Keywords

FormalPara Vernaculars:

Urd.: Persiawushan ; Hin.: Galmarium , Hansraj , Hansraja or Raja hansa , Mubaraka ; San.: Godhāvatī , Hansapadi ; Ben.: Kalijhant ; Mal.: Paravan ; Mar.: Mhar ; Tam.: Mayirsikki , Paraiyan , Paraiyar , Paraiyadi kiravan ; Ara.: Kazbarat-el-bir (coriander of the well), Nasif-el-aswad (black veil), Saq-el-aswad (black stem), Shaa’r-ul-jinn (fairies hair), Shaa’r-ul-jibal , Shaa’r-ul-khinazeer ; Chi.: 细叶铁线蕨; Dan.: Ægte venushår , Venushår ; Dut.: Europees venushaar ; Eng.: Evergreen maidenhair , Fairies , Himalayan maidenhair ; Fin.: Venuksenhiussaniainen ; Fre.: Capillaire cheveux-de-Vénus , Capillaire de Montpellier , Cheveux de Vénus ; Ger.: Frauenhaarfarn , Venushaar-farn ; Ita.: Capelvenere comune ; Per.: Persiavashan , Sir sia-peshane ; Spa.: Adianto , Capilera , Culantrillo de pozo .

FormalPara Description:

Adiantum venustum is a fern that is native to China and Himalayas; but also grows in Persia, Indo-China, Africa, Mexico, Latin America, and Australia. Adiantun capillus-veneris is native to North America, Central America, Europe and Africa, and both species are used interchangeably. The genus name is derived from the Greek, meaning “not wetting” due to the fronds’ ability to shed water without becoming wet. It grows under shade in moist areas near ponds and wells. Its leaves resemble coriander leaves, but are smaller. Both leaves and stem are used medicinally; its potency weakens in six months and is completely lost in a year.LXXVII The stems are very slender, black and highly polished as if varnished, one or more chanelled; channels more deep, irregular and on one side. Leaves small, reniform, rogous and marked with fan-like veins, serrated at the top like coriander, of a brownish dark color; taste faintly astringent; odor rather disagreeable (Fig. 1).LXXXI

Fig. 1
figure 1

Adiantum venustum , Plant, Botanischer Garten München-Nymphenburg, Munich, Germany, Daderot, WikimediaCommons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adiantum_venustum_-_Botanischer_Garten_M%C3%BCnchen-Nymphenburg_-_DSC07765.JPG

Full size image
FormalPara Actions and Uses:

Dioscorides is quoted by Ibn al-BaitarLXIX that the decoction of the drug is beneficial in oliguria, spleen pain, pneumonia (Raboo), kidney stones, jaundice, and ringworm infection of the scalp. Rhazes and Basri reiterated the hair growth property after application of ashes of the plant, and Galen reinforced the observations of Dioscorides and added that the drug is astringent, resolvent and demulcent, resolves lymph nodes inflammation and boils, disintegrates renal stones, and expels pus from pulmonary alveoli. Dymock et al.XL described it as deobstruent, demulcent and resolvent, also pectoral expectorant, emmenagogue, diuretic and alexipharmic; useful for clearing the bile, adust bile and phlegmatic humours. Used as plaster, it is considered to be discutient, and is applied to chronic tumors of various kinds. The ashes of the plant mixed with olive oil and vinegar are used to make the hair grow on the bald patches produced by ringworm of the scalp. The expressed juice with pepper is a favorite remedy in all kinds of fevers; syrup prepared from leaves is useful in chronic cough.XXI,CV Unani physicians of Indian subcontinent regard its temperament as moderate towards heat, while Rhazes considered it hot 1° and dry 1°. It is resolvent, emollient, deobstruent, detergent, diuretic, emmenagogue, and cleans phlegmatic humors, and used in pulmonary catarrh, pneumonia, common cold, cough and asthma, and fevers due to morbid or impure phlegm. The powder is used for oral sores in children, and the decoction is used as emmenagogue, in puerperium and for the expulsion of placenta. Also used in boils, stomatitis, skin eruptions, snakebites, foxbite and dogbite. Particularly used as a purgative of black bile, yellow bile and phlegm; it cures common cold.LXXVII Washing hair with it clears dandruff and strengthens hair. Khory and KatrakLXXXI described it as stimulant, tonic and demulcent; and used in pulmonary catarrh, asthma and as a flavoring agent in expectorant mixtures. In Ayurveda, it is used in cold, tumors of spleen, liver and other viscera, skin diseases, bronchitis and inflammatory diseases and is also considered a tonic and diuretic [11]. A. capillus-veneris is used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases in traditional folk medicine of south China [14]. In the Philippines, fronds are used for chest diseases and as emmenagogue; whereas in Iraq and Iran the rhizomes are believed to have expectorant properties, and are used to relieve symptoms of whooping cough.CXVII

FormalPara Phytoconstituents:

Adiantulanostene ether, a lanostane triterpenic ether, was isolated from aerial parts of A. venustum [3]. Three other terpenes, 30-normethyl lupane-20-one, 30-normethyl olean-3-one-30β-ol and lanost-20(22)-ene-30-ol have also been reported [2]. Phenolic contents of A. venustum and A. capillus-veneris are almost equal, 0.81% and 0.83%, respectively [11], which might produce similar clinical effects, and thus the two species are used interchangeably. The leaves, stem and roots of A. capillus-veneris all show the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, cardiac glycosides, terpenoids, steroids, and reducing sugars [6]. Thirteen compounds, namely 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, chlorogenic acid, caftaric acid, kaempferol glycosides, p-coumaric acid, rosmarinic acid, 5-caffeoylquinic acid, quercetin glycosides, kaempferol-3-sophorotrioside, chlorogenic acid, 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, coumaric acid, and its derivative were isolated in high amounts from the leaves of A. capillus-veneris [15]. A number of triterpenoids have been isolated from A. capillus-veneris, collected from Japan, China and Egypt [8]. β-sitosterol, stigmasterol and capesterol were identified in the sterol fraction of A. capillus veneris [7]. One triterpenoid, 4-α-hydroxyfilican-3-one, showed significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities [5].

FormalPara Pharmacology:

Methanol extract of A. venustum showed significant antifungal activity against A. terreus, which is implied to be due to high phenolic contents [11]; whereas ethanol extract exhibited significant anticancer activity against Ehrlic ascites carcinoma, and reduced LPO [12]. Ethanol extract of A. capillus-veneris and its ethyl acetate fraction exhibited significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects [4]. Hydroalcohol extract of A. capillus-veneris was protective against ethylene glycol and ammonium chloride-induced urolithiasis in rats [1], and aqueous fraction of methanol extract of A. capillus-veneris promoted significant angiogenesis in vitro [9]. An A. capillus-veneris extract protected rats from bisphenol A-induced testicular toxicity [13]. Topical application of ethanol extract solution on the back of mice significantly reduced testosterone-induced hair loss, and increased hair follicle density [10].

FormalPara Human A/Es, Allergy and Toxicity:

It is harmful in the presence of splenic diseases.LXXVII

FormalPara Animal Toxicity:

No animal toxicity studies are reported in the literature.

FormalPara Commentary:

There are no clinical studies reported on this plant, with a long history of medicinal use, in the mainstream English publications listed on PubMed.