Fern - calories and properties. The benefits and harms of fern

Calories: 34 kcal.

The energy value of the product Fern (Proportion of proteins, fats, carbohydrates):

Proteins: 4.55 g (~18 kcal) Fats: 0.4 g (~4 kcal) Carbohydrates: 5.54 g (~22 kcal)

Energy ratio (b|g|y): 54%|11%|65%

Fern: properties

How much does Fern cost (average price per 1 kg.)?

Moscow and Moscow region350 rub.

The scientific name of this plant comes from pteron, which in Greek means "wing", and aquila - "eagle" in Latin. Fern leaves are actually somewhat reminiscent of the wings of a huge bird. As you know, the fern stem grows underground, and at the end of spring, fronds begin to form - young leaves that at first look like a snail, and then, growing up and unfolding, resemble a hook.

This plant has long been included in the diet of Far Eastern taiga residents, as well as residents of Korea and Japan. Today, interest in the fern, as food product are shown by domestic consumers. By the way, the protein content in the fern in its composition and properties is close to those in grain crops, and therefore this product is easily absorbed by the human body. The calorie content of a fern, namely 100 grams of plant shoots, averages 34 kcal.

Different peoples of the world know and appreciate not only beneficial features fern, but also its gastronomic qualities. Based on the shoots and young leaves of the fern, they are often prepared delicious salads, and the "snails" themselves are boiled, fried, pickled and salted for the winter, and then used as a seasoning for meat. By the way, the taste of cooked fern shoots is somewhat reminiscent of mushrooms. However, remember that without heat treatment ferns are not eaten.

fern species

Today, it is customary to distinguish about 300 genera and more than 10,000 fern species. The most famous and noticeable in the forest is the bracken fern. It is he who is used for culinary purposes, and is also used to treat various diseases in alternative medicine.

Fern Composition

It has been established that the composition of the fern (in particular, its rhizomes) contains substances such as saponins, alkaloids, starch, bracken-tannic and hydrocyanic acids, flavonoids, fat, essential oils and tannins. Meanwhile, young fern shoots are rich in vitamins, tocopherols, riboflavin, carotene and nicotinic acid.

The benefits of fern

In medicine, the benefits of bracken fern have long been known. This plant is effective in diseases of the spleen and intestines, with aching joints and diarrhea, headaches and chest pains, jaundice, dry pleurisy, noise in the head and ears, and also as a laxative, analgesic, anthelmintic and diuretic. Then it is recommended to use it inside in the form of a decoction of grass and fern rhizomes.

Fern damage

However, the use of infusions and decoctions of bracken fern is advised with great caution. The fact is that this plant is poisonous, and therefore the harm of the fern to humans is quite likely. By the way, during pregnancy it is completely forbidden to use it.

Product proportions. How many grams?

in 1 piece 25 grams

The nutritional value

Fern - properties and uses

Medicinal and beneficial properties of fern

A nondescript fern ... Probably, many of us, having come to the forest for mushrooms, paid attention to entire plantations of forest fern, which grows wherever it pleases. But this is only at first glance.

It turns out that the forest fern never grows on poor, dehydrated soils; its usual place of growth is humus-rich soil, preferably in thickets of alder or aspen. As you know, aspen is the most "disinfected" tree, it does not allow forest pests to itself, retains green foliage for the longest time, and practically does not rot on the vine. Consequently, the forest fern also has similar disinfecting properties.

Since ancient times, in villages, especially surrounded by low forests, the fern has been used to preserve the crop, was a means to repel rodents, to dry attics and basements.

Here I want to talk about miraculous properties of the common forest fern.

When I came to my grandfather in the village for the summer, we collected ferns in bags in early August. Then I noticed that my grandfather hung brooms from ferns in the attic, scattered them in the cellar, dried whole bundles for the winter. Later, while studying at the Timiryazev Academy, I took for term paper theme "Ferns". Exploring many types of ferns, I came to the conclusion that several of their species really have a beneficial effect not only on environment but also on human health.

I will deliberately not name Latin names, I will simply say: those very long-finned ferns that are found everywhere are a miracle cure for humans.

In August, small brown spores ripen on the back of fern leaves. This is the moment when the fern is suitable for the treatment of joints and joint pain. I usually do this procedure: on a sore spot, I apply fern leaves with spores to the surface of the skin and bandage them with old cotton strips of fabric. I don't know why, but the bandage doesn't work. During the night, the fern dries to a state of fine dust, I remove it and repeat the procedure every other day for a week. Believe it or not, after a week, even a memory does not remain from the joint pain!

See also: Cimicifuga (photo) - cultivation and care

I tried to collect fern for future use: the same effect. Bye natural way spores did not crumble (and they disappear three months after harvesting), the fern has the same healing power.

My old friend who got inflammation of the joint fluid knee joint, was cured by fern in just a month of treatment, although before that he was limping from constant pain in his knee.

But that's not all.

In our country house constantly during the winter mold appeared on the walls, on the floor, and especially in the attic.

The house is ordinary, shield, but still every spring I had to scrape off this mold, dry the house, and sometimes change the boards. And then I remembered the fern, or rather, how my grandfather hung them all over the attic. I collected three bags of fresh leaves, didn’t even dry them, but simply lined the attic around the perimeter, spread brooms from ferns on the floor and in the underground. There was still a lot left, I didn’t throw it away, I left a part on the porch, I moved a part to the beds with garlic planted before winter.

In the spring I could not believe my eyes: no mold anywhere, even in those places where it was, no matter how they fought it!

The attic is dry, clean, there is not a single mouse family in the underground! And literally every year in the spring I did not know where to go from them!

Of course, I didn’t quite believe it, I thought maybe it was an accident ...

Closer to August, when fern spores began to ripen, he again visited the forest and brought a little, chose the leaves with the most ripe spores. Cabbage was ripening, and the caterpillars were simply insolent. Fresh fern leaves literally wrapped cabbage heads.

I don’t know what happened there at night, but in the morning there wasn’t a single caterpillar on a single head of cabbage - how they disappeared! The fern remained on the cabbage for about 2 months, I did not remove it, and the cabbage turned out just fine!

When I realized that the fern has such miraculous power just started experimenting. So, I buried the leaves dried up after the winter in holes around raspberries, currants, gooseberries. I noticed: there were fewer aphids, the leaves stopped curling, as if they were damaged by a moth.

Brought fresh leaves with spores not yet hatched. Shredded. I note that it turned out to be a very odorous heterogeneous mass. I dug into the holes again. I'll get ahead of myself, but such a crop is on my berry bushes I've never seen! Raspberries without a single wormhole. Currant, even on old bushes, gave a harvest no worse than new plants. On one gooseberry bush a year earlier, I noticed traces of scab and wanted to dig it up, but not a trace of it remained. The gooseberry was born even, strong, which was not there for a long time.

Success like this is truly mind-blowing. I began to use the fern everywhere and everywhere, grinding the immature leaves, laying ripe ones before winter, with spores. And then I realized that fern is not useful everywhere. So, I literally burned the landings remontant strawberries when he overlaid it with ferns for the winter. Apparently, not all plants it is useful.

In the end, I use a fern to protect the beds from mice, to dry the attic, the underground. But with garden plants I try not to overdo it. Better check for small plot soil, whether such top dressing as a fern is suitable.

But in general, there is nothing more beautiful in the garden than plants that feel at ease in the wild.

I now grow on my site all kinds of ferns that are found in our forests. This is a wonderful ornament for flower beds, ferns look amazing in single landings on the lawn, even for decoration garden paths and park areas are perfect.

And now some tricks that are necessary for a good survival of ferns on your site. Ferns take root best in the phase of unopened twisted leaves, that is, just out of the ground.

In any place where you find fern seedlings, you can safely dig up a rhizome and transfer it to a garden plot with a clod of earth. The fern loves the shade, on the site there will surely be the right place for planting. In a pre-prepared hole, add three drops of ordinary greenery: this is necessary for the general disinfection of the soil. Transfer the fern seedlings to the holes, sprinkle with soil from the place where you took it from, compact the soil.

Do not water, do not loosen, generally forget that you should grow a fern. But when the leaves open, you can feed a little: half matchbox bird droppings on a bucket of water - this is enough to throw out powerful leaves.

I want to add that a fern transferred from its usual habitat to a garden plot may not form spores at all. This means that something is wrong, and new plants will need to be planted.

The fern loves transplants, but responds to them very slowly, it seems, even reluctantly. In fact, you will not even notice how ferns will decorate your site.

It is not at all necessary to cut wilted fern leaves for the winter. They are, as in natural environment, they will fall down themselves and rot during the winter, giving the top layer of soil at least a little useful microelements and nutrients.

In a word, do not be indifferent to the fern!

© A. Nevmerzhitsky, Perm

Fern

The scientific name of the fern comes from the following words: pteron - from Greek word"wing", and aquila is from the Latin "eagle". The leaves of this plant are really very reminiscent of the wing of a huge bird.

The fern stem grows underground. In May, young leaves are formed - fronds, at first very similar to a snail, and, growing up, they unfold and resemble a hook. The petiole of a leaf is called a rachis. Ferns reproduce by spores.

The bracken is one of the oldest plants on earth that have survived to this day. The opinion of scientists boils down to the fact that the compressed wood of the most ancient species of ferns is the main material that forms coal.

There is a belief that a fern flower found on the night of Ivan Kupala will be able to find all the treasures and pick up the key to other people's hearts. But it's just beautiful legend The fern never blooms.

The content of proteins in the bracken fern in its properties and composition is close to the indicators of proteins in grain crops, therefore it is easily digested. This plant has long been included in the diet of taiga Far East, as well as residents of Japan and Korea. Eating bracken has a beneficial effect on growth processes, promotes the formation of the skeleton, improves metabolism, and normalizes activity. nervous system, increases the efficiency of the body, removes radionuclides from the body, improves the condition endocrine system.

Different peoples of the world use fern in cooking. Salads are prepared from shoots and young leaves, and “snails” are boiled, fried, marinated and salted for the winter, they are used as seasonings for meat. Fern rachis taste like mushrooms. Without processing, i.e. fresh, bracken is not eaten!

Composition and calories

The rhizome of the fern contains saponins, starch, alkaloids, hydrocyanic and orlyakovo-tannic acids, flavonoids, essential oils, fat and tannins. Young shoots contain many vitamins, tocopherols, riboflavins, carotene and nicotinic acid.

The nutritional value of fern is as follows: proteins - 4.55 grams, fats - 0.4 grams, carbohydrates - 5.54 grams, calorie content of bracken - 34 kcal.

Beneficial features

In medicine, bracken fern has been used for a long time. In diseases of the intestines and spleen, with diarrhea, aching joints, jaundice, with headaches and chest pains, with dry pleurisy, with noise in the ears and head, as well as as a laxative, analgesic, anthelmintic and diuretic, it is recommended to take a decoction of rhizomes and fern grass.

Decoctions from the rhizome of bracken fern are also used externally. Indications for such treatment may be wounds, scrofula, eczema, abscesses. You can take baths with an infusion of this plant for ulcers and rheumatism.

Harm and contraindications

With great care, decoctions and infusions of bracken fern should be used. It is desirable - under the supervision of an experienced herbalist, since the fern is a poisonous plant.

The use of bracken during pregnancy is contraindicated!

An overdose of fern can cause vomiting, nausea, headache, convulsions, dizziness, lowering blood pressure, respiratory depression, weakening of cardiac activity and even death.

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The bracken fern with its spreading paws adorns the birch groves of the Altai Territory, the Far East, Siberia and the Urals all summer. 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 with sorting - select not a large 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 choice for maximum savings useful material 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 to 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.

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 on the lower leaf there are 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 him a resemblance sheet plate with the wing of a bird, others saw an eagle from the state emblem on the cut of the stem, and for some the plant resembles an eagle posture.

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

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.

Roots (pro medicinal properties read horse sorrel) are dug up with a spatula, cleaned of the ground, cut into pieces and dried at a temperature not higher than 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.

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. Insufficient intake of vitamin B2 is accompanied by a violation of the condition skin, mucous membranes, impaired light and twilight vision.
• Vitamin C participates in redox reactions, functioning 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 intestinal tract and nervous system.
• Cobalt is part of vitamin B12. Activates metabolic enzymes fatty acids and folic acid metabolism.
• Manganese participates in the formation of bone 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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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.

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.

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, the activity of the nervous system, increases efficiency, improves the state of the endocrine system, and contributes to 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, lowering blood pressure, respiratory depression, weakening of the heart and even death.

Calorie and nutritional value of fern

Fern calories - 34 kcal.

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

The beneficial properties of the fern are primarily determined by the amazing ability to remove radiation, toxic substances from the body. The inhabitants of Japan were the first to pay attention to this feature: after the nuclear bombings, living organisms that easily survived them were ants. To be more precise - the kind of them that feeds only on bracken fern.

Subsequently, it turned out that of all existing varieties of this plant, only 2 are suitable for food, one of them is the bracken fern. It is used as a separate ingredient for various salads, as an unusual seasoning.

Bracken has a fairly low calorie content, which makes it an attractive component of the diet menu. By the way, many nutritionists successfully use this plant in their practice: they recommend that patients add it to salads and to meat dishes, drink useful infusions and decoctions.

The calorie content of bracken is 34 kcal per 100 g. If we talk about nutritional value of this miraculous plant in its properties, it is amazing due to the unusual percentage:

• carbohydrates - 5.54 g;
• fat - 0.4 g;
• proteins - 4.55 g.

The rhizome of this plant contains medicinal components:

• tannins, which provide excellent digestion;
• various essential oils and fats;
• flavonoids;
• eagle-tannin, glutamic, aspartic, nicotinic and hydrocyanic acids;
• alkaloids;
• starchy substances and saponins;
• riboflavin, tocopherol and carotene (contained in young shoots);
• various enzymes, in particular glycoside and thiaminase (an enzyme involved in the hydrolysis of thiamine).

The valuable composition of the bracken is represented by the following trace elements:

• nickel and potassium;
• magnesium, copper and sulfur;
• phosphorus, sodium and manganese;
• calcium and.

The proteins that make up the bracken, in their properties, are somewhat akin to cereals (wheat, oats). But the most important benefit of the fern is associated with a high concentration of biologically active elements.

Amazing Benefits

Doctors have long and very successfully used bracken in their practice: the beneficial properties of this plant help to treat many diseases. For example, it is indicated for patients who suffer from:

• dry and wet pleurisy;
• headaches and chest pains;
• jaundice (Botkin's disease);
• aching joints and pain in the bones;
• diarrhea
• tinnitus;
• malfunctions of the intestines, stomach and spleen.

The healing properties of the eagle do not end there. A decoction prepared from its leaves and roots helps with constipation. The plant is also used to relieve pain, get rid of worms, excrete urine (in case of violation of the diuretic function).

By the way, people have known about the pain-relieving ability of this plant for a long time. Many centuries ago, the fern was applied to wounds, burns, and bruises. And he removed even the most severe pain.

1. It is especially useful for those people who lead a sedentary lifestyle. For example, he spends a lot of time at the computer or watching TV.
2. Due to the bracken saves a person from leukemia and radiation sickness.
3. In an accelerated mode, it restores impaired metabolism, thereby contributing to quick and comfortable weight loss.
4. Perfectly removes the excitation of the nervous system and strong tension, normalizes the pulse.
5. Restores to in full lack of vitamins in spring beriberi.
6. Removes heavy and harmful metals, radionuclides, improves the activity of the endocrine system. The working capacity of a person after the use of bracken increases significantly.
7. Bracken is also used for ulcerative manifestations, convulsions. He actively treats rheumatism, hemorrhoids, sciatica.

As you can see, the medicinal properties of this variety of fern are truly limitless. The main thing is to learn how to harvest the plant and apply it correctly.

Rules for collection and use

If the fern leaves are young, they are used to make salads. In addition, bracken can be prepared for the future - pickled or pickled. It is an excellent seasoning for meat and fish dishes. But the old leaves of the plant should not be eaten, they can be dried and later used for infusions, lotions and decoctions.

If a person is concerned about sciatica, rheumatic and other pain, vegetable raw materials must be steamed and added to the bathroom.

For a fern to be useful, it must be harvested. in early spring. After all, in summer and autumn it loses some of its healing properties.

Young shoots should be stored in the refrigerator, and no longer than 2 days. If you do not have time to use bracken within the specified period, it will become poisonous and harmful to the body.

Harm and contraindications

Despite such an abundance of useful properties, bracken has its own contraindications. First of all, it should be remembered that this plant contains toxic substances in its composition. That is why it is necessary to consult an experienced herbalist or homeopathic doctor before using it.

Dosage must be observed during preparation medicinal product. If you ignore this rule, you may experience nausea, severe dizziness, vomiting, convulsions, and severe headaches.

Even death is possible, especially if you used low-quality shoots or fern leaves for treatment. Have you noticed any of the above symptoms after using the plant? Call your doctor right away and have a good gastric lavage.