Sheperd's Purse
Latin: Capsella bursa-pastoris
Family: Brassicaceae (Mustard family)
Common Names: Shepherd’s Purse, Poor Man’s Pepper, Mother’s Heart, Caseweed
Family: Brassicaceae (Mustard family)
Common Names: Shepherd’s Purse, Poor Man’s Pepper, Mother’s Heart, Caseweed
A gentle and potent medicinal plant of cleansing and renewal, Shepherd’s Purse flourishes in disturbed soils, meadows, roadsides, and garden edges, taking root where the earth has been turned. Both medicinal and nourishing, she is revered for supporting circulation, balancing the blood, promoting kidney and urinary health, and providing sustenance as a wild edible—a quiet healer, often overlooked, yet always present where she is most needed.
Shepherd’s Purse is one of many small, unassuming plant species from the mustard family, a family of over 3,700. Small, unassuming, and seeminly fragile, it is best recognized by its heart-shaped seed pods, which resemble a shepherd’s pouch—hence the name. It grows 6 to 18 inches tall, with slender stems, small white flowers, and deeply lobed leaves forming a basal rosette.
As one of the classic, unsung detoxification and medicinal herbs, Sheperd's Purse is found most often in disturbed soils; meadows, roadsides, relegated outside civilized garden borders, thriving in places where the earth has been turned, disturbed, or otherwise unsettled. Its appearance and habitat reflect its role in healing—a plant of resilience and restoration in places of disruption. Her role may be observed in her appearance and habitat: small, white flowers signify purification and detoxification, aiding in the release of emotional and physical stagnation, just as it moves and cleanses the blood and lymphatic system, clearing metabolic waste and excess fluids. Its heart-shaped seed pods indicate an affinity for the circulatory system, the blood, and the heart, supporting healthy circulation, strengthening capillaries, and stopping excessive bleeding, a use that has been recognized for centuries.
Shepherd’s Purse’s ability to flourish in harsh, disturbed environments mirrors its medicinal role in supporting the body during trauma, blood loss, and imbalance. Its connection to the blood extends to feminine wisdom and womb healing, as it has long been used to regulate menstrual health, support postpartum recovery, and promote uterine tone.
A symbol of fertility, renewal, and the cycles of life, Shepherd’s Purse embodies the natural rhythms of creation, loss, and rebirth. Herbalists often associate it with Venusian and Lunar energy, as it harmonizes with women’s cycles, blood flow, and intuitive wisdom. Its heart-shaped seed pods also suggest an emotional connection to love, healing, and inner balance, making it a powerful ally in times of transition.
As one of the classic, unsung detoxification and medicinal herbs, Sheperd's Purse is found most often in disturbed soils; meadows, roadsides, relegated outside civilized garden borders, thriving in places where the earth has been turned, disturbed, or otherwise unsettled. Its appearance and habitat reflect its role in healing—a plant of resilience and restoration in places of disruption. Her role may be observed in her appearance and habitat: small, white flowers signify purification and detoxification, aiding in the release of emotional and physical stagnation, just as it moves and cleanses the blood and lymphatic system, clearing metabolic waste and excess fluids. Its heart-shaped seed pods indicate an affinity for the circulatory system, the blood, and the heart, supporting healthy circulation, strengthening capillaries, and stopping excessive bleeding, a use that has been recognized for centuries.
Shepherd’s Purse’s ability to flourish in harsh, disturbed environments mirrors its medicinal role in supporting the body during trauma, blood loss, and imbalance. Its connection to the blood extends to feminine wisdom and womb healing, as it has long been used to regulate menstrual health, support postpartum recovery, and promote uterine tone.
A symbol of fertility, renewal, and the cycles of life, Shepherd’s Purse embodies the natural rhythms of creation, loss, and rebirth. Herbalists often associate it with Venusian and Lunar energy, as it harmonizes with women’s cycles, blood flow, and intuitive wisdom. Its heart-shaped seed pods also suggest an emotional connection to love, healing, and inner balance, making it a powerful ally in times of transition.
She treads lightly
Wanders where the Earth is wounded
Follows where they have walked.
Sows herself into cracks and corners, unseen, unsung
Roots embrace the soil, steady what has shaken.
Holding still the weight of storms,
Thy wind thy God will carry her seeds, her children, they will wander.
Wanders where the Earth is wounded
Follows where they have walked.
Sows herself into cracks and corners, unseen, unsung
Roots embrace the soil, steady what has shaken.
Holding still the weight of storms,
Thy wind thy God will carry her seeds, her children, they will wander.
Properties & Actions
Hemostatic (Stops internal & external bleeding); Astringent (tones tissues & reduces excess fluid loss); Diuretic (Increases urine flow, aiding detoxification); Emmenagogue (Stimulates & regulates menstrual flow); Cardiotonic (Supports the heart); Vulnerary (Heals wounds & promotes skin health); Anti-inflammatory; Detoxifying (Benefits liver, kidney, and lymphatic function)
Detoxification
Shepherd’s Purse supports the body's natural detoxification processes by aiding key elimination organs, including the liver, kidneys, lymphatic system, blood, and skin.
Best ways to use it for detox: Teas, tinctures, herbal baths, and lymphatic massage.
By supporting these elimination pathways, Shepherd’s Purse promotes gentle and effective detoxification, helping the body cleanse itself naturally.
- Kidney & Urinary Support: Acts as a mild diuretic, helping flush out toxins, excess fluids, and metabolic waste through urine.
- Liver Detoxification: Contains glucosinolates, which stimulate liver enzymes to break down and remove toxins.
- Lymphatic Drainage: Helps clear stagnant lymphatic fluid, promoting cellular waste removal and reducing inflammation.
- Blood Purification: Aids circulation, supports healthy blood flow, and helps eliminate toxins.
- Skin Detox: Encourages elimination of waste through sweat, potentially improving conditions like acne and eczema.
Best ways to use it for detox: Teas, tinctures, herbal baths, and lymphatic massage.
By supporting these elimination pathways, Shepherd’s Purse promotes gentle and effective detoxification, helping the body cleanse itself naturally.
Tea (Infusion) – For menstrual balance, detox, and kidney health.
Tincture – Best for wound healing, circulatory support, and urinary health.
Poultice/Salve – Applied topically to wounds, bruises, and rashes.
Edible Wild Green – Leaves & seed pods can be eaten in salads, stir-fries, and soups.
Tincture – Best for wound healing, circulatory support, and urinary health.
Poultice/Salve – Applied topically to wounds, bruises, and rashes.
Edible Wild Green – Leaves & seed pods can be eaten in salads, stir-fries, and soups.
Sources
Systems Affinity
Circulatory System (Blood & Heart): Regulates blood flow, strengthens capillaries, and reduces excessive bleeding; Used for menstrual imbalances, postpartum hemorrhaging, and varicose veins; Supports blood pressure regulation.
Urinary System (Kidneys & Bladder): Acts as a diuretic, helping to flush toxins and excess fluids; Addresses UTIs, bladder infections, and kidney inflammation; Supports lymphatic drainage, aiding toxin elimination through the kidneys.
Lymphatic System (Detoxification & Waste Removal): Encourages lymphatic flow and reduces stagnation and swelling; Helps remove metabolic waste and excess fluids.
Reproductive System (Womb & Menstrual Health): Regulates heavy, prolonged, or irregular menstruation; Strengthens and tones the uterus (used in postpartum recovery); Historically used as a fertility tonic.
Integumentary System (Skin & Wound Healing): Helps stop bleeding from cuts, wounds, and sores; Used as a poultice or wash for bruises, burns, and infections.
Urinary System (Kidneys & Bladder): Acts as a diuretic, helping to flush toxins and excess fluids; Addresses UTIs, bladder infections, and kidney inflammation; Supports lymphatic drainage, aiding toxin elimination through the kidneys.
Lymphatic System (Detoxification & Waste Removal): Encourages lymphatic flow and reduces stagnation and swelling; Helps remove metabolic waste and excess fluids.
Reproductive System (Womb & Menstrual Health): Regulates heavy, prolonged, or irregular menstruation; Strengthens and tones the uterus (used in postpartum recovery); Historically used as a fertility tonic.
Integumentary System (Skin & Wound Healing): Helps stop bleeding from cuts, wounds, and sores; Used as a poultice or wash for bruises, burns, and infections.
There is an acceleration of life force when taking shepherd’s purse. This life force energy is usually unconscious in a person. There is an enhancement of the essential instincts for survival and a strengthening of the physical body. This enhances regeneration in the physical body, because energies that have not been used, which one has not paid much attention to, are again brought to mind.
(The Spiritual Properties of Herbs, Gurudas)
(The Spiritual Properties of Herbs, Gurudas)
Sheperd's Purse Spirit - Doctrine of Signatures
The Doctrine of Signatures: Nature’s Clues to Healing
The Doctrine of Signatures is an ancient herbal philosophy suggesting that plants reflect their medicinal properties through their shape, color, growth patterns, and habitat. This concept, used in Indigenous, Western, and Eastern herbal traditions, teaches that plants give us clues to their healing powers by mirroring the organs, ailments, or conditions they treat.
Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) is a perfect example of this principle, as its form and behavior in nature directly correlate with its medicinal benefits.
Heart-Shaped Seed Pods → Blood, Circulation, and the Heart
The signature heart shape of its seed pods suggests an affinity for the circulatory system, blood regulation, and heart health.
Used for centuries to stop excessive bleeding, improve circulation, and strengthen capillaries.
Reflects compassionate, heart-centered energy, reminding us of resilience and endurance in times of depletion.
Clusters of Tiny White Flowers → Purification & Detoxification
White flowers in herbalism often represent purity, cleansing, and lightness, aligning with Shepherd’s Purse’s ability to clear stagnation in the blood, lymph, and urinary system.
It acts as a natural purifier, helping the body release toxins, balance fluids, and rejuvenate tissues.
The delicate flowers suggest an ability to bring gentle yet effective healing, reinforcing the idea of cleansing without depletion.
Sprawling Growth in Disturbed Soil → Resilience, Regeneration, & Restoration
Shepherd’s Purse thrives in harsh, disturbed environments, much like how it supports the body in times of trauma, blood loss, and imbalance.
Found growing in neglected spaces, cracks in pavement, and waste areas, it symbolizes renewal, adaptation, and healing in difficult conditions.
Just as it stabilizes and regenerates soil, it stabilizes and replenishes the body after depletion or illness.
Persistent & Self-Seeding Nature → Endurance, Self-Sufficiency, & Rebirth
This plant reseeds itself aggressively, ensuring continuation and sustainability, much like its ability to help rebuild strength in the body after blood loss or trauma.
It teaches a lesson of self-sufficiency and endurance, encouraging persistence and adaptability in times of struggle.
As a plant that returns year after year, it speaks to cycles of renewal, healing, and continuous growth—whether in the body, the land, or the spirit.
🌿 The Spirit & Energetic Essence of Shepherd’s Purse
Beyond its physical properties, Shepherd’s Purse holds a powerful energetic presence, deeply connected to grounding, resilience, renewal, and heart-centered healing.
🌱 Grounding & Earth Connection
As a low-growing herb that thrives in wild, untamed spaces, Shepherd’s Purse embodies grounded energy.
It teaches us to draw strength from the Earth, reminding us that healing can be found in the simplest, most accessible places.
Used in spiritual and energetic healing practices for those feeling ungrounded, disconnected, or weakened.
🌿 Protector & Restorer of Strength
A guardian herb, offering protection and restoration to those who are physically, emotionally, or spiritually depleted.
Ideal for those recovering from illness, childbirth, trauma, or energetic exhaustion.
Like a wild healer growing in neglected spaces, it teaches self-reliance, resourcefulness, and the power of gentle resilience.
💖 Heart-Centered & Blood-Energizing
Its heart-shaped seed pods suggest an emotional connection to love, healing, and inner balance.
Energetically, it supports courage, endurance, and renewal of passion.
Helps release emotional stagnation, just as it moves and cleanses the blood and lymph.
Feminine Wisdom & Womb Healing
Shepherd’s Purse is deeply connected to the sacred feminine, with strong ties to menstrual health, postpartum recovery, and womb healing.
A symbol of fertility, renewal, and the cycles of life, it reminds us of the natural rhythms of creation, loss, and rebirth.
Herbalists often associate it with Venusian and Lunar energy, as it works in harmony with women’s cycles, blood flow, and intuitive wisdom.
The Doctrine of Signatures is an ancient herbal philosophy suggesting that plants reflect their medicinal properties through their shape, color, growth patterns, and habitat. This concept, used in Indigenous, Western, and Eastern herbal traditions, teaches that plants give us clues to their healing powers by mirroring the organs, ailments, or conditions they treat.
Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) is a perfect example of this principle, as its form and behavior in nature directly correlate with its medicinal benefits.
Heart-Shaped Seed Pods → Blood, Circulation, and the Heart
The signature heart shape of its seed pods suggests an affinity for the circulatory system, blood regulation, and heart health.
Used for centuries to stop excessive bleeding, improve circulation, and strengthen capillaries.
Reflects compassionate, heart-centered energy, reminding us of resilience and endurance in times of depletion.
Clusters of Tiny White Flowers → Purification & Detoxification
White flowers in herbalism often represent purity, cleansing, and lightness, aligning with Shepherd’s Purse’s ability to clear stagnation in the blood, lymph, and urinary system.
It acts as a natural purifier, helping the body release toxins, balance fluids, and rejuvenate tissues.
The delicate flowers suggest an ability to bring gentle yet effective healing, reinforcing the idea of cleansing without depletion.
Sprawling Growth in Disturbed Soil → Resilience, Regeneration, & Restoration
Shepherd’s Purse thrives in harsh, disturbed environments, much like how it supports the body in times of trauma, blood loss, and imbalance.
Found growing in neglected spaces, cracks in pavement, and waste areas, it symbolizes renewal, adaptation, and healing in difficult conditions.
Just as it stabilizes and regenerates soil, it stabilizes and replenishes the body after depletion or illness.
Persistent & Self-Seeding Nature → Endurance, Self-Sufficiency, & Rebirth
This plant reseeds itself aggressively, ensuring continuation and sustainability, much like its ability to help rebuild strength in the body after blood loss or trauma.
It teaches a lesson of self-sufficiency and endurance, encouraging persistence and adaptability in times of struggle.
As a plant that returns year after year, it speaks to cycles of renewal, healing, and continuous growth—whether in the body, the land, or the spirit.
🌿 The Spirit & Energetic Essence of Shepherd’s Purse
Beyond its physical properties, Shepherd’s Purse holds a powerful energetic presence, deeply connected to grounding, resilience, renewal, and heart-centered healing.
🌱 Grounding & Earth Connection
As a low-growing herb that thrives in wild, untamed spaces, Shepherd’s Purse embodies grounded energy.
It teaches us to draw strength from the Earth, reminding us that healing can be found in the simplest, most accessible places.
Used in spiritual and energetic healing practices for those feeling ungrounded, disconnected, or weakened.
🌿 Protector & Restorer of Strength
A guardian herb, offering protection and restoration to those who are physically, emotionally, or spiritually depleted.
Ideal for those recovering from illness, childbirth, trauma, or energetic exhaustion.
Like a wild healer growing in neglected spaces, it teaches self-reliance, resourcefulness, and the power of gentle resilience.
💖 Heart-Centered & Blood-Energizing
Its heart-shaped seed pods suggest an emotional connection to love, healing, and inner balance.
Energetically, it supports courage, endurance, and renewal of passion.
Helps release emotional stagnation, just as it moves and cleanses the blood and lymph.
Feminine Wisdom & Womb Healing
Shepherd’s Purse is deeply connected to the sacred feminine, with strong ties to menstrual health, postpartum recovery, and womb healing.
A symbol of fertility, renewal, and the cycles of life, it reminds us of the natural rhythms of creation, loss, and rebirth.
Herbalists often associate it with Venusian and Lunar energy, as it works in harmony with women’s cycles, blood flow, and intuitive wisdom.
Wild Harvesting
One of the best wild edibles for beginners, Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) is easy to identify with no toxic lookalikes! 🍃✨
🔸 Flavor Profile: Tangy, peppery, & slightly spicy—like a mix of cress & mustard greens. 🌱
🔸 How to Use:
🥗 Leaves – Fresh in salads, stir-fries, soups, or sautéed like spinach.
🌼 Flowers – Mild mustard flavor, great for garnishes or infusions.
🌿 Root – Can be used as a ginger or horseradish substitute when grated or pickled!
Sheperd's Purse is I’s a beloved spring green in Korean & Japanese cuisine, often added to soups & rice dishes.
✨ Forage Responsibly: Harvest young leaves in spring or fall before flowering for the best flavor.
🔸 Flavor Profile: Tangy, peppery, & slightly spicy—like a mix of cress & mustard greens. 🌱
🔸 How to Use:
🥗 Leaves – Fresh in salads, stir-fries, soups, or sautéed like spinach.
🌼 Flowers – Mild mustard flavor, great for garnishes or infusions.
🌿 Root – Can be used as a ginger or horseradish substitute when grated or pickled!
Sheperd's Purse is I’s a beloved spring green in Korean & Japanese cuisine, often added to soups & rice dishes.
✨ Forage Responsibly: Harvest young leaves in spring or fall before flowering for the best flavor.
Global Traditions
Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) has been cherished across culttures for centuries, not only as a medicinal herb but also as a nutritious wild edible. Its presence in folk medicine, culinary traditions, and indigenous healing practices spans Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas.
1. Europe: Folk Medicine & Peasant Food
In medieval Europe, Shepherd’s Purse was widely used as a hemostatic herb to stop bleeding from wounds, childbirth, and heavy menstruation. It was often called “Poor Man’s Pepper” because of its spicy, mustard-like taste, making it a popular seasoning when black pepper was too expensive for common people.
British & Celtic Traditions: Used in poultices for wound healing and bruises.
French & Italian Cuisine: Young leaves were eaten fresh in salads or cooked in rustic soups and omelets.
Eastern Europe: Shepherd’s Purse was brewed into herbal teas for kidney and liver health and eaten in foraged spring dishes.
2. Traditional Chinese Medicine
In Traditional Chinese Medicine Shepherd’s Purse is called 荠菜 (Jì Cài)and is used to stop bleeding, clear heat, and improve digestion. It has been an important remedy for heavy menstrual bleeding, urinary tract infections, and liver detoxification for centuries.
Often prescribed for uterine bleeding, postpartum healing, and blood stagnation.
Used to reduce high blood pressure and aid kidney function.
Eaten as a spring vegetable in dumplings, soups, and stir-fries, especially in northern China.
In modern Chinese herbal medicine, Shepherd’s Purse is still a common ingredient in herbal formulas for women’s reproductive health.
3. Japan & Korea: Seasonal Detox & Longevity Food
In Japan, it is known as Nazuna (薺) and is one of the Seven Herbs of Spring (Haru no Nanakusa, 春の七草), used in rice porridge (Nanakusa Gayu, 七草粥) to cleanse the body at the start of the new year. It is also used in tsukemono (pickles) and miso soups
In Korea, called Naengi (냉이), it is a highly valued foraged green added to soups (naengi-guk), rice dishes, and savory pancakes (jeon) for its peppery, slightly earthy flavor. Traditionally, it is believed to boost vitality after the winter months.
4. The Middle East: Ancient Herbal Medicine
Shepherd’s Purse has been used in Middle Eastern herbal traditions for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptian healers used it to treat wounds, digestive issues, and excessive bleeding
In Persian and Unani medicine, Shepherd’s Purse has been used to cool excess heat in the body, balance blood circulation, and support kidney health.
In folk remedies across the Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan), it has been infused in teas for stomach ailments, heavy menstruation, and inflammation.
5. Indigenous North & South America
Though not native to the Americas, Shepherd’s Purse naturalized quickly after European colonization and was adopted by Indigenous tribes for its medicinal properties.
Cherokee & Iroquois: Used for urinary issues and to ease childbirth.
Navajo & Lakota: Brewed as a kidney and bladder tonic and applied as a poultice to wounds and snake bites.
Andean & Amazonian Healing Traditions: Indigenous healers in South America incorporated Shepherd’s Purse into plant-based remedies for wound healing and blood circulation support.
1. Europe: Folk Medicine & Peasant Food
In medieval Europe, Shepherd’s Purse was widely used as a hemostatic herb to stop bleeding from wounds, childbirth, and heavy menstruation. It was often called “Poor Man’s Pepper” because of its spicy, mustard-like taste, making it a popular seasoning when black pepper was too expensive for common people.
British & Celtic Traditions: Used in poultices for wound healing and bruises.
French & Italian Cuisine: Young leaves were eaten fresh in salads or cooked in rustic soups and omelets.
Eastern Europe: Shepherd’s Purse was brewed into herbal teas for kidney and liver health and eaten in foraged spring dishes.
2. Traditional Chinese Medicine
In Traditional Chinese Medicine Shepherd’s Purse is called 荠菜 (Jì Cài)and is used to stop bleeding, clear heat, and improve digestion. It has been an important remedy for heavy menstrual bleeding, urinary tract infections, and liver detoxification for centuries.
Often prescribed for uterine bleeding, postpartum healing, and blood stagnation.
Used to reduce high blood pressure and aid kidney function.
Eaten as a spring vegetable in dumplings, soups, and stir-fries, especially in northern China.
In modern Chinese herbal medicine, Shepherd’s Purse is still a common ingredient in herbal formulas for women’s reproductive health.
3. Japan & Korea: Seasonal Detox & Longevity Food
In Japan, it is known as Nazuna (薺) and is one of the Seven Herbs of Spring (Haru no Nanakusa, 春の七草), used in rice porridge (Nanakusa Gayu, 七草粥) to cleanse the body at the start of the new year. It is also used in tsukemono (pickles) and miso soups
In Korea, called Naengi (냉이), it is a highly valued foraged green added to soups (naengi-guk), rice dishes, and savory pancakes (jeon) for its peppery, slightly earthy flavor. Traditionally, it is believed to boost vitality after the winter months.
4. The Middle East: Ancient Herbal Medicine
Shepherd’s Purse has been used in Middle Eastern herbal traditions for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptian healers used it to treat wounds, digestive issues, and excessive bleeding
In Persian and Unani medicine, Shepherd’s Purse has been used to cool excess heat in the body, balance blood circulation, and support kidney health.
In folk remedies across the Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan), it has been infused in teas for stomach ailments, heavy menstruation, and inflammation.
5. Indigenous North & South America
Though not native to the Americas, Shepherd’s Purse naturalized quickly after European colonization and was adopted by Indigenous tribes for its medicinal properties.
Cherokee & Iroquois: Used for urinary issues and to ease childbirth.
Navajo & Lakota: Brewed as a kidney and bladder tonic and applied as a poultice to wounds and snake bites.
Andean & Amazonian Healing Traditions: Indigenous healers in South America incorporated Shepherd’s Purse into plant-based remedies for wound healing and blood circulation support.
The energy of the sun, as utilized by plants, was understood as a simple and beautiful natural phenomenon in Lemurian times. It was seen that mankind should be reminded of this. Thus, the Devic order associated with shepherd's purse was given the simple task of allowing these energies to be strengthened within the plant. The purpose of shepherd's purse is to act as a reminder of this for mankind the spiritual properties of herbs.
(The Spiritual Properties of Herbs, Gurudas)
(The Spiritual Properties of Herbs, Gurudas)
Resources & Recommended
