Maidenhair fern

Adiantum capillus-veneris

A plant of great delicacy, maidenhair fern has a thin, polished, black main leafstalk and fanlike leaflets supported by stalks as fine as hair. The plant has a gossamer look that makes it in demand for dried flower arrangements. Maidenhair fern prefers a wet environment, usually growing in limestone soils dampened by waterfall spray. Water runs off its foliage with the result that, even after being immersed in water, it emerges with dry leaves-hence its scientific name, Adiantum, meaning "unwetted." The fern's association with hair gave rise to an old belief that drinking a tea made from the plant could keep hair from falling out. Unhappily, it has no such powers.

A tea from the fresh plant has been used as an expectorant in treating coughs since the time of the ancient Greeks. Later herbalists prescribed maidenhair fern for more serious respiratory conditions, such as pleurisy, but with less success, for it is not a potent plant. Maidenhair fern was also employed to promote menstruation and as a mild diuretic.

A relative is the northern maidenhair (A. pedatum), which has a somewhat forked stalk, as opposed to the single stalk of A. capillusveneris, also called southern maidenhair fern.

Other names

• Rock Fern
• Venus'- hair Fern

Parts used

Aerial parts.

Uses

Still used by Western herbalists to treat coughs, bronchitis, excess mucus, sore throat, and chronic nasal congestion, maidenhair fern also has a longstanding reputation as a remedy for conditions of the hair and scalp.

Habitat & cultivation

Native to Europe and North America, maidenhair fern grows in moist, shady sites.

Constituents

Maidenhair fern contains flavonoids (including rutin and isoquercitin), terpenoids (including adiantone), a tannin, and mucilage.

Applications

LEAVES:

FLUID EXTRACT - An extract of the fresh leaves is marketed in Europe for treating cerebral arteriosclerosis in the elderly and for diseases of the peripheral circulation.

TINCTURE - Combine with other cardiovascular herbs, such as greater periwinkle and lime flower, for circulatory problems, or with king's clover for venous disorders.

INFUSION - Make with 50 g dried leaves to 500 ml water, and take for arteriosclerosis and varicose conditions. Use as a wash for varicose ulcers or hemorrhoids.

SEEDS:

DECOCTION - Combine with herbs  such as ma huang, elecampane, or mulberry leaves for asthma and severe or persistent coughs: 3 - 4 seeds are enough for three doses.

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