Shepherd’s purse has been used as a medicinal herb since ancient times and mention of it as an astringent agent can be found in many medieval medical books.
During World War I, it was used by soldiers to stop bleeding when other means were not available and inventories of conventional medicine had run out.
Pedanius Dioscorides (1st century AD) and Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) describe the seeds of shepherd’s purse as an important laxative and an aphrodisiac.
Shepherd’s Purse Uses to Stop Bleeding and as a Healing Agent
Today, the herb is often recommended as a treatment for both internal and external bleeding.
Internally, it is especially used for menstrual periods with abnormally heavy or prolonged bleeding (Menorrhagia), bleeding after childbirth and when there is blood present in urine, stool, and vomit.
Externally, the herb has been used to speed up the healing of minor wounds, cuts and scrapes and as an herbal remedy for varicose veins and hemorrhoids.
Some herbalists have also recommended shepherd’s purse as a natural treatment of cystitis, diarrhea, and ailments of the digestive system.
The herb’s ability to stop bleeding can be contributed to a plant protein that acts like the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin stimulates contractions of the smooth muscles surrounding blood vessels, especially those in the womb.
In addition, Chemical analyses done on the herb have shown that it contains substances able to accelerate the coagulation of the blood.
[Read more about Shepherd’s Purse…]
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