Foraging for Shepherd’s Purse

Shepherd’s purse has sprung up in our fields seemingly overnight. Yesterday I walked down to the creek with the boys, and there it was, growing in clumps all over the pasture. It was like a friend had returned after a long winter away.

Shepherd’s purse is a wonderful but little known wild edible, much like chickweed and plantain, that is both food and medicine. And, if you’re interested in wild foraging this is an excellent plant to look for right now because it only appears in the spring. Once the weather heats up it will die back and you won’t see it again until next year.

How to Identify Shepherd’s Purse

Shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) is a relatively easy wild edible to identify because there’s no other plant quite like it.

This wild medicinal is a member of the mustard family. It grows in disturbed soil throughout most of the country, so you’ll often find it growing near sidewalks, landscaped areas, fields, and along the road.

When it’s mature, the plant will grow to a height of 15 to 20 inches. The stalks are spindly, and immature leaves are football shaped and grow in a rosette, very much like dandelion. However, as the plant grows the leaves grow longer and develop rounded tips and deep lobes.

The plant’s most unique characteristic is its seeds, which are flat, heart-shaped to triangular, and stick out from the main stalk like tiny arms.

Most gardeners view shepherd’s purse as an annoying weed. However, this beautiful little plant is a delicious wild edible, and it also has some amazing medicinal benefits.

Medicinal Uses of Shepherd’s Purse

Shepherd’s purse has been used as medicine and foods for thousands of years. According to Mountain Rose Herbs, shepherd’s purse seeds were even found in a Neolithic settlement in Turkey. And with good reason. This common plant provides has many medicinal uses.

1. Kidney Stones

According to master herbalist Matthew Wood, in his book “The Earthwise Herbal: Volume One,” shepherd’s purse is famous for its ability to treat kidney stones and remove sediment from the urine.

According to Dr. Johann Gottfried Rademacher, an early 19th century physician, an effective dose is 30 drops of shepherd’s purse tincture per day. Herbalist Daniel Gagnon recommends 15 to 30 drops, three times daily while Matthew Wood recommends 1 to 5 drops.

2. Stopping Blood Flow

Shepherd’s purse is an effective hemostatic. However, it’s best used for bleeding that is dark and oozing, unlike yarrow, which is more effective for wounds where the blood is bright red and gushing. You can use it fresh on wounds, as a poultice. However, Matthew Wood reports that the hemostatic properties of this herb might be lost on drying. For hemostatic issues, it’s best used fresh.

3. Uterine Fibroids and Other Uterine Issues

Another major use of this plant is for uterine issues. Wood reports that it can be an effective remedy for pre-menopausal women with weakness in the uterus, fibroids, profuse bleeding during menses with violent cramping, pain in the womb, or sluggish menses. It can also help restore and balance the uterus after childbirth.

For uterine issues, you can consume this herb as a tea or tincture.

Safety Note:

Matthew Wood cautions that this herb should not be used during pregnancy. Large or persistent doses might also cause heart palpitations.

Is Shepherd’s Purse Edible?

Shepherd’s purse one of the best wild edibles for beginners to look for because the plant itself is so unique, and there are no poisonous lookalikes you can confuse it with.

The greens are tangy and a bit spicy, and you can use them as you would any other wild green. They taste great in salads or stir fried. The flower blossoms taste like mustard but without the bite. You can also use the root in place of ginger.

Last Word

Shepherd’s purse is one of the best wild edibles for beginners because it’s relatively easy to find in most parts of the country, and it’s easy to identify because of it’s unique, heart-shaped seeds.

Last year, I harvested this wild herb and tinctured it so we’d have this medicinal herb on hand for kidney or uterine issues. Thankfully, we haven’t had to use any of it yet, but as tinctures stay good for five years or more I’m definitely keeping it in my herbal medicine chest until I have to make more. This year, I plan to harvest and dry this plant for tea throughout the winter months.

What about you? Are you interested in foraging for this wild edible? Would you try shepherd’s purse for its medicinal uses?