Shepherds purse

Ancient Greek and Roman physicians recommended shepherd's purse seeds as a laxative.  But it was not widely used until the 16th century, when an Italian physician promoted it to stop bleeding, particularly to eliminate blood in urine.  Some physicians adopted the plant, but most others dismissed it as worthless.

The Pilgrims introduced shepherd's purse into North America, where it quickly became a weed.  Folk herbalists used it to stop bleeding, while physicians generally dismissed it as useless.

The Eclectic text, King's American Dispensatory, attempted to explain the shepherd's purse controversy by observing "the fresh herb is decidedly more active than the dried"  King's called it "very efficient" for treating bloody urine and recommended it to stop excessive menstrual flow, and to treat diarrhea, dysentery, and bleeding hemorrhoids.

During World War I, when other blood stoppers were in short supply, wounded soldiers were given shepherd's purse tea.

Contemporary herbalists recommend dried shepherd's purse - not the fresh herb - internally for bloody urine, nosebleeds, bleeding after childbirth, and diarrhea, and externally as an astringent to treat wounds and hemorrhoids.

Shepherd's purse contains substances that hasten the coagulation of blood, according to an article in the British journal Nature.  German medical herbalist Rudolph Fritz Weiss, M.D., writes it "definitely has haemostatic (blood stopping) properties...(but they are) not very great."

First-aid authorities recommend treating bleeding with sustained pressure on the wound.  Blood in phlegm, urine, or stool requires prompt professional treatment.  Shepherd's purse is no substitute for standard treatments.

Shepherd's purse also contains some substances that may help stimulate uterine contractions as effectively as the drug oxytocin.  Oxytocin is often given to trigger labor.  Pregnant women should not use shepherd's purse, except at term and in consultation with their physicians.

Shepherd's purse is a foul-smelling annual that reaches 18 inches.  Its slender stem rises from a rosette of deeply toothed leaves similar to dandelion.  The stem bears a few small leaves and terminates in small white flowers.  The fruits are wedge-shaped seed pods, containing literally thousands of yellow seeds, hence the herb's names.

Shepherd's purse grows easily from seeds planted in spring under full sun.  It prefers well-drained sandy loam but tolerates most North American soils.  If unchecked, it can become a garden lawn pest.