This plant has characteristic appearance, while there are about tens of thousands of its varieties. Many beliefs and signs are associated with the fern, this is one of the most ancient representatives of the flora on our planet, it is widely distributed in different parts Earth globe.
The culture belongs to vascular plants, never blooms and has an unusual structure. The fern does not have what is usually called leaves, instead it has fronds, or flat branches: a complex of branches located on a single level. The stem of the plant is underground. Not only spores are involved in reproduction, but also rhizomes - this method is called vegetative. The fern is also characterized by spore and sexual species.
Kinds
The most famous types of this plant:
Name | Peculiarities | Photo |
| Common bracken | Outwardly, it is very similar to an eagle's wing. It grows mainly in forests, but can spread to edges, clearings, and occasionally lives in limestone. When cultivating in the garden, the development of the fern should be limited, because due to its powerful rhizome, it penetrates deep into the ground and occupies a vast area there, which makes it difficult to get rid of unwanted bushes. The bracken has a specific smell that repels insects. This species is able to benefit a person: the rhizome of the plant lathers well, therefore, if necessary, it can replace soap. The presence of nutrients makes the fern suitable for eating. | |
| Common ostrich | Very beautiful plant, having the shape of a funnel, consisting of long openwork leaves, shaped like ostrich feathers. This fern prefers shade and lives close to a source of moisture. Ostrich love to use in landscape design because of its attractive appearance, and the young shoots are eaten. It is widely used in medicine - both official and folk. |  |
| Kochedyzhnik female (or female fern) | A plant with large three-pinnate leaves is a typical inhabitant of the northern forests, but due to its appearance it resembles a representative of tropical flora. The name "female" is ritual and comparative. The kochedyzhnik has many varieties, which allows breeders to cross them to develop new varieties. It finds application in medicine, landscape design |  |
| Shield (or male fern) | Unlike female fern, the thyroid gland has less finely pinnate leaves, but stronger ones. Likes damp and unlit areas. The rhizomes of the thyroid gland are dug up and then dried for medicinal purposes. |  |
| Nephrolepis | Tropical fern, which is a large plant. The rhizome is short, the leaves are long and scaly, hanging down. Nephrolepis is used in pharmacology. The flower is in demand among lovers indoor plants |  |
Fern as a houseplant
The beneficial properties of the fern, such as its ability to absorb dust, make it good option for cultivation and cultivation in house conditions. Almost all types are unpretentious in care, but nephrolepis is considered the most popular indoor representative. This fern is usually potted on high surfaces so that its leaves can hang freely.
The benefit of the plant for flower growers lies in the possibility of using its roots as a substrate for growing orchids.
Nephrolepis root is used in the treatment of inflammation, and its juice is an effective tool in therapy and prevention. skin diseases and burns. Medicinal properties kochedyzhnik lies in its ability to have a calming effect on the nervous system.
Many experts recognize that the fern is beneficial to health. But the uncontrolled use of plant infusions can harm the body. There are contraindications to the use of fern-based products, such as anemia, stomach ulcers, pregnancy. You should not be treated with a plant on your own, you must first consult a doctor.
Application in cooking
Since ancient times, fern has been used in cooking. Edible species are only 2 representatives - bracken and ostrich. In food, young shoots and leaves of the flower are used. They can be used for salads, as seasonings or as a main dish - fried tastes similar to mushrooms. The plant contains a large number of proteins, and its calorie content is about 34 kcal per 100 g of product.
Regardless of the variant of the use of fern, you first need to boil it. This is done so that the shoots do not give bitterness. The fern is cooked in several stages: first, the plant must be washed in slightly salty water. After boiling, drain it, rinse the raw materials again and pour salted water over it. In this case, you need to cook the fern until tender. It is easy to determine it - the shoots should bend easily. When the plant is cooked, you need to let the moisture drain from it and use it according to the chosen recipe (for example, add it to any salad to taste).
Common use in salt form. Salted fern is stored longer, this cooking method is effective way preservation of the product, from which in the future you can cook any dish. To do this, thoroughly rinse the plant and spread it in glass jar layers, sprinkling each new one with salt. Then the fern container should be pressed down with something heavy on top and left for 2 weeks in a cool place. After that, you need to get a jar, drain all the brine and transfer the plant to another bowl. Layers are laid out in the opposite order. Next, the raw material is again filled with brine with a salt content of not more than 22%. Such canned fern can be stored for up to several years.
Signs and superstitions
The unusual appearance of the plant gave rise to many legends and beliefs. People treated him with caution, because the fern never blooms, which is why no one could understand how it reproduces. A well-known sign is associated with this feature. It is believed that the fern blooms once a year, on the night of the Ivan Kupala holiday. Some believe that the person who finds its buds will become rich, because at this time the earth itself reveals and shows the riches hidden in it.
It was believed that not a single secret could be hidden in front of the fern, since it reveals the whole truth. There is a legend explaining the appearance of the plant. According to her, the goddess of love Venus once dropped one curl on the ground, and a fern grew out of it. Another legend tells about a girl who fell off a cliff into a pond, a spring allegedly appeared at the place of her death, and her hair turned into this plant.
To date, there are two opposing views on the maintenance of ferns in the house. According to some, it is beneficial, others talk about its negative impact on a person. TO positive qualities include:
- beneficial effect on the atmosphere in the room, as well as on its inhabitants;
- the ability to build relationships between people of different ages;
- scaring away evil spirits;
- attracting money luck.
It is advised to put it next to household appliances because of its ability to absorb radiation.
Opponents of keeping this plant in the house believe that the fern brings misfortune and illness, sucks life energy out of a person.
Thank you
Fern rightfully considered one of ancient plants On the Earth. Scientists believe that it was the compressed wood of the fern that became the main forming material of coal. Today there are a huge number of fern species (about 20,000), however, only a few are edible, and, therefore, useful, among which the most common bracken ordinary. We will talk about the benefits of this plant, the rules for its collection and harvesting, as well as its use in medicine and cooking.
bracken plant
Common bracken is a perennial herbaceous fern belonging to the Hypolepidaceae family. On Latin the name of the bracken fern sounds like Pteridium aguillinum: thus, the first word means "wing", while the second comes from the word aquilla - an eagle. The name of the plant was due to the similarity of the shape of the leaves with the wing of an eagle.
However, there is another version of the origin of the name. The fact is that on the cut of the petiole of the bracken, the vascular bundles form a figure that resembles a double-headed eagle in its outline.
The edible kind fern, reaching a height of 30 - 100 cm, has a strong, thick, creeping black rhizome, the diameter of which can reach 1.5 - 10 mm. From the black rhizome, single leaves (fronds) depart from each other at a certain distance. Bracken leaves got their name for their similarity with palm leaves (the word "vaya" is translated from Greek like "palm branch").
It should be noted that the bracken forms the so-called clones, occupying territories whose area can be equal to 100 - 200 sq.m. Such clones are formed due to the growth and vegetative propagation plant rhizomes.
Interesting fact! Orlyak has two types of rhizomes:
1.
Horizontal - is formed from the main apical bud, does not form leaves (it is from horizontal rhizomes that new elongated growths are formed annually).
2.
Shortened oblique - formed from lateral buds and has leaves located at the top (a certain part of the lateral buds eventually "falls asleep" or dies off altogether).
There is an opinion that bracken clones are able to "live" in the territory they occupy for hundreds, and even thousands of years.
The green leaves of the bracken have even, long and rather rigid petioles (or rachis, which means “ridge” in Greek), while the leaf blade is noticeably inclined towards the petiole itself (sometimes it is located almost horizontally). On the underside of the leaf there are sporangia, in which spores form and mature, spilling out and dispersed by the wind from July to September. It is from the sporangia that a continuous narrow strip is formed, passing along the edge of the leaf lobes. The oblong and lanceolate fronds of the bracken are blunt at the end, while at the base they are lobed or pinnately incised.
Bracken is a large-leaved plant, in which the length and width of the fronds directly at the base can vary between 50 - 150 cm.
You can distinguish the common bracken from other types of fern by the following features:
- single leaves;
- curled edges of the leaves;
- longitudinal covered rows of sporangia.
Where does the eagle grow?
The bracken grows in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, while preferring forest areas (the main thing is that these areas are "kindled" by the sun). The common bracken grows on the edges, clearings and forest fires. But in the highlands, this plant cannot be found above the forest belt. Bracken does not grow in arctic regions, steppes and deserts.On the territory of Russia, this plant grows in the European part of the country, in Siberia, as well as in the Urals and the Far East.
The bracken takes root best of all on light and rather poor soils, it can be found on limestones. I must say that due to deep-lying rhizomes and the ability to vegetatively propagate, this plant perfectly develops clearings and burnt areas, not to mention abandoned fields, plantations and pastures.
In some cases, bracken forms continuous thickets, and therefore often dominates the grass cover.
Collecting and harvesting bracken
For medicinal purposes, as well as for eating, young shoots and rhizomes of the plant are used. Rhizomes are harvested in autumn or in early spring(in the period from May to June), when the aerial part of the plant begins to grow (the flowering of bird cherry, frying, lilacs and lilies of the valley signals the beginning of the collection of bracken). First, it is desirable to collect bracken on sun-drenched slopes (it is in open areas that the first bracken appear), then along birch forests and hollows, and then in shaded ravines and aspen forests. At the same time, it is important to exclude the collection of shoots in one thicket, which, of course, will give new leaves, but will greatly weaken. It is enough to collect a third of rachis from one plant, which practically does not weaken the plant.
The rhizomes are cleared of the ground, while all small adventitious roots are removed, which are not thrown away, but dried separately. But the base of the leaf petioles must be left along with the rhizome. The underground part of the plant is dried in the shade.
Bracken leaves are harvested exclusively young, and together with shoots that have just emerged from the ground, which are not yet unfolded fronds (the height of the cut shoot should not exceed 20 - 30 cm). It is important that the diameter of the harvested leaves exceed 5 mm.
Only juicy, fragile and easily breaking shoots of the plant are subject to collection. As soon as the shoots stop breaking when bent, but only bend, the collection of raw materials stops, as it becomes bitter and unsuitable for food. In addition, the content of useful substances in such hardened shoots will be minimal.
The collected shoots must be processed immediately, because after 3-4 hours after collection they will become coarse and lose their nutritional and medicinal value. IN last resort, bracken shoots can be stored for a day in the refrigerator (with prolonged storage, fresh fern loses all its taste qualities).
Salted bracken fern
The shoots are tied into small bundles, after which they are stacked in layers in a barrel (each layer is sprinkled with salt). The amount of salt used should be equal to one fourth of the weight of the bracken. A load is placed on the last layer, the mass of which should be equal (or be greater, but not less) than the weight of the fern. After two to three weeks, the brine is drained, after which the load is removed to swap the lower layers with the upper ones. When changing layers, the raw material is again sprinkled with salt.Important! Since no brine is formed during the secondary salting, it should be prepared separately, which will require an amount of salt that will be at least 20 percent of the brine. So, the layers are filled with brine, after which a load is applied on top, which is removed after a week.
Before consumption, salted bracken is soaked in water for at least seven hours, then the aerial part of the plant is boiled for about five minutes and used to make salads, dressings and marinades.
Important! Together with the brine, all the bitterness that is characteristic of the young shoots of the fern will go away. Bracken grass harvested in this way is stored for two to three years at any temperature.
Here is another recipe for harvesting bracken for future use. The collected shoots of the plant immediately after assembly are boiled in salted water for 10 minutes, after which the water is drained, and the boiled raw material is laid out in a thin layer and dried, turning over regularly, until the young shoots become brittle (it takes no more than four days). Dried raw materials are stored in fabric bags. For subsequent preparation, dry bracken is recommended to be soaked in water for a day, changing the water periodically.
Important! Raw bracken is poisonous and can cause severe poisoning, which can be fatal.
The composition of the bracken
CatechinsAction:
- elimination of toxins;
- removal of inflammation;
- slowing down the aging of the body.
Action:
- normalization of the nervous system;
- strengthening of vascular walls and capillaries;
- regulation of blood pressure;
- neutralization of free radicals;
- normalization of the heart rate.
Action:
- increased collagen synthesis, which promotes skin regeneration;
- maintaining normal hormonal levels directly in the female body.
fatty oil
Action:
- skin regeneration;
- removal of inflammation;
- acceleration of wound healing;
- promoting the absorption of essential oils;
- protection of the body from the action of carcinogens.
Action:
- stimulation of appetite;
- normalization of digestive processes;
- increased excretion of bile;
- restoration of strength and energy;
- boosting immunity.
Action:
- increase the body's defenses;
- elimination of toxins;
- neutralization of the harmful effects of free radicals;
- prevention of the development of cancer;
- regulation of the process of protein synthesis;
- normalization of metabolism;
- ensuring the normal formation of bone tissue.
Action:
- normalization of redox processes;
- normalization of metabolism;
- ensuring the normal functioning of the nervous system;
- improvement in the condition of the eyes;
- elimination of toxins;
- sleep normalization.
Action:
- stimulating the production of the hormone estrogen;
- promoting wound healing;
- protection of the skin from ultraviolet radiation;
- slowing down the aging process;
- regulation of water-lipid balance;
- elimination of inflammation on the skin;
- removal of puffiness.
Action: - increased synthesis of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisone, thyroxine and insulin;
- ensuring all types of metabolism;
- elimination of pain syndrome;
- improved joint mobility;
- activation of the function of the cerebral cortex;
- vasodilation;
- increased blood flow velocity;
- strengthening the secretory and motor functions of the stomach;
- stimulation of the functional activity of the pancreas and liver;
- strengthening immunity;
- lowering the level of cholesterol in the blood;
- lowering blood pressure.
Glycosides
Action:
- normalization of the functioning of the heart;
- calming the central nervous system;
- promoting vasodilation;
- increased urination;
- neutralization of microbes;
- liquefaction and excretion of sputum.
Lignin not only absorbs, but also promotes the elimination of salmonella and yellow staphylococci, toxins, all kinds of allergens and heavy metal salts through the gastrointestinal tract.
Tannin
Action:
- removal of toxins and toxins;
- increased mental activity;
- improved digestion;
- elimination of the focus of inflammation;
- normalization of the functions of the gastrointestinal tract;
- neutralization of bacteria and microbes;
- a significant slowdown in oxidative processes;
- acceleration of the wound healing process;
- strengthening of blood vessels.
Action:
- relieves inflammation;
- saturates the body with energy, as it is transformed into glucose;
- helps to stop the growth of tumors;
- slows down the absorption of sugar, thereby helping to lower its level;
- in moderate doses improves bowel function.
Action:
- normalization of blood circulation;
- removal of pain syndrome;
- acceleration of blood clotting;
- lowering blood pressure.
Action:
- excitation of the cough center;
- regulation of water, salt and mineral exchanges;
- increased action of hormones;
- elimination of foci of inflammation;
- liquefaction of sputum.
- produce hemoglobin;
- secrete thyroid hormones;
- neutralize the action of bacteria;
- regulate metabolic processes;
- synthesize insulin;
- regulate the work of the central nervous system;
- remove toxins and toxins;
- prevent the formation of kidney stones;
- normalize the work of the reproductive system;
- activate anabolic processes;
- strengthen bones;
- saturate the cells with oxygen;
- regulate blood sugar levels.
Useful properties of bracken fern
- Sedative.
- Antispasmodic.
- Antipyretic.
- Painkiller.
- Anti-inflammatory.
- Antimicrobial.
- Hemostatic.
- Antihelminthic.
- Diuretic.
- Choleretic.
- Hypotensive.
- Wound healing.
Treatment with bracken
Common bracken is used in the treatment of:- cough
- joint pain;
- scrofula;
- worms;
- diarrhea
- abscesses;
- eczema;
- arthritis;
- polyarthritis;
- rheumatism;
- radiculitis;
- leukemia;
- dry pleurisy;
bracken leaves
Young leaves, as well as shoots of bracken, containing amino acids and tannins, are indicated for diseases of the intestines and spleen. In addition, this part of the plant is used to prepare infusions and decoctions to eliminate coughs, pain syndrome and remove worms. bracken rhizome
Roots and rhizomes as an internal remedy are taken in the treatment of aching joints, diarrhea, rickets.Externally, an infusion from the rhizomes of the plant is used for skin diseases, chronic wounds, abscesses, scrofula and eczema. Also, infusion in the form of baths can be used in the treatment of ulcers and rheumatism.
The use of bracken in medicine
About the fern how about medicinal plant Pliny and Dioscorides were also mentioned in their writings, while Avicenna described a detailed description of this plant and how to use it in the 11th century.Interesting fact! In the Middle Ages, the Swiss doctor and pharmacist Nuffer compiled a prescription for an antihelminthic medicine, the basis of which was precisely the fern. This recipe was kept in the strictest confidence, which was revealed for a large reward after the death of Nuffer (the recipe was bought from the widow of the pharmacist by decree of the French King Louis XVI himself). Already at the end of the 18th century, the fern was included in the pharmacopoeia of European countries as a means of helping not only to get rid of worms, but to alleviate the course of arthritis and polyarthritis.
Such popularity of fern is due to the beneficial effect of preparations from this plant on the body.
Orlyak action:
1.
Stimulation of metabolism.
2.
Elimination of pain syndrome.
3.
Removal of stress.
4.
Elimination of feverish conditions.
5.
Stimulation of the growth process.
6.
Contribute to the correct formation of the skeleton.
7.
Increased performance.
8.
Improving the state of the endocrine system.
9.
Facilitate the removal of radionuclides.
10.
Elimination of iodine deficiency.
Orlyak in cooking
A bit of history
The fern (namely the common bracken) has long been used as a food product.So, in Russia, this plant was used during the famine as a substitute for bread, while in Japan, the fern was considered a real delicacy, because the taste of this plant, provided proper cooking reminiscent of the taste of premium mushrooms. In Japan, warabi-mochi sweets, which are filled pies, are prepared from fern starch.
Bracken is valued for its taste in countries such as China, Korea and New Zealand. For example, the inhabitants of the Canary Islands (in fairness, we note that the fern grows in abundance on the islands) the rhizomes of the plant are mixed with flour, from which delicious, nutritious and healthy bread is baked called "helejo". In Korea, bracken is used to make chon fritters, which can be stuffed with meat, seafood, and vegetables.
Important! The shoots and leaves of bracken have an anti-putrefactive effect: for example, vegetables or fruits transferred by them remain fresh for a long time and do not deteriorate.
Interesting Facts! It has been established that bracken fronds can repel insects (cockroaches, bedbugs, flies and spiders), therefore, in Western Europe, peasants used the leaves of the plant to stuff mattresses and pillows. In addition, it was believed that such stuffing protects against sciatica. And the French women used bracken root to cleanse the skin. Finally, to this day, a special glue is produced from the rhizomes of the fern, which does not dissolve in cold water(backpacks are impregnated with such glue in order to make them waterproof).
How to cook bracken fern?
Young and undeveloped leaves and shoots of bracken (they are also called "snails") are eaten instead of asparagus or olives, and are also pickled, fried and boiled, since this plant has a strong mushroom flavor.When stewed, the bracken acquires a greenish-brown hue.In general, bracken can be used as a side dish or an additive to vegetables, cereals, meat, fish and flour products. This plant goes well with potatoes, various cereals, peas.
Dried bracken is used in a finely ground state as an ingredient for gravies or fatty sauces.
But it should be remembered that before using bracken, it is necessary to thermally treat and soak the plant, which will help get rid of bitterness, excess salt and toxic components.
Thus, the main task cooking is to remove bitterness by salting, marinating, drying, soaking or boiling, while leaving a crispy hardness.
In the process of cooking bracken, it is important to achieve the desired consistency of the shoots, therefore it is better to undercook the raw material than to overcook it, since the overcooked fronds will lose their taste and crunchiness. It is recommended to cook the fronds for no longer than 10 minutes, after which the water is drained, the boiled bracken is washed under running water and keeps in the refrigerator for several days.
Interesting fact! The Japanese believe that the fern must be boiled exclusively in copper utensils, which will help preserve the bright green color of the plant.
Salads from bracken
From bracken you can cook delicious and very healthy salads, the recipes of which are given below.Salad with egg
Ingredients:
- young bracken fronds - 100 g;
- hard-boiled eggs - 2 pcs.;
- green
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 compliance with 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 previously 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.
Dig a deep hole in the pot, cover with a thin layer of 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 a large plant on the opposite side of the window.
Temperature
fern bracken withstands a fairly wide range of temperatures - from +10 degrees to +25.
For the summer period, the plant can be taken outside to places protected from direct contact. sun rays, detrimental to the 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 sufficient to maintain needed by the plant moisture level.
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 transplant work is carried out only in the spring, when the plant enters the phase active growth.
pruning
The fern crown 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 wilted leaves in the spring it will “replace” with new ones that will return it to its former healthy appearance.
reproduction
An unpretentious plant reproduces in several ways. It is possible to determine which of them is the simplest after a detailed consideration of each option.
Reproduction by spores
In the wild, the bracken reproduces by spores, as it is an asexual plant.
In the conditions of home propagation in the fall, 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 on the surface of the soil appears green moss- 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. The developed and strong root system of the plant 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 Eaglet has not only beneficial features but also contraindications.
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 today essential role in medicine and pharmacology: 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 well-known plants that are used for treatment is bracken or common bracken. Also, this plant is 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.
It lives in both coniferous and deciduous forests, prefers sunny places and poor soils. Can form continuous thickets. Reproduces well by 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 located on the underside of the leaf plate. 
Active substances
Bracken fern contains a large number of 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 the 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. Bracken rhizome infusion is used to treat skin diseases: eczema, wounds or abscesses.
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
Since ancient times, the common bracken has been used in the cuisines of different peoples of the world. 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 in nutrients and trace elements. 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, harvested plants better to recycle. The collected shoots should be soaked for a day in salt water, and then rinsed in cold 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 ferns
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, 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 to taste there. Mix everything evenly and simmer for about 8 minutes until cooked.
Bracken fern: useful properties and cooking recipes
Bracken fern with its spreading paws adorns birch groves all summer Altai Territory, 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 like a low shrub. 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 elements such 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 of 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 your friends with an exotic dish, you should 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 the right amount of 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 fern dinner is not overshadowed by food poisoning, you need to properly prepare freshly harvested raw materials. First of all, it is necessary to cleanse it of bitterness and toxic substances. Perfect option which will maximize the preservation useful material and the trade dress of the fern is soaking. The shoots prepared for cooking are dipped in a 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 procure these stocks of raw materials for long term, salted. 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.
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 woody life forms are found), life cycles (sexual and sexual generation alternate), structural features, and other features. Their appearance is so characteristic that people usually call them all the same - ferns, not suspecting that this is the most large group 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 their greatest variety is where it is warm and damp: the 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.
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.
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, 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.
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 an enameled 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 (ferns and onions are fried separately, 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, the fern flower was 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.
Interestingly, South America, Australia, New Zealand eat the starch-rich rhizomes of the bracken fern. Yes, and in Western Europe, flour was once prepared from them and even beer was brewed.
Based on materials from wikipedia.org, gastronom.ru, lady.mail.ru
Fern! What a beautiful and mysterious name for a plant. Gogol's story "Evening on the eve of Ivan Kupala" immediately comes to mind.
Fern is one of the oldest plants on earth, which has survived in its original form to this day. To date, the existence of 300 fern genera and more than 10,000 of their species is known. They are found in forests, on branches and trunks of large and large trees, in swamps, in rock crevices, in lakes and rivers, along roadsides, as weeds on agricultural lands, and even on the walls of city houses. Such vitality and adaptability of the plant is simply amazing. But most of them are in the tropics and subtropics, it is there that nature has created fertile soil for them, it is warm and damp there.
The most famous among all types of fern is bracken. It is it that is most often used for culinary purposes and alternative medicine.
Scientists suggest that the wood of ancient ferns in a compressed form formed the basis of coal. Fern leaves are amazing - they look like the outlines of a wing huge bird. From here, apparently, the very name of the plant originated - pteron in Greek is translated as "wing", and in Latin aquila means "eagle".
The stem gets its start underground. In the spring, namely in May, young leaves appear - fronds resembling a snail, then as they develop, they unfold and become like a hook. Reproduction of this amazing plant occurs in controversy.
Fern Composition
The rhizome of the fern contains: starch, saponins, alkaloids, essential oils, hydrocyanic and eagle-tannic acid, fat, flavonoids, tannins. Young shoots are rich in vitamins, riboflavin, tocopherol, nicotinic acid and carotene.
Taiga residents of the Far East, as well as residents of Japan and Korea, have been using this plant for food since ancient times. The use of fern has a positive effect on the general metabolism, on growth processes, useful substances are involved in the formation of the skeleton, increase efficiency and normalize the activity of the nervous system. The effect of the plant on the endocrine system and in the removal of radionuclides from the body is also known.
fern application
Its use in cooking of all kinds of peoples of the world is great. What just do not do with the young leaves of the plant. They are used to prepare salads, “snails” are fried, boiled, marinated and salted for the winter period of the year, used as a seasoning for meat. Do not use fresh fern!
Beneficial features
- The amazing qualities of the fern naturally have been used for medicinal purposes. For a long time, a decoction of rhizomes and herbs has been known as an internal remedy. It is used for diseases of the intestines and spleen, for jaundice, diarrhea, aching joints, pain in the chest and headache, for noise in the ears and head, dry pleurisy, as a diuretic, laxative, anthelmintic and analgesic.
- It is also known to use a decoction of fern rhizomes for various wounds, abscesses and scrofula. In the form of baths, the infusion is used for rheumatism and ulcers.
Fern damage
Despite the positive properties of fern and a lot of useful substances in it, it is necessary to use decoctions and infusions of fern with great care. In any case, the plant is poisonous and in large immoderate quantities can bring significant harm to a person.
Overdose leads to negative consequences: nausea and vomiting, convulsions, dizziness, respiratory depression and lowering blood pressure, weakening of cardiac activity, and can even lead to death.
As you can see, it is necessary to use decoctions and infusions extremely carefully, under the supervision of an experienced herbalist.
