A Review on Ethno-Medicinally Important Species of Pteridophytes

Anamika Pathak et al.,       

Vascular cryptogams | Pteridophytes                 

Vol: 3; Iss: 3;  Mar-17 | ISSN: 2454-5422

Pteridophyta (pteron = feather, phyton = plants), General named as ‘vascular cryptogams,’ and found most primitive vascular angiospermic plants. Pteridophytes are known the oldest vascular plant creature on earth and constitute major group of vascular plants. Pteridophytes position known as intermediate between the lower plants and higher plants has made the whole group interesting for research and study. Pteridophytes group have a long connection on our planet and were known as far back as 380 million years ago. Pteridophytes also known for their medicinal value for more than 2000 years, (Parihar and Parihar, 2006). The Greek botanist Theophrastus (327-287 B.C.) had already referred to the ethnomedicinal value of ferns in one of his books. Dioscorides (50 AD) also added in his “De material medica” to a number of ferns including The bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) and the male fern (Dryopteris filix- mas (L) schott) as having medicinal value. In ancient Indian medicine several ferns were in use, Sushruta (100 AD) and charaka (100 AD) recommended the medicinal use of some pteridophytes i.e. Marsilea minuta Linn. and Adiantum capillusveneris Linn. in their Samhitas (Chandra, 2000).