Pteridium aquilinum used to be called anticancer plant. It is beneficial to health and has the effect of prolonging life after eating. But in recent years, it has been found that eating bracken is easy to cause cancer, because there is another component in bracken called protofern glycoside, which will increase the risk of cancer. Some surveys show that in some mountainous areas, if these people often eat ferns, they will increase the risk of esophageal cancer.

So many people don't eat bracken now. Some doctors said that in fact, this kind of bracken can be eaten less and roasted with fire, because high temperature will destroy the original bracken, which is still soluble in water. You can still eat less as long as you soak it for a few times and cook it at high temperature. If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it. In fact, I think this is also related to personal resistance, because my home is on the mountain and there are many bracken. Many people grew up from the snack bracken, and there is no problem until they are old. So it is not that eating this bracken will definitely cause cancer, but it may increase this risk.