Male Fern
Parts Usually Used
Rootstock
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Male fern is a perennial semi-evergreen plant; the dark brown scaly rootstock produces a tuft of fronds which are curled spirally when new but open and mature to a height of 9-24 inches. The fronds are broadly oblong-lanceolate to oblong and pinnate, the lanceolate-acuminate to oblong-lanceolate pinnae themselves pinnatifid or lobed more than halfway to the midrib. Spore clusters appear as two rows of yellow dots on the bottom of each lobe from July to September.
Where Found
Found in woods, ravines, and on rocky slopes all over the world. In the United States, most prevalent Maine, Vermont, New York to Michigan.
Medicinal Properties
Anthelmintic, vermifuge, alterative, astringent
Biochemical Information
Aspidinol, albasidine, phloraspine and filicinic acid.
Legends, Myths and Stories
In the Middle Ages people made a good luck charm out of the rootstock of male fern. They cut off all but five of the curved finger-like fronds from the rootstock, so that it resembled a hand. Called Lucky Hand, Dead Man’s Hand, or St. John’s Hand, this charm was considered to be very strong against bad luck, devils, and witches. It was usually fashioned on June 23rd, St. John’s Eve, so that it would gain extra potency by being fumigated in the fires set that night.
Genghis Khan is supposed to have carried one of these charms.
Uses
Dating back to the Greeks and Romans, male fern was historically utilized as a remedy to expel intestinal parasites, including tapeworms, roundworms, and hookworms, often in the form of an oleoresin accompanied by a purgative. Traditional herbalists also recommended the plant for sores, boils, lingering wounds, swollen glands, conditions of the spleen, and rickets. For external applications, historical practitioners used a decoction of the rootstock in footbaths for varicose veins.
Additionally, European folk tradition held that sewing the fronds into a linen bag and placing it against the body would alleviate rheumatism.
Warning
Toxic poison and skin irritant. No alcohol or oil should be taken during treatments; they increase the absorption of the toxic principle. Improper dosages taken internally can lead to blindness and death. Not for use during pregnancy.
Bibliography
The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 Culpeper’s Complete Herbal & English Physician: Updated With 117 Modern Herbs , by Nicholas Culpeper, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1990, (reprint of 1814) Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A.
, Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023