Description:
The typical mustard family fruit is, in the case of shepherd's purse, a distinctive heart-shaped capsule, each one on its own stem at right angles to the main stalk. This seed pod resembles the common leather purse of pastoral peoples, thus the name "bursa-pastoris," which means shepherd's purse. The small white flowers bloom among the ripening seed pods on an erect stalk bearing a few arrow-shaped leaves. Most of the deeply dissected and narrow leaves grow in a basal rosette. The stem leaves are clasping, i.e., their bases wrap around the stem.

Distribution:
This plant is worldwide, a cosmopolitan weed--one of the most common and persistent garden weeds. I have never seen it in wilderness areas of undisturbed vegetation.

Constituents:
Shepherd's purse contains vitamin K and a tannate, an alkaloid, bursine, and bursinic acid. There is a volatile oil, similar to oil of mustard, and 6% of a soft resin. (Grieve)

Medicinal uses:
The very widespread use of shepherd's purse against bleeding of all kinds may be associated with its high vitamin K content. It has been employed internally as a tea and externally as a poultice on wounds. The herb has also been shown to have anti-ulcer and anti-inflammatory actions. Other traditional functions are against fever and diarrhea.

To corroborate the traditional medical uses of shepherd's purse, Kuroda et.al. have investigated the pharmacological actions of the alcohol extract of the herb. It was found to decrease blood pressure and increase peripheral blood flow. The extract contracted smooth muscles such as the small intestine, tracheal muscle, aorta, and uterus. It prolonged the sleeping time induced by sodium hexobarbitone and prevented the induction of hepatomas. It showed low toxicity in mice. The growth of Ehrlich tumor was clearly suppressed by injections of the extract.

Culinary use:
The greens are quite palatable as a potherb.

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Copyright © 1987 by Eleanor G. Viereck