Łódź, Łagiewniki Forest

It is native to temperate Asia, Europe, North Africa, Canada and the USA. Ornamental plant. Edible plant - young shoots, harvested before they have fully unfolded, can be eaten cooked, they must not be eaten raw(!); rhizome peeled and slow-baked. Herbal plant - a tea of the boiled stems has been used to relieve labour pains, the young unfurled fronds have been eaten to treat internal ailments such as cancer of the womb; the roots are anthelmintic and diuretic, a tea of the boiled roots has been used to treat general body pains, to stop breast pains caused by childbirth and to induce milk flow in caked breasts; the dried powdered roots have been applied externally to heal sores; a liquid extract of the roots is an effective anthelmintic.