The Efficacy and Function of Shepherd's Purse
Introduction to Shepherd's Purse:
Shepherd's purse (scientific name: Capsella bursa-pastoris (Linn.) Medic.) is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant belonging to the cruciferous family. It can grow up to 50 centimeters tall, with upright stems and basal leaves arranged in a rosette shape. The leaf stalks are 5-40 millimeters long, and the stem leaves are narrow lanceolate or lanceolate in shape. The inflorescences are terminal and axillary, with elongated oval sepals and white petals. The flowering and fruiting period is from April to June.
Shepherd's purse grows on slopes, field edges, and roadsides. It is a wild plant with occasional cultivation. It is distributed in all provinces and regions of China and widely distributed in temperate regions around the world. Shepherd's purse can be used as a whole plant in medicine, the stems and leaves can be used as vegetables, and the seeds contain oil, which can be used to make paint and soap.
Shepherd's Purse, also known as "protective grass," "ground vegetable," "chicken heart vegetable," "intestinal cleansing grass," etc., was first mentioned as a medicinal herb in "Qian Jin Yao Fang" written by the medical scientist Sun Simiao in the Tang Dynasty. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that shepherd's purse has a sweet and mild taste, a cooling property, and the efficacy of clearing heat and dampness, cooling blood and stopping bleeding, clearing the liver and improving vision, and enhancing stomach and digestion. It can treat diarrhea, dysentery, difficulty urinating caused by dampness and heat, as well as vomiting blood, coughing up blood, blood in urine, excessive menstrual bleeding, red and painful eyes, and childhood malnutrition, etc.
Shepherd's Purse Eating Customs:
The folk history of eating shepherd's purse is quite long, and it is recorded in "The Book of Songs" and "The Book of Rites," highlighting its protective and nourishing properties.
March is the time when shepherd's purse grows lush and tender. In the Jiangnan region, there has always been a tradition of "cooking eggs with shepherd's purse in March." It involves cooking fresh shepherd's purse with soybeans, lulucao or ginger, red dates, and eggs. Another way is to cook 100-150 grams of glutinous rice into porridge, and when it is cooked, add 60-100 grams of freshly washed and chopped shepherd's purse, simmer for a while, and season with salt. This shepherd's purse porridge is suitable for people with poor appetite and food stagnation. Nowadays, the most common way is to use fresh and tender shepherd's purse to make dumplings, which is a delicacy of spring. However, it should be noted that shepherd's purse has a cooling property, so it is not suitable for people with weak spleen and stomach to consume it in large quantities.
In addition, drying and grinding shepherd's purse into powder and sprinkling it under a cool mat can prevent mosquito bites. Boiling dried shepherd's purse and using the water to wash the skin can also treat damp sores.
