Bowl Fern, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the whole plant of Dennstaedtias crabra (Wall.) Moore, a species belonging to the genus Dennstaedtias in the family Polypodiaceae. The plant is distributed in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Taiwan, Hunan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet in China. It has the therapeutic effects of dispelling wind, clearing heat, and relieving exterior symptoms. It is primarily used to treat headaches caused by the common cold and rheumatic arthralgia.
Bowl Fern
Bowl Fern, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the whole plant of Dennstaedtias crabra (Wall.) Moore, a species belonging to the genus Dennstaedtias in the family Polypodiaceae. The plant is distributed in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Taiwan, Hunan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet in China. It has the therapeutic effects of dispelling wind, clearing heat, and relieving exterior symptoms. It is primarily used to treat headaches caused by the common cold and rheumatic arthralgia.
Chinese Name : 碗蕨
Aliases : Guanzhong (Guangxi)
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Pungent in taste, cool in nature. Enters the Bladder Meridian
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Dispels wind, clears heat, and relieves exterior symptoms.
Indications
Common cold headaches and rheumatic arthralgia.
Usage and Dosage
Internal use: Decoction, 9–15 g.
Relevant Discussions
*Xinhua Compendium of Materia Medica*: “Whole herb: Pungent in taste, cool in nature. It has the efficacy of clearing heat and relieving exterior symptoms. Used for common cold headaches.”
Applications
Related Compatibility
To treat common cold headaches, use 15 g of bowl fern and 15 g of Isatis root. Decoct and take orally. (*Medicinal Spore Plants of China*)
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Harvest in summer and fall; remove impurities, wash thoroughly, and use fresh or sun-dry.
Crude Drug Identification
Properties of Crude Drugs
The rhizome is cylindrical, thick and long, with a reddish-brown surface densely covered with brown, nodular hairs; numerous grayish-black fibrous roots emerge from its base. Petioles are 20–35 cm long, reddish-brown, and slightly glossy; leaf blades are 20–35 cm long and 15–20 cm wide, deeply pinnately lobed three to four times;triangular-lanceolate or oblong, papery, brownish-green; both surfaces of the leaf, the rachis, and the veins are covered with brown, nodular, long hairs; the terminal lobes are short, bluntly pointed, entire, with one minor vein per lobe; the apex of each lobe is swollen into a water sac that does not reach the leaf margin; spore sacs are clustered at the tips of the minor veins, with bowl-shaped indusia that are grayish-green and slightly hairy.Brittle in texture, with a faint odor and a bland taste.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
A plant of the genus Pteris in the family Polypodiaceae.
Morphological Characteristics
A terrestrial fern, the plant grows 70–120 cm tall. The rhizome is stout and densely covered with brown, nodular, long hairs.Leaves are distichous; petioles are 20–35 cm long, brown, flattened on the adaxial surface with longitudinal grooves, and bearing brown, nodular hairs; leaf blades are papery, densely covered with white, nodular hairs along the veins on both surfaces, triangular-lanceolate or oblong, and three- to four-times pinnately divided;There are 15–20 pairs of pinnae, arranged alternately, petiolate, ovate-lanceolate or linear-lanceolate; the lower pinnae are larger, 10–32 cm long and 3–10 cm wide; there are 12–18 pairs of secondary pinnae, arranged alternately, ovate or ovate-lanceolate; the lower ones are larger, 2.5–10 cm long and 1–3 cm wide;tertiary lobes obliquely ovate, 5–25 mm long, 3–10 mm wide, with a few sharp teeth along the margin, sometimes bearing 4–6 pairs of lateral lobes; veins pinnate, with one minor vein per lobe, the apex of which is swollen into a water sac. Spore sacs are clustered at the tips of the minor veins along the margins of the lobes; the indusia are bowl-shaped, yellowish-green, and toothed at the margins.
Distribution Area
Distributed in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Taiwan, Hunan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet in China.