Capsella bursa-pastoris - Shepherd's Purse

Family: Mustard - Brassicaceae ^[E-flora]

"Shepherd's purse is an annual tap-rooted, introduced European species that is found in North America across Canada and in all but one US state (Puerto Rico) (USDA 2011). This species begins to flower early in lowland areas in BC (February/March). It is found in disturbed sites (roadsides, fields and waste places) in the lowland, steppe and montane zones. It is readily identifiable because of the distinctive fruits (heart-shaped silicles)." ^[E-flora]

"The distinctive shape of shepherd's purse pods helps distinguish this plant from close relatives like pennycress (1hlaspi arvense). The longer the stem gets, the more pods develop along its length." ^{[Kallas EWP]}

"Capsella bursa-pastoris is a ANNUAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 0.1 m (0ft 4in). It is hardy to zone (UK) 6 and is not frost tender. It is in flower all year, and the seeds ripen all year. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). The plant is self-fertile.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid and saline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil." ^[PFAF]

"General Annual herb from a taproot; stems simple to branched, 10-50 cm long, with simple and starlike hairs." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}

"Habitat/Range Mesic to dry roadsides, fields and waste places in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; common throughout BC; introduced from Eurasia" ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}

Origin Status: Exotic ^[E-flora]

Hazards

"Signs of toxicity are sedation, pupil enlargement and breathing difficulty. Avoid if on treatments for high blood pressure. Avoid with thyroid gland disorders or heart disease. Possible addictive sedative effects with other depressants (e.g. Alcohol). Avoid during pregnancy [301]." ^[PFAF]

Edible Uses

• Plant
  • "The young flowering shoots; can be eaten raw or cooked[264]. They are rather thin and fiddly but the taste is quite acceptable. They can be available at most times of the year." ^[PFAF]
• Young Leaves
  • Cultivated in China ^{[Agroforestry News Vol. 12 No. 1]} "The plants are actually cultivated for sale in Taiwan and China. " ^{[Tozer UWP]}
  • "The young leaves, used before the plant comes into flower, make a fine addition to salads[9]. The leaves are a cress and cabbage substitute[12], becoming peppery with age[172]. Leaves are usually available all year round, though they can also be dried for later use[12]. The leaves contain about 2.9% protein, 0.2% fat, 3.4% carbohydrate, 1% ash. They are rich in iron, calcium and vitamin C[179]. A zero moisture basis analysis is available[218]." ^[PFAF]
  • Harvesting: "The basal leaves have a mild pungency early in the spring, but the plant soon flowers and the leaves become tough and tasteless." ^[Wildman] "Like most mustards, shepherd's purse dries out very quickly, so keep all parts moist and cool until ready to use. If they wilt, crisp them by immersing in very cold water for fifteen minutes. Once hydrated, they will last well in the refrigerator." ^{[Kallas EWP]}
• Preparation:
  • Soaked overnight and eaten raw or cooked as a potherb. The young leaves may be eaten raw in salads, especially if they are blanched. This can be done by covering a patch of the plants with straw, boards or canvas for a week or more. Prime in spring, before flowering, but may be harvested if desired until freeze-up. "Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 4, 5, 52, 94]." ^[PFAF]
  • "The young leaves may be eaten raw in salads, especially if they are blanched. This can be done by covering a patch of the plants with straw, boards or canvas for a week or more." ^[Harrington]
  • We boiled the young leaves for 20 minutes and changed the water once. This change, however, It may not be necessary. We ate the plant with a little salt and vinegar and found it somewhat stronger than spinach but with none of the bitter peppery taste reported by some people." ^[Harrington]
• Seeds
  • "When mineed with vinegar, the pods become a relish for me at and fish, something like hot mustard in flavor. In fact, European peasants once gathered shepherd's purse seeds, dried them, and ground them into mustard." ^[NHF]
  • "The seeds inside the purse-like pods are reputed to be edible and peppery, but I've always found them flavorless." ^[Wildman]
  • "The pods and seeds can be used to flavor other foods such as vegetable soup, and can be dried and stored for fall and winter". ^[Harrington] "These are just too fibrous for any use I can find. Even when they are green, there is not much to like about them. The seeds are the most- talked-about part of this plant in wild food literature, but they are tiny, tough, and generally disappointing. I do not see any practical use for them." ^{[Kallas EWP]}
  • "Seed - raw or cooked[94, 172]. It can be ground into a meal and used in soups etc[102, 183]. It is very fiddly to harvest and utilize, the seed is very small[85]. The seed contains 35% of a fatty oil[179]. This oil can be extracted and is edible[74]. The seedpods can be used as a peppery seasoning for soups and stews[183]." ^[PFAF]
  • "The seed can be ground to meal and used as a condiment like Mustard. It has also been sprouted like Alfalfa (Medicago). " ^{[Tozer UWP]}
• Root
  • "The fresh or dried root is a ginger substitute[85, 172, 183]." ^[PFAF] "The fresh or dried roots have been utilized as a substitute for ginger, and have been candied by boiling in a rich sugar syrup". ^[Harrington] "I've chewed on the roots of both young and old plants to search for that ginger-like flavor. None was to be found. And to top that, young and old roots are absolutely woody-not making them suitable for grinding. I have no use for the root. " ^{[Kallas EWP]} Kallas believes the references to roots in the literature are actually referring to Asarum canadense (Similar to our local species; Asarum caudatum). ^[2]

Other Uses

• Insecticide
  • "...the seeds of shepherd's purse, when placed in water, release a mosquito attractant and gummy substance that binds the mouth of the larva to the seed. In addition, the seed releases a substance that destroys three-quarters of the larvae within three days. Just one pound of seeds is said to have the power of destroying ten million larvae." ^[Schofield]
• Reclaimation
  • Plants can be grown on salty or marshy land in order to reclaim it by absorbing the salt and 'sweetening' the soil[201]." ^[PFAF]
• Cosmetic
  • "Shepherd's purse has a gentle detergent action that is very cleansing to the skin. It is also astringent, making it good in facial steams for oily skins. Try a shepherd's purse compress or herbal bath for aches and pains. Add the herb to footbaths for tired feet." ^[Schofield]
• Veterinary Remedy
  • "Herbalists recommend shepherd's purse for fevers and loose bowels; to treat diarrhea of nursing animals, decoct it in milk and bottle feed." ^[Schofield]
• Wildlife Feed
  • "The seeds of this herb, along with those of lamb's quarter, make an excellent food for caged (or wild) birds; shepherd's purse seeds are included in some commercial mixes." ^[Schofield]

Medicinal Uses

• Bleeding
  • "Shepherd's purse is my herb of choice for internal and external bleeding. It is extremely high in vitamin K, the blood-clotting vitamin. In a home emergency, just mash or chew the leaves and hold them on the cut." ^[Schofield]
  • "Shepherd's purse is mildly astringent. It contains saponins, choline, acetylcholine, and tyramine. It's supposed to be good for long and painful menstrual periods. It's also supposed to be good for stopping bleeding in general. Before today's pharmaceuticals were discovered, people used it for hemorrhages of the stomach, lungs, uterus, and kidneys. I tried dried seedpods on a paper cut, but it didn't seem to work. Maybe a tincture would have been better." ^[Wildman]
• Tincture:
  • "For internal bleeding, standard dosage is twenty to forty drops; take directly on the tongue or dilute in a cup of water. For external bleeding, soak a clean towel in diluted tincture and press it on the wound until clotting occurs." ^[Schofield] "Shepherd's purse may be dried for emergency use, but the herb has a maximum shelf life of only six months. (The tincture maintains full potency for thirty to forty years.)" ^[Schofield]
• Ulcers
  • "For soothing ulcers, add a daily cup of shepherd's purse tea to your diet. To prepare, just pour a cup of boiling water over a heaping teaspoon of the leaves. If you need an even stronger remedy for internal bleeding simmer the herb in water until the fluid is reduced to half the original amount; sip a mouthful or two of the decoction every ten minutes or so." ^[Schofield]
• Birth Aid
  • "Capsella is often used by midwives. In Better Homf Birth, Yvonne Watkins highly recommends that mothers drink at least two cups of strong shepherd's purse tea immediately after baby's birth. In addition, she suggests a postnatal bath containing shepherd's purse, comfrey, kinnikinnick, alum root sea salt, and garlic for both mother and baby." ^[Schofield]
• Various
  • "Shepherd's purse is little used in herbalism, though it is a commonly used domestic remedy, being especially efficacious in the treatment of both internal and external bleeding, diarrhoea etc[4, 222]. A tea made from the whole plant is antiscorbutic, astringent, diuretic, emmenagogue, haemostatic, hypotensive, oxytocic, stimulant, vasoconstrictor, vasodilator and vulnerary[4, 7, 9, 13, 21, 46, 147, 165, 172, 176, 222]. A tea made from the dried herb is considered to be a sovereign remedy against haemorrhages of all kinds - the stomach, the lungs, the uterus and more especially the kidneys[4, 222]. The plant can be used fresh or dried, for drying it is harvested in the summer[9]. The dried herb quickly loses its effectiveness and should not be stored for more than a year[9]. Clinical trials on the effectiveness of this plant as a wound herb have been inconclusive[244]. It appears that either it varies considerably in its effectiveness from batch to batch, or perhaps a white fungus that is often found on the plant contains the medically active properties[244]. The plant has been ranked 7th amongst 250 potential anti-fertility plants in China[218]. It has proven uterine-contracting properties and is traditionally used during childbirth[222]. The plant is a folk remedy for cancer - it contains fumaric acid which has markedly reduced growth and viability of Ehrlich tumour in mice[218]. A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh plant[4]. It is used in the treatment of nose bleeds and urinary calculus[7]. The German Commission E Monographs, a therapeutic guide to herbal medicine, approve Capsella bursa-pastoris Shepherd's Purse for nose bleeds, premenstrual syndrome, wounds & burns (see [302] for critics of commission E)." ^[PFAF]
  • "Alaska's Wilderness Medicines reports that in laboratory tests, alcohol extracts of shepherd's purse have been found to suppress the growth of tumors significantly. Shepherd's purse is one of the most important drug plants of the mustard family; its action is attributed to the presence ofbursinic acid and the alkaloid bursine. Besides being high in vitamin K, capsella contains significant amounts of calcium, potassium, sulfur, and ascorbic acid." ^[Schofield]

Pharmacology

"Medicinally, Capsella is astringent and diuretic; it is especially known as a potent vasoconstrictor and coagulant. The tea can be used internally or externally to stop bleeding; it is commonly used for women's mid-cycle bleeding. . It may also equalize blood pressure (Willard), but it can have inconsistent effects, causing either vasodilation or hypertension. As an astringent and diuretic, Capsella is good for the urinary tract and bladder, and it stimulates phosphate recycling in the kidneys. It is given during birth to stimulate uterine contractions (Moore). It is a remedy for diarrhea (Kloss)." ^[BIAD]

Various Facts

"Dairy cattle that graze too freely on this plant may produce off-tasting milk." [????]

Shepherd's Purse – Capsella bursa-pastoris

Shepherd's Purse – Capsella bursa-pastoris

An analysis of 100 grams (about cup) of the leaves shows 208 milligrams of calcium, 86 milligrams of phosphorus, 40 milligrams of sodium, 394 milligrams of potassium, 36 milligrams of vitamin C, and 1,554 international units of vitamin A. [????]

Cultivation

"This plant is easily grown from seed, and will grow in almost any soil, though it gets bigger and more succulent in rich moist soil." ^{[Tozer UWP]}

"Shepherd's purse thrives in even the poorest of soils. When given hospitable conditions, the leaves grow large and succulent. When blanched like growing celery (just place an inverted flowerpot over the shepherd's purse in your garden), the greens are choice." ^[Schofield]

"Plants flourish in most soils[17]. They will grow even in the poorest of soils, though in such a situation the plants might only reach a few centimetres tall before they flower and set seed[4]. In rich soils plants will take longer to go to seed and will grow up to 60cm tall[4]. Shepherd's purse is a very common garden weed that can spread freely in cultivated ground. It is usually in flower and producing seed in all months of the year. This species is a prime example of how a plant can be viewed as an annoying weed in some areas of the world whilst in others it is actually cultivated for its wide range of uses[4, 183]. The plant is extensively cultivated in some areas of the world as a cabbage-flavoured spring greens[268], in Japan it is one of the essential ingredients of a ceremonial rice and barley gruel that is eaten on January 7th[183]. The leaves grow rather larger under cultivation, they can be harvested about a month after sowing and can be treated as a cut and come again crop[206]. They do run to seed fairly rapidly, however, especially in hot dry weather or when in poor soils[206, K]. A member of the cabbage family, it is a host plant for many diseases of Brassicas[200]." ^[PFAF]

Synonyms

• Bursa bursa-pastoris (L.) Britt.
  
• Bursa bursa-pastoris var. bifida CrTpin
  
• Bursa gracilis Gren.
  
• Capsella rubella Reut.
  
• Thlaspi bursa-pastoris L.^[E-flora]

References

• [2] Personal note or observation
• [E-flora] https://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Capsella%20bursa-pastoris, Accessed Dec 17, 2014; March 9,2021
• [PFAF] https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Capsella+bursa-pastoris, Accessed March 9, 2021

Capsella Sp. - Shepherd's Purse

"Annual, biennial; hairs sessile, stellate, occasionally also simple.
Leaf: basal rosetted, petioled, pinnately lobed to dentate or entire; cauline sessile, sagittate to basally lobed or clasping.
Inflorescence: elongated.
Flower: sepals erect to ascending, base sac-like; petals obovate to spoon-shaped, white or ± pink.
Fruit: silicle, obtriangular-obcordate, dehiscent, unsegmented, flat perpendicular to septum; valves veined; stigma entire.
Seed: (10)20–40, in 2 rows per chamber, wingless.
4 species: Eurasia. (Latin: little box resembling a medieval wallet or purse)" ^[Jepson]

Local Species;

• Capsella bursa-pastoris - Shepherd's purse ^[E-flora]

"There are other very similiar species in the genus, all edible, with no poisonous lookalikes." ^[Wildman]

References

• [Jepson] Ihsan A. Al-Shehbaz, 2012. Capsella, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=17109, accessed on Mar 14 2014