You have questions, and I guess it is, “Am I surfing the right website?” Perhaps you are taking another careful look at the link to be sure you typed in befantastico.com. Looking at the topic, it just doesn’t sound right seeing that phrase “Shepherd’s Purse”. You are not lost, I assure you we are still on your health and wellness. Trust us with supplying you important health information that can change your life, and Shepherd’s Purse is today’s dose of knowledge we are going to share with you. And of course, it holds a lot.
What’s with the Name?
Talking about names, it is botanically known as Capsella Bursa Pastoris. Similarly, it has a homeopathic name called Thlaspi Bursa Pastoris (Mother Tincture). The Chinese also named it, and they call it ‘Ji Cai’. Then you have the general English name “Shepherd’s Purse”. It is fair to make clear on why it has been named a shepherd’s purse and the only reliable account is simply because its fruits are flat, triangular to heart-shaped and purse-like. Most significant is the fact that it resembles a common old-fashioned leather purse, something the French referred to as ‘Bourse de Pasteur’, and ‘Hirtentasche’ in German.
Getting to Know More
Shepherd’s Purse is a medicinal herb, but first, a flowering plant belonging to the mustard family earlier identified by its botanical name as Capsella Bursa Pastoris. The plant is native to the continent of Europe (Eastern Europe) and a region of Asia known as Asia Minor or Anatolia; it has over time been grown naturally in many other territories of the world and can be presently found across the Mediterranean, North America, China, North Africa and Britain where it is most abundant and referred to as an archaeophyte (a name given to an invasive species of plants during the ancient times before Christopher Columbus). Notwithstanding, it is mostly regarded as a common type of weed in these parts of the world characterized by colder climates.
Distinct to the majority of other flowering plants, Shepherd’s Purse flourishes throughout the entirety of the year. It grows from a rosette of lobed leaves at the base and the stem can grow up to half a meter in height and produce small, white flowers with 4 petals. For further information on Shepherd’s Purse, let me refer you to a botanical description attempted by a botanist, Mrs. Grieve. In her in-depth detail, “The plant is green but somewhat rough with hairs. The main leaves, 2 to 6 inches long, are variable in form, either irregularly pinnatifid or entire and toothed. When not in flower, it may be distinguished by its radiating leaves, of which the outer lies close to the earth. The slender stem, which rises from the crown of the root, from the center of the rosette of radical leaves, is usually sparingly branched. It is smooth, except at the lower part, and bears a few, small, oblong leaves, arrow-shaped at the base, and above them, numerous small, white, inconspicuous flowers, which are self-fertilized and followed by wedge-shaped fruit pods, divided by narrow partitions into two cells, which contain numerous oblong yellow seeds. When ripe, the pod separates into its two boat-shaped valves. The odor of the plant is peculiar and rather unpleasant, though more cress-like than pungent. It has an aromatic and biting taste, but is less acrid than most of the Cruciferae, and was formerly used as a pot-herb, the young radical leaves being sold in Philadelphia as greens in the spring. It causes taint of milk when freely eaten by dairy cattle”. [1] You probably wouldn’t find any better insight into this herb than what Mrs. Grieve offered. Though, there is more to this plant we are yet to tell you, especially how it can be central to you. Let’s go on.
A Beneficial Type of Weed
Beneficial? It sounds unlikely for a weed since it is an unwanted plant, a disturbance to the needed plants. Weeds are common to agricultural and planting fields in the world and our very dear Sheperd’s Purse ranks number two on the list. It is either gathered from the wild as weed or grown, and despite being regarded as a weed, the plant has a number of beneficial uses we cannot take away. Apparently, it has relative uses that cut across cultures and people. Your proof is the Chinese who use it to prepare rice cakes, stir-fries and sometimes mix with other ingredients to make their much-revered dumpling they call ‘Wonton’. Somewhere in Korea, it is called ‘naengi’ and used as a vegetable in ‘naemul’, a popular Korean dish. And the Japanese recognize it in spring to prepare a symbolic dish they call ‘Nanakusa-no-sekku’. Now back home, you can add it to your salad; according to an herbalist, it is great and high in potassium and vitamin K. So, you see that Shepherd’s Purse can be useful in making edibles too.
What`s More?
Away from the food talk, the herb is also reputable in treating some health situations and for other medicinal purposes. It is considered to be an important drug plant of the mustard family. Most renowned is its effectiveness as a hemostatic. This implies that it can help stop bleeding from wounds when employed locally. Furthermore, internal bleeding or hemorrhage can also be addressed using the plant, especially when dried and infused. This way, it gives way to a tea which is considered by herbalists as one of the best ways for stopping hemorrhages of all kinds in the body, which includes the stomach or intestine, the lungs, the uterus, and more especially bleeding from the kidneys. However, this doesn’t provide a permanent remedy to internal bleeding. Therefore, in the event of such an incident, it is strongly advised that the hospital is your next point of call, so you can get adequate and necessary treatment. Hemorrhages are serious and precarious health situations and it isn’t over until a doctor says so. Do keep that in mind.
Still on injuries, Shepherd`s Purse has been found medicinal for treating bruises, cuts, wounds, earache, bruises, heavy menstrual bleeding, uterine fibroid and health conditions such as diarrhea, femoral hernia, epigastric hernia, and metrorrhagia. In this modern age, it is mostly used for women experiencing excessively heavy menstruation caused by problems such as fibroids or endometriosis.
Traditionally, Shepherd’s Purse is mostly used as medicine that is consumed in tea and tincture. Some other people choose to use it for skin treatments by using it to make creams and ointments. Now that sounds like the kind of creativity you may want to experiment with.
Caution!
Though it is a safe herb, Using Shepherd’s Purse calls for extreme caution and it is mostly advised that women do not use it during pregnancy. The herb is powerful enough to stimulate the uterus and is a peculiar way of inducing contraction at childbirth in Bolivian tradition. Similarly, it is also best for nursing mothers to avoid the herb while breastfeeding their children. It is believed that the glucosinolate content taints the milk. To all expectant and nursing mothers, keep away, we do not wish you experience any baby troubles.
Final Words…
Shepherd’s Purse has turned out to be a human-friendly plant, except in some few cases we have discussed. The herb, as we have seen, is edible and medicinal. You should tell others about this herb; it is likely a new expression or plant they never have never heard before.
Reference
[1] www.botanical.com
