Ethnopharmacological properties of the fern Adiantum lunulatum: A review

Adiantum lunulatum (Hamsapadhi) is a cosmopolitan tropical fern that is traditionally employed in folklore medicine to address various maladies. The fern is a reservoir for major plant secondary metabolites like tannins, saponins, alkaloids, phenolics flavonoids, etc. Accredited the presence of phytochemicals the fern portrays pharmacological properties like antimicrobial, antifertility, hepatoprotective, anti-ulcerative, antipyretic, gastroprotective properties, etc. Despite numerous evidences of pharmacological applications in traditional medicines, there are very few in vitro and in vivo studies on the fern to corroborate its pharmacological properties and to appraise it as a prospective therapeutic agent, thus necessitating more research in this fern. The current review circumscribes the phytochemistry of the fern and its concomitant pharmacological properties.