PARTE UTILIZADA= Used part: La planta entera, fresca o seca.

ACCIÓN FARMACOLÓGICA= Pharmacological action: Astringente, calmante, pectoral, diaforética y diurética.

POSOLOGÍA= Posology: Retención de liquido (diurética). Poner a hervir en un recipiente durante 15 minutos 80 g. de la planta fresca 0 35 g. de la seca. Dejar reposar durante 10 minutos y colar. Se toman de 4 a 5 tazas durante el día, fuera de las comidas. El contenido de líquido es de 200 a 250 cm cúbicos.

COMPOSICIÓN QUÍMICA= Chemical composition: Contiene ácidos orgánicos, mucílagos y taninos.  

ZONA GEOGRÁFICA= Geografical zone: Caminos de Santiago.

DIVERSIDAD GENÉTICA Y MEJORAMIENTO DE PLANTAS MEDICINALES= Medicinal plants and improvement of medicinal herbs:
 
Phylogenetic relationships among 20 taxa of the fern genus Asplenium subgenus Ceterach (Filicopsida, represented by 73 accessions) were investigated using DNA sequence data from the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (ITS nDNA) and plastid trnL-F intergenic spacer.  In addn., a single sample per taxon was used in an anal. of the plastid rbcL gene.  Chromosome counts were detd. for all the samples, and these demonstrated a range from diploid to octoploid.  Analyses of the DNA sequence data indicated that Asplenium subgenus Ceterach is polyphyletic, implicating homoplasy in the characters previously used to circumscribe this taxon.  Plastid trnL-F and rbcL analyses resulted in identical tree topologies.  The trees produced from the sep. plastid and nuclear matrixes agree in  the recognition of identical groups of accessions corresponding to A. dalhousiae, A. ceterach, A. aureum, A. cordatum, A. phillipsianum, and A. haughtonii; (2) the division of A. subg. Ceterach into two subclades, a Eurasian-Macaronesian and a strictly African alliance; (3) the position of A. dalhousiae as a member of the former subclade; (4) the lack of genetic variation in A. cordatum despite its morphol. variability; and (5) the clustering of each autopolyploid with their diploid ancestor.  However, the plastid and nuclear trees differ in their placement of A. haughtonii and A. dalhousiae, which might be due to different evolutionary histories of nuclear and plastid genomes, and is possibly an indication of ancient hybridization.  The analyses confirm the existence of several strictly African taxa.  Asplenium phillipsianum and A. cordatum each form species complexes of diploid and autopolyploid taxa, from which a third, morphol. intermediate, allotetraploid species has originated.  Asplenium haughtonii is a distinct endemic species from Saint Helena.  The maternally inherited plastid sequences support the hypothesis that A. aureum is an ancestor of A. lolegnamense and of A. octoploideum.
 Because gene conversion did not eliminate divergent ITS alleles in the allopolyploids, their reticulate ancestry could be demonstrated.  Biparentally inherited nrITS sequences support the allopolyploid status of A. aureum, A. lolegnamense, and A. punjabense, indicating they share the ancestral A. javorkeanum genome.

ÚLTIMOS AVANCES EN LA QUÍMICA Y ACTIVIDADES BACTERIOLÓGICAS EN LAS PLANTAS MEDICINALES= Medicinal plants, last advances on chemistry and bacteria activities on the medicinal herbs
 
1) Ceterach officinarum D.C., Asplenium trichomanes L. and A. adiantum nigrum L. occur in the fissures of precipitous calcareous rocks in the Gorge of Sicevo.  Here, humus rhizosphere soil, i.e. Lithosol, mainly consisting of the leaf and root remains of the ferns in different degrdn. phases gets formed.  The present study was concd. on detn. of total phenolics in the fern leaves, rhizomes and rhizosphere soil and on the analyses of phenolic acids.  In the leaves of all three ferns total free phenolics were dominant and exceeded that of their bound forms 1.28-6.95 times.  The highest amts. of phenolics were found in the leaves (free of 11 744.00 mg g-1 and bound of 9 135.00 mg g-1, resp.) and rhizomes (free of 2 811.11 mg g-1 and bound 1 962.74 mg g-1, resp.) of Ceterach officinarum.  The humus of rhizosphere soil under the ferns was characterized by higher amts. of total bound phenolics (up to 3 873.34 mg g-1).  It contained low amts. of free phenolic acids (0.687-9.115 mg g-1).  The content of bound phenolic acids exceeded that of their free forms up to 280 times.  Since ferns as pioneer species grow at first in the rock fissures either contg. no soil or soil in the stage of formation, produces phenolic compds. as secondary metabolites and thus play the significant role in soil and humus formation.
 
2) The fronds of the fern C. officinarum yielded naringin and the novel naringenin 7-[O-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1 ® 6)-glucoside]; the latter was characterized by spectral means and hydrolysis.

3) The novel flavonol glycosides I (R = 6-O-malonyl-D-glucosyl, 6-O-malonyl-D-galactosyl), were isolated, together with the known compds. quercetin 3-O-glucoside and 3-O-b-gentiobioside, from fresh fronds of C. officinarum and their structures were detd. by spectral and chem. means.
 

1) ALFARO, Txumari, Plantas y remedios naturales de los caminos de santiago. Barcelona: B.S.A. 2008, p. 90.

2) VAN DEN HEEDE, Caroline J.; VIANE, Ronald L. L.; CHASE, Mark W.  Phylogenetic analysis of Asplenium subgenus Ceterach (Pteridophyta: Aspleniaceae) based on plastid and nuclear ribosomal ITS DNA sequences.  American Journal of Botany. 2003, vol.90, nº3, p.481-495.
 
3) DURDEVIC, Lola, et al. Total phenolics and phenolic acids content in leaves, rhizomes and rhizosphere soil under Ceterach officinarum D.C., Asplenium trichomanes L. and A. adiantum nigrum L. in the Gorge of Sicevo (Serbia).  of Belgrade,  Belgrade, Ekologia (Bratislava, Slovakia). 2007, vol.26, nº2, p.164-173.
 
4) IMPERATO, Filippo.  A flavanone glycoside from the fronds of Ceterach officinarum.  Phytochemistry (Elsevier). 1983, vol.22, nº1, p.312-313.
 
5) MPERATO, Filippo. Two new flavonol glycosides from the fern Ceterach officinarum Lam. et DC. Chemistry & Industry (London, United Kingdom). 1981, vol.19, p.695-696.