Can wild bracken on rural mountains be eaten?

In our village, every spring, bracken on the mountains can be picked and eaten. Bracken is a specialty wild vegetable in our restaurant. It is not called bracken on the restaurant menu, but bracken. It's called "Asparagus", the name sounds really noble, and many people like to eat it. At this time of year, city people also drive cars to our village to pick bracken, so the supply exceeds demand. The price sold in rural markets is as high as 15 yuan/jin or more. However, some experts say that bracken contains carcinogens and should not be eaten. So is this true?

We rural farmers have been eating these wild bracken for several generations. I have not heard of anyone dying from eating wild bracken. So I also checked the information online to see if it was true. The information showed that bracken does contain a carcinogen called protopterin. Eating too much of it can cause physical discomfort and increase the risk of esophageal and gastric cancer. Probabilistic.

However, the carcinogen "protopterin" on bracken will be greatly reduced by high temperatures. Usually when we farmers pick bracken, we blanch it in boiling water and then soak it in cold water for a day. Only the above foods can be cooked and eaten. These carcinogens will be greatly reduced, so the harm to our bodies after we eat them will also be reduced.

No matter what we usually eat, eating too much will be bad for our health. This is called counterproductive. Bracken is also rich in nutrients and has the effect of promoting gastrointestinal motility. So it’s okay for us to eat a small amount of bracken on a daily basis.

Ferns can be found in most areas of our country. It has existed on the earth for hundreds of millions of years and is known as a living fossil in the plant world.

Taking the Northeast as an example, ferns include bracken, monkey legs, green Guangdong, pheasant wings (Weicae), etc.

Bracken picking starts in April and can last until July.

It goes without saying that bracken has nutritional value. Eighty years ago, the foreign trade company had the task of exporting bracken and wisteria. And it’s expensive.

When the bracken is picked every spring, people use it to stir-fry meat, make cold dishes, etc., and also dry it into dried bracken for winter consumption.

Bracken is edible, pollution-free, and is a natural high-quality food!