Lady Fern

by Inge Riis McDonald

Title

Lady Fern

Artist

Inge Riis McDonald

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

The lady fern is a large feathery fern that is native to the temperate northern hemisphere, growing in damp, shady forests. It is often used as a decorative plant in shady gardens.
The large leaves of lady fern were used by native peoples for laying out or covering food, especially drying berries. The fiddleheads were eaten in the early spring when they were 7 - 15 cm tall. They were boiled, baked, or eaten raw with grease. Native peoples used tea made from lady fern roots to stimulate urination, to stop breast pains associated with childbirth, and to stimulate milk production in caked breasts. Tea made from the stems was taken to ease labour. The roots were dried and ground to make a powder that was dusted on sores to aid healing. Oil from the rootstocks of lady fern or male fern. (Dryoperis filix-mas) has been used since the times of Theophrastus and Dioscorides (1st century A.D.) To expel worms from both humans and livestock. A single, strong dose was often sufficient, but if the dose was too large, it could cause muscular weakness, coma and, most frequently, blindness.
source: Borealforest.org

Uploaded

April 15th, 2017

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