Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum)
Family: Dennstaedtiaceae
Description
Large fern, also known as ‘eagle fern’, Bracken Fern is a species occurring in temperate and subtropical regions in both hemispheres. The extreme lightness of its spores has led to its global distribution.
Habitat
Common in open woodlands.
It is a prolific and abundant plant in the moorlands of Great Britain, where is limited to altitudes of below 600 metres.
It is a common species in all over the world.
Uses
The fronds make good compost, either on their own (after chopping) or mixed with seaweed. Chopped bracken is also used as mulch.
The stems were formerly used for thatching, and a few Scottish thatchers still occasionally use them for this purpose.
Gathering
Pull bracken for thatching when it has turned orange in the autumn. For composting, use the green fronds. It is best not to work with bracken when it is producing spores, as these are thought to be carcinogenic.
Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum) is used for rheumatism, weak blood, uterine prolapse, suffering after birth, caked breast, weakness, headaches, make good blood after menses or childbirth, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, infections, and stomach cramps.
Iroquois used the decoction for diarrhea, in compound for rheumatism, for weak blood (cold, compound decoction), in compound decoction for uterine prolapse, for suffering after birth (decoction), in compound decoction for tuberculosis (during the early stages), and in compound infusion for venereal disease. The decoction was taken to make “good blood” after menses and after birth, probably a combination of blood building and blood purifying. Compound decoction taken by men to retain urine. Also used in witchcraft.
Cherokee used the root as a tonic and for nausea and vomiting, infections, and “cholera-morbus”. Bracken was also used for stomach cramps and kidney disorders. Recent Cherokee use mixed Bracken with Fennel for children’s colds and females with nursing or bladder problems (as a medicine of the East). Mixed with Balsam Fir, Horse Chestnut, and Seven Bark, Bracken was used (as a medicine of the South) for burns and sores. Combined with Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) Bracken treated intestinal worms (medicine of the West).
Hesquiat used fiddleheads for cancer. The southwestern Koasatsi used decoction of ground roots for chest pain. Menomini used root decoction for caked breast. Micmac used fronds for weakness in babies and elderly. Montagnals of Canada used P. aquilina fronds as bedding to strengthen the backs of babies and for the elderly. Ojibwa used root infusion for stomach cramps and used smoke from dried leaves for headaches. Yana used P. aquilina roots for burns (pounded and heated).
Sources:
http://www.nathanielwhitmore.com/ferns.html
http://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/medicinal-benefits-ferns
http://www.forestharvest.org.uk/species.php?name=Bracken
plantsforsurvival 