Can wild bracken be eaten? I believe many friends have heard that bracken is poisonous and can't be eaten, but many friends who live in mountainous areas have been eating bracken for decades. Is it still fine? So is bracken poisonous? First of all, we should know that there are many ferns, such as Dryopteris pilosa, Bidens bipinnata, ferns and Osmunda japonica, which we often eat. These bracken are relatively common, because bracken is widely distributed in China, and various types of bracken can be seen in most areas, but there are no reports of human poisoning caused by bracken. A friend said "bracken causes cancer". The theory that bracken causes cancer mainly comes from protofern glycoside in bracken, which was isolated from European fern by Japanese and Danish scholars in 1983.

What is "protopterin"? Protopterin was proved to be carcinogenic in 1984, and the substance was also rated as a Class III carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (data released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization on 20 17127 October). However, we should pay attention to these three types of carcinogens. The so-called three types of carcinogens refer to substances that have not been classified as carcinogenic to humans, that is to say, the evidence of protopterin and other substances causing cancer to humans is not sufficient at present, and it is not very carcinogenic to animals. Simply put, it is a substance suspected of causing cancer to human beings.

In this way, bracken is really "dangerous", but in fact, the carcinogenicity of protofern glycoside in bracken is the same as that of bacon and sausage. Just pay attention to the amount and frequency of consumption at ordinary times, so don't panic too much. It's no problem to eat occasionally or in small quantities. No one will eat bracken as a meal.

In addition, when we eat bracken, we should pay attention to some treatments, such as soaking it in clear water or alkaline water before eating, or blanching it with boiling water. This can reduce the content of protopterin in Pteridium aquilinum and reduce its potential harm to human body. Of course, the bracken in the last spring can still be safely eaten. As long as everyone controls the amount, it is no problem to eat too often.