The efficacy and function of fern pods

There are so many medicinal herbs in the world, and it is inevitable that there are some that we are not familiar with. But as long as we have the spirit of learning throughout our lives, I believe we can slowly learn more medical herbs. So do you know about the medicinal herb Coptis chinensis?

【English name】 Rhizoma Matteucciae Struthiopteris

[Other names] Pheasant wings, Cynomorium microphylla

[Source] It is the rhizome and base of petiole of Matteuccia struthiopteris (L.) Todaro, a plant of the Fernaceae family. Harvest in spring and autumn, cut off the above-ground parts and dry them in the sun.

[Original form] Perennial herb, up to 1 meter tall. The leaves are clustered and dimorphic. The nutrient leaves are oblong-oblanceolate, 45-90 cm long, 14-25 cm wide, deeply pinnate-lobed, with more than 10 pairs of pinnae at the bottom, gradually shrinking into ear-shape downwards, and short petioles; the sporophylls are shorter, with longer petioles, pinnate-shaped, and the pinnae are curled downwards into a noded pod-like shape, covering the sporangium.

[Habitat distribution] Grown under forests or in shady and wet places in valleys. It is produced in Northeast China, North China, Shaanxi, Sichuan and Tibet.

[Properties] This product is round spindle-shaped or skewed oval, 10-15cm long and 6.5-8cm in diameter, densely covered at the base of the petiole, with yellow-brown membranous scales visible at the top. The base of the petiole is flat triangular, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, and curved inward; the surface is black-brown and slightly shiny, with 5 to 6 longitudinal ridges on the back, and a distinct bulge in the middle. Some have 1 to 2 bird-shaped wrinkles visible on the upper end, and there are also longitudinal ridges on the ventral side; the texture is hard, with a black outer skin in cross section and light brown inside, with two linear vascular bundles arranged in a figure eight shape. The base of the rhizome is exposed. The taste is slightly astringent.

[Chemical composition] Contains hydroxyecdysterone and fatty acids, among which arachidonic acid is the main component.

【Nature and flavor】 Slightly cold in nature, bitter in taste.

【Functions and indications】 Clears away heat and detoxifies, kills insects and stops bleeding. Used for pinworm disease, abdominal pain caused by worm accumulation, dysentery with bloody stool, uterine bleeding, and swelling and pain due to damp heat.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

[Source] This product is one of the varieties of Guanzhong. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" notes under the Guanzhong entry: "It is now common in the Hedong prefectures of Shaanxi and Jingxiang, but few of them have flowers. In spring, the seedlings are red, the leaves are as big as ferns, the stems are three-sided, and the leaves are green like chicken feathers... The roots are purple-black, shaped like a big melon, with black whiskers underneath, and look like an old owl." A picture of Guanzhong of Zibo is also attached. According to the distribution and morphological descriptions and the attached figures, the original plant is consistent with the pod fern. But some people also believe that it is a plant of the genus Athyrium or Dryopteris.

Everyone should know the medicinal value of the Carthamus tinctorius, and you can be more targeted when consuming it. More reasonable use of the medicine can better treat some common diseases.