Medicinal Ferns and Fern Allies: Asplenium ruta-muraria, Rue Fern, Rue Spleenwort, Wall Rue etc.

Asplenium ruta-muraria, Rue Fern, Rue Spleenwort, Wall Rue etc.

This is another Spleenwort, with that goes by many names. Spleenworts were so named because they were traditionally used in herbal medicine for the health of the spleen. In the British tradition, this one is usually called Wall Rue. This one is a favorite of mine due to an ancient King of England, who is also a Catholic Saint…. And my ancestor! Yes, my gggg (etc) grandfather, King Edward the Confessor, was said to have the miraculous power of touching the throat of a person infected with “scrofula”. Wall Rue is also a cure for this condition, and closely associated with him. Scrofula was called “the king’s evil.” Scrofula is a condition involving swollen and infected glands in the neck. Although, “the king’s evil” has also been associated with gout. In the middle ages, in England, if one did not access to the king, Wall Rue would be used to cure this debilitating condition. Much earlier though, the ancient Greeks considered it to be a veritable cure-all.

Brother Aloysius writes of its use in German Folk Medicine:

Wall Rue (Asplenium ruta-muraria) - Recommended for jaundice, pneumonia, coughing, pain in the loins, gravel, bladder complaints, asthma, scurvy, lung disorders and intestinal blockages.

Mrs. Grieve tells us:

The Wall Rue, named by some old writers Salvis vitae, also White Maidenhair, is a small fern, only 2 to 3 inches high, growing in tufts and embedded in the crevices and joints of walls. It is much the colour of Garden Rue, its wedge-shaped pinnules being like those of the Rue, and also its slender stalks of a pale-green colour.

It was considered good for coughs and ruptures in children. One of its old names, 'Tentwort,' refers to its use as a specific for the cure of rickets, a disease once known as 'the taint.' It was also used to prevent hair from falling out.

Culpepper says:

'This is used in pectoral decoction. The decoction being drunk helps those that are troubled with coughs, shortness of breath, yellow jaundice, diseases of the spleen, stoppings of the urine, and helps to break the stone in the kidneys.... It cleanses the lungs, and by rectifying the blood causes a good colour to the whole body. The herb boiled in oil of camomile dissolves knots, allays swellings and drys up moist ulcers. The lye made thereof is singularly good to cleanse the head from scurf and from dry and running sores, stays the shedding or falling of the hair, and causes it to grow thick, fair and well-coloured, for which purpose boil it in wine, putting some smallage-seed thereto and afterwards some oil.'

Plants for A Future states:

The fronds are astringent, deobstruent, emmenagogue, expectorant and ophthalmic. A distilled water made from the fronds has proved of benefit in the treatment of many eye complaints. The plant is also considered to be useful in the treatment of coughs and ruptures in children. It was at one time used as a herbal remedy for rickets and its tannin content renders it suitable for stopping bleeding from small wounds. The fronds are harvested in late spring and dried for later use.

Although we have found no reports of toxicity for this species, a number of ferns contain carcinogens so some caution is advisable. Many ferns also contain thiaminase, an enzyme that robs the body of its vitamin B complex. In small quantities this enzyme will do no harm to people eating an adequate diet that is rich in vitamin B, though large quantities can cause severe health problems. The enzyme is destroyed by heat or thorough drying, so cooking the plant will remove the thiaminase.

This article is an excerpt from 

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The information on this site is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Nothing on this site has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I am not a doctor. The US government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine and their is no governing body regulating herbalists. Therefore, I'm just a guy who studies herbs. I am not offering any advice. I won't even claim that anything I write is accurate or true! I can tell you what herbs have "traditionally been used for." I can tell you my own experience and if I believe an herb helped me. I cannot, nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use any herb I, or anyone else, mentions you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for you. You may have an allergy, sensitivity or underlying condition that no one else shares and you don't even know about. Be careful with your health. By continuing to read my blog you agree to be responsible for yourself, do your own research, make your own choices and not to blame me for anything, ever.