Shepherd’s Purse
Capsella bursa-pastoris
Jo Francks MH
One of the first plants to come up
in the spring is shepherd’s purse. This plant is
considered a weed by most, but those
who have had opportunity to use it and see its
virtues think differently. The plant
receives its common name from the shape of its seed
pods which resemble an old fashioned
leather purse which used to be carried by
shepherds. One of the greatest
virtues of this plant is to stop bleeding. It is used quite
often to stop bleeding during and
after childbirth, to stop a nosebleed, or to regulate
heavy menstrual flow.
A lady who was a river guide was
wondering what to do because she typically had heavy
menstruation and an upcoming trip
would coincide with her cycle. She was told to make
a sun tea each day of equal parts
shepherd’s purse and red raspberry leaves. She used a
plastic Gatorade bottle (glass was
not allowed on the river) and put about a tablespoon of
each herb into the bottle and filled
it with water to make a quart of tea. She then put it on
top of the baggage pile to steep in
the sun. She drank this every day and to her
amazement, experienced very little
bleeding or discomfort.
Shepherd’s purse has many other uses
as well. It is used as a diuretic and in cases where
there is scalding urine or white
mucus in the urine. It can also be used to help heal
wounds.
You can make your own shepherd’s
purse tincture by filling a glass jar half full with
dried shepherd’s purse, then fill
the jar to the top with 100 proof vodka or raw unfiltered
apple cider vinegar. Put the lid on
the jar and shake 3 or 4 times a day for 2 weeks.
Strain off the liquid and keep this
liquid in a clean amber glass bottle. This is your
tincture and can be used for
bleeding. For heavy bleeding use one or two droppers of the tincture
every half hour until bleeding slows
down or stops. If you have access to fresh
shepherd’s purse, fill the jar to
the top with the fresh plant, add ever clear to the top of the
jar, cap tightly and shake 3 or 4
times a day for 4 to 6 weeks and strain. The tincture can be
used internally for bleeding or
externally on cuts and wounds
