Identification and Investigation of Mistakes in Medicinal Species Adiantum capillus-veneris L. in the Iranian Market (with Reviews and Reference to Global Ethnobotany)

The plant Adiantum capillus-veneris, which is known by the native name “Paresiavashan” in Iran, is a species of Pteridaceae dark ferns that have pinnatifid-shaped compound fronds, fan-shaped pinnaes, and brown stipe. Different parts of this plant such as fronds and rhizome have medicinal properties and are used as decoctions, infusions, etc. to treat diseases such as cough, asthma, bronchitis, and jaundice. In this study, 33 samples belonging to 21 provinces of Iran were collected in the summer and autumn of 202 to identify and investigate suspected adulterated in the supply and sale of this herbal product in Iran’s herbal markets, then the samples were studied with the help of Floras and articles were identified macroscopically. In addition to the laboratory procedures, articles related to the ethnobotany of the mentioned species were studied and important materials were extracted by referring to databases such as Google Scholar. The results of the studies showed that out of 33 studied samples, 6 samples belonged to the Asplenium adiantum-nigrum species and were wrongly offered in the herbal markets. Also, all the collected samples had sori on the surface of the fronds, which increases the possibility of allergies and side effects in consumers. For this reason, it is more important to investigate and study this species as an important medicinal plant in the stages of collection, packaging, and supply in local markets. In addition, the wrong sale of alternative plants of this species endangers the health of customers and requires morphological, anatomical, and molecular investigations.