I was surprised to find this species at the market. A plastic bag containing ca. 8 stems costed 10 pesos (ca. 0.75 US dollars). The stems are used to make a tea for the treatment of several renal diseases. This is probably the most common use of ferns and lycophytes in Mexican herbal medicine. The stems of Phlebodium are sometimes sold in mixed bags containing Equisetum myriochaetum and Selaginella lepidophylla (q.v.).