2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Shepherd's bag, or Handbag (lat. Capsella) - a genus of herbaceous medicinal plants belonging to the Cabbage family (lat. Brassicaceae). If many herbs used by traditional healers for the treatment of human ailments are not recognized by official medicine as medicinal helpers of humans, the plants of the Shepherd's purse genus are widely used by both. Although the unsightly, rustic appearance of the plant does not at all attract special attention of a person who is far from both medicine and the plant kingdom, being very often a common annoying weed of gardens, vegetable gardens and agricultural fields.
What's in your name
The genus of plants owes its Latin name "Capsella", which is translated from Latin as "small casket or box", to the shape of its fruits.
The genus has numerous popular synonyms. In English-speaking countries it is called "Shepherd's purse", which literally translates into Russian as "Shepherd's purse", since the heart-shaped form of the fruits of the plants of the genus looks very similar to the traditional shoulder bags of European shepherds.
Description
Shepherd's purse is an amazingly viable and fertile plant that begins to bloom with light pink, white or fawn small flowers from May. Flowering continues continuously until October. This entire period is accompanied by the transformation of self-pollinated flowers into the very "shepherd's bags", inside which are numerous seeds. Experiments carried out by botanists have shown that individual plants under favorable conditions are capable of producing more than 59 thousand seeds that can survive in the soil for a long period of time.
Thanks to these abilities, the unpretentious plants of the Shepherd's purse genus have become a cosmopolitan weed for the temperate regions of the world. Shepherd's purse has also managed to settle in the uplifted cool regions of the tropics.
Having a number of similar features, the species of the genus differ from each other in the height of the plant, the size and shape of the leaves, the size of flowers and fruits, as well as the number of seeds produced. Reproduction takes place exclusively through sowing seeds.
There are two types of plants. Spring plants give amicable spring shoots and grow very quickly, starting to produce seeds a month after their appearance in this world. Therefore, during the summer season, they manage to please the planet with two or three generations, which does not at all please the workers who grow cereals and vegetables in the fields. The second type of Shepherd's purse is wintering plants, which in the fall give birth to dense spreading rosettes of leaves, blocking the road to winter field crops, forcing field workers to use various methods of weed control.
Healing Abilities of Shepherd's Purse
If for agriculture the Shepherd's bag is tantamount to the invasion of the plague on human communities, then for medicine it is a real find that has a lot of advantages. Moreover, the plant was recognized by both traditional healers and official medicine.
All aerial parts of the Shepherd's purse, collected early in the morning during the flowering period of the plant, have healing powers. It would seem that the chemical composition of the plant does not differ in anything special, demonstrating the presence of alkaloids, macroelements, microelements, a number of standard vitamins ("A", "B2", "C"), potassium … that is easy to find in many other representatives flora. However, Shepherd's purse is leading in its ability to stop bleeding in the human body, be it external or internal.
In addition, the Shepherd's purse is able to heal purulent wounds, fight inflammatory processes, improve the functioning of blood vessels, clearing them of unwanted aliens, and soothe naughty nerves.
Like any medicine, Shepherd's purse also has contraindications for the use of preparations from the plant. Therefore, resorting to self-medication, you should consult a specialist.
The leaves, flowers and seeds of the plant are quite suitable for human nutrition.
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Shepherd's Bag Ordinary
Shepherd's bag ordinary is one of the plants of the family called cabbage or cruciferous, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Med. As for the name of the family of the shepherd's purse itself, in Latin it will be like this:
Shepherd's Purse - Weed And Medicine
I remember the plant with the romantic name "Shepherd's bag" from school, when in a botany lesson the task was given to make a herbarium of this plant. I remember very well that herbarium. But, we were either not told about the amazing abilities of this viable and ubiquitous plant, or the information disappeared without a trace from my head. With the advent of the Internet, my new acquaintance with this plant took place, which caused surprise and admiration for the nondescript-looking creation of nature
