Papaya - a world class meat tenderizer, natural digestive aid, prevents ulcers, and also a soft contact lense cleaner.Shepherd’s Purse
Not Exactly Empty
Family: Cruciferae; (includes Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower)
Genus and Species: Capsella Bursapastoris
Also known as: Lady’s Purse, Rattle Pouches, Rattle Weed
Parts used: Leaves and flower tops
Shepherds never get much respect. In the ancient world, theirs was a humble calling. And in the Old West. cattle ranchers looked down on “sheep herders.” So perhaps we should not be surprised that the herb named for shepherds has shared a similar fate.
Sadly Rejected
More than 300 years ago, Nicholas Culpeper wrote: “Few plants possess greater virtues than this, and yet it is utterly disregarded.” And as recently as 1988, the British scientific herb guide, Potter’s New Cyclopaedia of Botal1ical Drugs, bemoaned the lack of research into its effects. No one is interested, some authorities say, because this common weed is medically worthless. But the few scientific studies done to date have revealed some intriguing possibilities fortreating bleeding and inducing labor.
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 the 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.
Fresh or Dried?
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.