called jesus grass.

In general, there are several versions about the origin of the name of this common fern.

Someone sees in it the similarity of a leaf plate with a bird's wing, others saw an eagle from the state emblem on the cut of the stem, and for someone the plant resembles an eagle posture.

The rhizomes of the common bracken lie deep, which contributes to vegetative propagation.

The leaves do not grow in bunches, but singly, its thickets form a continuous carpet.

Distributed in the European part of Russia and beyond the Urals - a lot of it in Siberia and the Far East.

Common bracken is used as food in many countries, and in Japan and China it is considered a delicacy.

Tightly twisted, like a spring, young juicy shoots that have not yet had time to unfold are suitable for use, only if they are specially processed - they are not eaten fresh, because they are poisonous.

Processing is carried out immediately after collection - cut young sprouts instantly coarsen, while the concentration of toxic substances increases.

Picking young shoots is like picking flower bouquet- fragile stems are broken off at a height of 15-20 cm and collected in bunches.

The use of the common bracken is not limited to young shoots.

Harvesting time is early spring or autumn.

The roots (read about the medicinal properties of horse sorrel) are dug up with a spatula, cleaned from the ground, cut into pieces and dried at a temperature not exceeding 40 degrees.

Useful properties are stored throughout the year.

When harvesting, part of the roots (the medicinal properties of burdock are described in the article) of the plant are left untouched so that it continues to grow.

If we are talking about the harvesting of fern for use in food, then the subject of collection are young sprouts - rachis.

Only very small shoots, up to 20 cm long, are suitable for eating.

They must be fragile and brittle.- if the escape cannot be broken off, then you should not even try to do it - in this case it is no longer suitable. The most delicious part of the shoots is the twisted part ("snails").

Interestingly, fresh shoots are not eaten; preliminary preparation is necessary.

To do this, they are boiled in salted water, changing the water several times. You can not cook for a long time, 3 minutes is enough.

The task is to get rid of bitterness and toxins, but not to allow softening.

Shoots should remain elastic and crispy.

After boiling, they are used to prepare salads and side dishes, independent dishes.

There are two ways of salting:

1. Layers of fresh fern sprinkle with salt, press down with a load.
   After 2 weeks, the brine is drained, and the fern is shifted and again covered with salt, only the concentration is reduced.
   Before use in food, salted shoots are soaked in cold water two days, while changing the water 6-8 times.
2. Speed ​​up the curing process, will help boiling and draining the water.
   Then the shoots are covered with salt at the rate of 250-300 g per 1 kg of fern.
   Soak before use in the same way as in the first case.

Salted fern is freed from brine and dried. Pickled fern as well as mushrooms.

Harm and contraindications

The only real harm is misapplication fern for treatment or nutrition.

The reason is the poisonous properties of the plant. It is impossible to carry out treatment with fern and preparations based on it for children, pregnant women, people with weakened immunity.

Drug overdose is dangerous. Treatment is carried out under the supervision of the attending physician.

Watch a tutorial on how to cook healthy dish from fern leaves at home.