Shepherd’s purse was originally native to Europe, but now the plant has spread worldwide as a weed. The material used medicinally comes from wild sources in Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Asia. In herbal medicine, the dried aerial parts of the plant are used.
Shepherd’s purse: special characteristics
Shepherd’s purse is an annual to biennial plant up to 80 cm tall with deeply lobed, entire, elongated leaves that are in a basal rosette. The small, white flowers sit on a fine flower stalk about 40 cm high. Furthermore, the plant bears typical, inverted-heart-shaped scapular fruits that resemble the bags used by shepherds in the past. The trivial name shepherd’s purse is due to this fact.
Shepherd’s purse as a medicine
The material that can be used medicinally is characterized by flat, obovate, green to pale yellow scabious fruits, as well as parts of them, for example, the reddish-brown seed. In addition, fine stem fragments with longitudinal grooves and leaf fragments occur.
Odor and taste
The herb emits a faint, rather unpleasant odor. In taste, shepherd’s purse herb is bitter and slightly pungent.
