Shepherd’s Purse Uses and Plant Monograph
One of the most entertaining aspects of practicing and teaching herbalism are the stories shared, especially faux pas. An anecdote a student shared nearly three decades ago comes to mind. Based on the suggestion of a dated herbal from the 1970’s, one of my eager students stuffed a fresh, bruised yarrow leaf up her nostril in order to stop a nosebleed, although it worked, she was unable to dislodge it and had to make a visit to her doctor. This precarious and embarrassing situation could have been entirely avoided had she consumed an extract of fresh shepherd’s purse. Few herbs parallel its hemostatic properties (although yarrow is in close running).
As the world’s second most common weed, shepherd’s purse is widely available in spring and early summer.1,2 It requires minimal effort to harvest a year’s supply for a small-scale apothecary. When passive hemorrhage is concerned, its effects are note-worthy.
Shepherd’s Purse Uses and Plant Profile Summary
- Botanical Name: Capsella bursa-pastoris
- Other Common Names: mother’s heart, witch’s pouch, rattle pouches, pick pocket, poverty weed, shepherd’s sprout, shepherd’s bag, blind weed, beggar tick, poor man’s pharmacy, sanguinary
- Family: Brassicaceae
- Parts Used: aerial portions (seedpods and leaves) or whole plant
- Energetics: warming, drying
- Taste: pungent, astringent, bitter, and sweet
- Plant Properties: astringent, diuretic, counterirritant, expectorant, and hemostatic
- Plant Uses: stops bleeding, including from wounds, excess menstruation, nosebleeds, and more. Joint pain, arthritis, bruises, sprains, hemorrhoids, passing kidney stones, and wound care
- Plant Preparations: tincture, tea, culinary, poultice, and fomentation. Note: Fresh plant preparations are ideal for culinary and medicinal uses. However, the carefully dried plant is viable for up to one year for water-based preparations.
Stopping Bleeding
Shepherd’s purse is a hemostat that staunches passive hemorrhage.3,4,5 The fresh herbal extract or tea aids in treating postpartum bleeding, menorrhagia (heavy menstruation), mid-cycle bleeding, and hypermenorrhea (prolonged menstruation) due to uterine or ovarian fibroids, cysts, or endometriosis.6,7 Shepherd’s purse also reduces heavy bleeding caused by hormone imbalances during perimenopause, as long as there are no serious complications.8 The hemostatic properties are attributed to bursinic acid, a vasoconstrictor, and rubinoside that strengthens capillaries.9 It also contains appreciable amounts of vitamin K that’s necessary to form blood clots.10 Combine extracts of shepherd’s purse, Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), yarrow (Achillea), and a rose family member such as rose petal (Rosa spp.), red raspberry leaf (Rubus idaeus), or lady’s mantle leaf (Alchemilla), to reduce uterine bleeding.
Shepherd’s purse also reduces inflammation and passive bleeding due to gastric or intestinal ulceration from Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, or hemorrhoids.11 It aids in treating nose bleeds, bloody sputum, and hematuria (blood in the urine) due to passing kidney stones, interstitial cystitis, and urinary tract bleeding.12,13 Combine extracts of shepherd’s purse, Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), yarrow (Achillea), and/or fleabane (Erigeron) as a highly effective, all-purpose hemostatic.
Promoting Urination
Shepherd’s purse has mild diuretic actions.14, 15 It enhances phosphate and uric acid excretion and eases the passing of kidney stones. Consuming the tea also aids in treating conditions caused by excess uric acid, such as gout and arthritis.16, 17 Prepare an infusion with the recently dried herb and consume 6–8 ounces, four to five times throughout the day, to ease passing of kidney stones and to treat hematuria. Shepherd’s purse can be combined with couch grass (Agropyron), dandelion leaf (Taraxacum), and parsley root or seed (Petroselinum) to enhance urination.
A Powerful Nutritive
A nourishing, pungent edible, the fresh leaves and seedpods can be added to soup, salad, vinaigrette, sauteed greens, or pesto. Due to the presence of small hairs, the leaves are best minced or cooked (for a minimum of five minutes). Aerial portions contain vitamins and trace minerals (see Constituents section below). Added to soup or tea, the fresh leaves and seed pods stimulate circulation and encourage expectoration. Mature shepherd’s purse seeds yield mucilage upon hydration, having a mild thickening effect in soup and a moistening effect on the mucous membranes.
Styptic and Counterirritant
Topical applications of the fresh plant poultice or fomentation reduce bleeding from cuts, wounds, and hemmorhoids.18, 19 The poultice is also a counterirritant that mitigates joint pain and hastens healing of bruises and sprains.20,21
Historical Uses
Shepherd’s purse has historically been consumed as a spring green or pot herb.22 Tea was consumed as an astringent to treat chronic diarrhea and dysentery.23 Shepherd’s purse was administered to reduce hemorrhages from the lungs, stomach, kidneys, or uterus.24 During World War I, Shepherd’s purse extract substituted for ergot to reduce bleeding.25 Wild and domesticated birds feed on its seeds. When poultry consume the fresh plant, their yolks have a more potent flavor, and are darker in color.26
Constituents
Shepherd’s purse contains flavonoids choline derivatives, minerals (potassium and calcium), tyramine, carboxylic acids (citric, malic, and quinic), and phenolic acids (caffeic acid derivatives).27
Shepherd’s purse also contains moderate amounts of vitamin K, beta-carotene, , and fiber. It contains small quantities of protein, carbohydrates, vitamin C, iron, magnesium, sodium, zinc, and tyramine.28,29,30,31
What’s in a Name?
Capsella is Latin for “a little box,” referring to the fruit.32 The epithet bursa-pastoris was a Latin translation of the common name “shepherd’s purse,” referring to the purse-shaped fruit. Bursa is Latin for a bag, pouch, or purse; pastoris refers to the Latin pastoralis (“of herdsmen, of shepherds”).33,34
Many of the common names refer to purse and pouch because the seed heads resemble the shape of old-fashioned leather purses. The Irish coined the name “clappedepouch,” a common name with an intriguing, sorrowful history. In medieval times, lepers were often left to beg for their living. Because people did not want to have contact with them, in some places the lepers would hang a pouch at the end of a long stick, then clap sticks or bells together to draw attention to themselves.35
Botanically Speaking
Shepherd’s purse is an annual or biennial native to Eurasia that has naturalized worldwide, and is known as the world’s second most common weed.36,37 It is often found in farms, fields, pastures and gardens, along roadsides, in waste areas, or on mountain slopes.38 Covered in stellate hairs, the plant grows 10–50 cm tall.39 The narrow, oval, and basal leaves (3–6 cm long) are similar in appearance to other mustard family leaves, and are irregularly lobed.40 The oblong to linear stem leaves are shorter (1–6 cm long).41 The flower’s perianth consists of obovate sepals (about 2 mm long) and white or occasionally pink petals (2–4 mm long).42 Like other members of its family, it has six stamens; two are shorter than the other four. The seedpod (4–10 mm by 3–7 mm) is triangular to heart-shaped.43,44 They are filled with tiny brown seeds, about 1 mm in diameter.45
Plant Preparations and Dosage Suggestions
- Tincture: Fresh plant [1:2–1:3, 70–95% alcohol]; consume 60–120 drops (1/2 to 1 teaspoon), up to five times daily. Consume frequent, repeated doses until passive hemorrhage halts.
In order to obtain a 1:2 ratio when making a shepherd’s purse tincture, macerate the leaves and alcohol in a blender or Vitamix, and then pour in a clean, dry mason jar; cover and steep for four weeks, strain, bottle, and label.
Note: Extract potency declines with extended storage; it is best used within one to two years. - Tea: Prepare a hot infusion; consume 6–8 ounces, up to four times daily. Add up 15–30 grams of herb per 16 ounces of boiled water.
- Topical Use: Apply a fresh plant poultice or fomentation to reduce bleeding of cuts, wounds, or abrasions.
- Culinary Use: Add small quantities of the fresh, chopped seed pods or leaves to soup, salad, steamed or sauteed greens, or pesto.
Special Considerations
Consult a health professional, or go to the hospital immediately for active hemorrhage and/or severe bleeding. Shepherd’s purse is only appropriate for treating mild forms of passive hemorrhage.
Shepherd’s purse should be avoided during pregnancy, unless consumed following the due date. Pregnant women with health complications such as pre-eclampsia or gestational diabetes should avoid consuming it.
Individuals with hypertension, or those medicated for hypertension should consult a knowledgeable practitioner before consuming shepherd’s purse. The vasoconstrictive actions may increase blood pressure in individuals with labile hypertension. It also should be avoided by individuals with kidney disease, kidney failure, and those consuming kidney damaging medications.
Footnotes
The Herbal Remedy Vault has all of our printable recipe cards...
