Practical
Plants

Capsella bursa-pastoris

Shepherd's Purse

an annual member of the Capsella genus in the family Brassicaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Height
0.3 m
Spread
0.1 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Self

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves - raw or cooked[11][21][23][24][29]. The young leaves, used before the plant comes into flower, make a fine addition to salads[28]. The leaves are a cress and cabbage substitute[2], becoming peppery with age[7]. Leaves are usually available all year round, though they can also be dried for later use[2]. The leaves contain about 2.9% protein, 0.2% fat, 3.4% carbohydrate, 1% ash. They are rich in iron, calcium and vitamin C[9]. A zero moisture basis analysis is available[16]. The young flowering shoots can be eaten raw or cooked[19]. They are rather thin and fiddly but the taste is quite acceptable. They can be available at most times of the year. Seed - raw or cooked[29][7]. It can be ground into a meal and used in soups etc[1][10]. It is very fiddly to harvest and utilize, the seed is very small[27]. The seed contains 35% of a fatty oil[9]. This oil can be extracted and is edible[26]. The seedpods can be used as a peppery seasoning for soups and stews[10]. The fresh or dried root is a ginger substitute[27][7][10].

Product or use
Condiment
Product or use
Oil
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[21][17]. A tea made from the whole plant is antiscorbutic, astringent, diuretic, emmenagogue, haemostatic, hypotensive, oxytocic, stimulant, vasoconstrictor, vasodilator and vulnerary[21][25][28][3][15][22][4][5][7][8][17]. 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[21][17]. The plant can be used fresh or dried, for drying it is harvested in the summer[28]. The dried herb quickly loses its effectiveness and should not be stored for more than a year[28]. Clinical trials on the effectiveness of this plant as a wound herb have been inconclusive[18]. 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[18]. The plant has been ranked 7th amongst 250 potential anti-fertility plants in China[16]. It has proven uterine-contracting properties and is traditionally used during childbirth[17]. The plant is a folk remedy for cancer - it contains fumaric acid which has markedly reduced growth and viability of Ehrlich tumour in mice[16]. A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh plant[21]. It is used in the treatment of nose bleeds and urinary calculus[25].

Product or use
Antiscorbutic
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Cancer
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Emmenagogue
Product or use
Haemostatic
Product or use
Homeopathy
Product or use
Hypotensive
Product or use
Oxytoxic
Product or use
Stimulant
Product or use
Vasoconstrictor
Product or use
Vasodilator
Product or use
Vulnerary

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The seed, when placed in water, attracts mosquitoes. It has a gummy substance that binds the insects mouth to the seed[13]. The seed also releases a substance toxic to the larvae. ½ kilo of seed is said to be able to kill 10 million larvae[7]. Plants can be grown on salty or marshy land in order to reclaim it by absorbing the salt and 'sweetening' the soil[13].

Product or use
Insecticide

Environment

Range
A virtually cosmopolitan plant, found in most regions of the world including Britain.
Habitat
Arable land, gardens, waste places etc, it is a common weed of cultivated soil[28][6].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant
Salinity
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow in situ February to May. Seed can also be sown as late as mid autumn[14]. A common weed of disturbed ground, the plant does not normally need any help to maintain itself[K].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Plants flourish in most soils[6]. 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[21]. In rich soils plants will take longer to go to seed and will grow up to 60cm tall[21]. 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[21][10]. The plant is extensively cultivated in some areas of the world as a cabbage-flavoured spring greens[20], in Japan it is one of the essential ingredients of a ceremonial rice and barley gruel that is eaten on January 7th[10]. 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[14]. 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[12]. Birds are very fond of the seeds of shepherd's purse[13].

References

  1. Kavasch. B. Native Harvests. Vintage Books 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-394-72811-4

    ↩

  2. Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles ISBN 0-7153-7971-2

    ↩1↩2

  3. Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-600-33545-3

    ↩

  4. ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X

    ↩

  5. Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.

    ↩

  6. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  7. Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  8. Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985-00-00

    ↩

  9. Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  10. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  11. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  12. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  13. Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-304-34324-2

    ↩1↩2↩3

  14. Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4

    ↩1↩2

  15. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-553-23827-2

    ↩

  16. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3

  17. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  18. Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30725-8

    ↩1↩2

  19. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Vegetables Macmillan Reference Books, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0 333 62640 0

    ↩

  20. Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Orbis Publishing. London. 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-85613-067-2

    ↩

  21. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8

  22. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  23. Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-00-219060-5

    ↩

  24. Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980-00-00

    ↩

  25. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

    ↩1↩2

  26. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

    ↩

  27. Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9

    ↩1↩2

  28. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  29. Sweet. M. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co. 1962-00-00 ISBN 0-911010-54-8

    ↩1↩2

Edit this page