Indian Substitutes of Male Fern in Pharmacognosy

Abstract

Dryopteris filix-mas (L.) Schott, commonly known as the male fern, is a good tænicide and is included in the pharmacopœias of all countries and also in the International Pharmacopœia. India, with her vast resources of drug plants, has many indigenous species of Dryopteris growing in the Himalayas, although the true male fern is not indigenous. With the view of finding suitable Indian substitutes of the official drug, phytochemical and pharmacognostical investigations on the following 18 members of the family Aspidiaceae were carried out. Dryopteris hirtipes (Bl.) O. Ktze., D. scotti (Bedd.) Ching, D. cochleata (Don) O. Ktze., D. barbigera (Moore) O. Ktze., D. serratodentata (Bedd.) Hayata, D. fibrillosa (Clarke) Hand-Mzt., D. rosthernii (Diels) C. Chr., D. paleacea (Don) Hand-Mzt., D. blanfordii (Hope) C. Chr., D. chrysocoma (Christ) C. Chr., D. ramosa (Hope) C. Chr., D. pulvinulifera (Bedd.) O. Ktze., D. splendens (Hk.) O. Ktze., D. sparsa (Don) O. Ktze., Ctenitis apiciflora (Wall) Ching, C. nidus (Clarke) Ching, Hypodematium crenatum (Forsk) Kuhn, Cyrtomium falcatum Presl.