What are the Health Benefits of Shepherd's Purse ?

Overview

It is a small, ruderal (that grows on waste ground) flowering plant that grows up to 1.6 feet tall, grows above the ground which is used to make medicines. Its botanical name is Capsella bursa – pastoris and it belongs to family Brassicaceae.

Other common names are Capsella, Pickpocket, Hesperitin, Case weed, Shovel weed, Mother’s Heart, etc.

Habitat

It is native to parts of Asia and Eastern Europe, commonly on disturbed land, meadows, waysides and cultivated ground

Part Used

The whole plant is useful but especially the aerial parts.

What are the Medicinal Uses of Shepherd’s Purse?

It is useful in heart and circulatory problems like low blood pressure, heart failure, and nervous heart complaints.
It is effective in urinary bladder infections
Useful in treatment of jaundice
It is applied directly to the skin for nose bleeds, bleeding skin injuries and other skin disorders like Superficial burns
Useful in skin orders such as eczema
Helps in treating piles
Also effective in rheumatism and uterus related problems

What are the therapeutic uses of Shepherd’s Purse?

This herb is very effective in uterus related problems like fibroid, bleeding from uterus between periods or after sex, uterine cancer etc.

2. Skin Disorders

This herb acts as an antibiotic that helps in reducing redness, itching, pain etc and also useful in treatment of fungal infections by its antifungal property and reduces the worm infestation.

3. Heart and Circulatory Problems

It is effective in heart and circulatory problems like high blood pressure, heart failure etc by acting as a vasodilator that dilates the blood vessels which allows blood to flow more easily and blood thinner that slows down the body’s process of making clots, prevents blood cells from clumping together to form a clot.

4. Jaundice

In hemolytic jaundice, this herb acts as an iron supplement that treats the deficiency of iron by boosting the amount of iron in the blood and in hepatocellular jaundice, it acts as an antiviral that kills the virus and provides relief in symptoms like vomiting, fever, abdominal pain, weight loss, pale stool etc.

5. Piles

It acts as a laxative that loosens the stools and increases the bowel movements and prevents constipation. It acts as an anti-inflammatory that reduces the inflammation, and provides relief in other symptoms like pain and redness in the rectum and keeps the stool soft and regular.

6. Kidney Problems

It works as an anti-inflammatory as well as a diuretic that increases the production of urine and decreases the inflammation as well as provides relief in other symptoms like pedal edema, back pain, burning micturition etc.

7. Bleeding Disorders

In bleeding disorders such as nose bleeding, bleeding from skin, injuries, heavy menstrual bleeding, it acts as an iron supplement that boosting the amount of iron in the body, and also provides relief in other symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, and weakness.

8. Burns

It helps in reducing the possibility of sepsis and putrefaction because this herb acts as an antibiotic as well as an antiseptic that reduces the infection.

9. Dysentery and Diarrhea

It decreases the frequency and number of bowel movements and slows down the movement of intestines and also provides relief in other symptoms like rectal itching, relieve cramps and rectal pain as well as inflammation.

10. Rheumatism

Mostly joints, ligaments, tendons and bones are affected in rheumatism. It works as an immune suppressive that helps in reducing the immune response and also acts as an anti-inflammatory that decreases the pain and inflammation in the joints and also prevents from other disorders like degeneration of joints.