Herbs

SHEPHERD'S PURSE, Capsella bursapastoris

Mother Nature knew we might not always have some of the great outstanding herbs growing around us at our disposal. So, she made some herbs that were rough and tough and would grow in any kind of soil; some that could withstand bad weather, as well as drought and freezing cold. Shepherd’s purse is one of those herbs.

However, with the progress of time and the progress of men and medicine, we tend to forget the old herbs and old remedies that kept mankind well and healthy for thousands of years. We tend to look for a faster remedy or a quick-fix. After a generation or two, our old herbal standbys, like shepherds purse, have been forgotten. They have become weeds and garden pests. Old accounts of history say that shepherd’s purse was brought to this country by the pilgrims. They brought it along because it was used for many different health problems. The leaves of shepherd’s purse was an herb that could be eaten in the spring as a pot herb. One that would help with women’s menstrual problems, it would also staunch the flow of blood, whether external or internal bleeding. It was used if you had blood in the urine, if you had a muscle disorder or a kidney problem. Some even used it for arthritis.

Shepherd’s purse is a member of the cruciferae or mustard family. It is one of the first plants to come up in the springtime. The first thing you see is a rosette of basal leaves that are notched and look like dandelion leaves. It has a main stock with branching stems. The leaves are very sparse as you go up stock, and the upper leaves are long and thin like that of a mustard plant. The flowers are small and white. When the blossom fall, the base or seed pod is a heart-shaped leathery pouch resembling a shepherd’s purse. It is a very easy plant to identify.

I have known about shepherd’s purse for many years, but because it was such a pest in my garden and it could be found growing anywhere, I paid little attention to it. Then, one day, I read a story about an herbalist in Europe. She was an older woman who was very religious. One day an old friend gave her a beautiful old herbal book with a lot of pictures and drawings in it. She admired it very much, but was so busy she did not have time to read it.

One night, she was awakened as if someone were shaking her. The thought came to her mind that she had kept this beautiful old herbal book for some time and she had not taken the time to read any of it. She got out of the bed and got the book. As she opened the book, her eyes fell on the words, “For limb or muscular atrophy, if nothing else helps, take shepherd’s purse, finely chopped, macerated in rye spirits and kept in the sun or near the stove for 10 days. Rub well into the skin several times daily; also 4 cups of lady’s mantle tea are taken internally each day.” She went back to bed thinking no more about it. A few days later, she received a call from a retired nurse in another town. She had to retire, because she was helpless from muscular atrophy. The nurse was given the information on making the shepherd’s purse rub and drinking the lady’s mantle tea. The nurse called back in three weeks to report that she had regained her muscle strength. She was well and healthy again and she had gone back to work.

Shepherd’s purse is a diuretic. It increases the flow of urine and helps clean out the kidneys. It is hemostyptic to stop bleeding, either externally or internally. This is helpful in nose bleeds, wounds, a bleeding ulcer or internal hemorrhaging and hemophilia. It is good for female problems, hemorrhaging in child bearing and for excessive menstrual flow. Shepherd’s purse was used in battlefields to stop bleeding.
It’s everywhere – find some and try to use it.

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