Male Fern

Other Names : known as other names: Apsidium, American Aspidium, Bear's Paw, Dryoptère Fougère Mâle, Dryopteris filix-mas, European Aspidium, Male Fern, Fougère Mâle, Helecho Macho, Knotty Brake, Marginal Fern, Shield Fern, Sweet Brake.

Special Precautions of Male Fern

Male fern is a very poisonous plant. Taking it by mouth can cause death. Despite these serious safety concerns, some people use the leaf and other parts that grow above the ground, as well as the underground stem (rhizome), to make medicine. Here is a word of caution. It must always be borne in mind that excessive dosage of the male fern is highly noxious and one should never use the herb without consulting qualified physicians. If taken in high doses, medicines prepared from the male fern may prove to be fatal too.

• Some people may be at even higher risk of side effects. If you take it while pregnant or breast-feeding, you will endanger yourself as well as your baby.
• Side effects caused by taking male fern can be serious and include breathing difficulty, nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, headaches, tremors, convulsions, heart and lung failure, eye disorders, muscular weakness, coma, temporary or permanent blindness, and death.
• Treatment of overdose consists of giving salt water followed by other special fluids. It is important to avoid fats and oils because they increase the amount of male fern that is absorbed by the body. If seizures occur, benzodiazepines may be used, and a breathing machine may be necessary.
• Stomach and intestinal conditions: Stomach and intestinal conditions that increase digestion time might increase the amount of male fern that is absorbed in the intestine. This bigger dose of male fern could lead to more serious side effects.

Health Benefits and Uses of Male Fern

• The male fern is one of the most powerful medications for tapeworm ever documented in the records of medicine. Over the centuries people have been making use of oil taken out from the tuber or rhizome of the herb to cure problems arising owing to tapeworms and also liver flukes or barbs. Researches have discovered that compounds like filicin and filmarone present in the oil extracted from the male fern rhizome are harmful for the worms. Studies have also established that the oleo-resin (a mixture of a resin and an essential oil, either obtained naturally from plants or produced synthetically) in the oil render the worms incapable of movement and thus restrain the maggots or larvae from sticking themselves to the intestine walls.
• Male fern is used to treat nosebleeds, heavy menstrual bleeding, wounds, and tumors.