NativeTech: Native American Technology and Art
Indigenous Plants & Native Uses in the Northeast

BRACKEN FERN BRACKEN FERN
(Pteridium aquilinum)
BRACKEN FERN

BRACKEN FERN

Medicine: The brown root has an unpleasant smell and taste, but when boiled and eaten made an effective worm medicine. A root tea was used for stomach cramps and diarrhea, and smoke for headaches. A poultice of the root was made for burns and sores, and an astringent wash was made to promote hair growth.

Note: Also called Brake Root. Poisonous in excess doses.


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