The shepherd’s bag, the healing properties of which have been known for more than two thousand years, has been widely used in ancient Greece and Rome. In medieval Europe, this plant was used as an excellent hemostatic, but later it was unjustly forgotten by traditional medicine and became the prerogative of the healers.
Interest in the shepherd’s bag revived during the First World War, when the lack of Canadian yellow root and ergot, which were the main hemostatic at that time, forced doctors to look for an alternative.
Shepherd’s bag is an annual plant, a representative of a huge cruciferous family. Its stem reaches a height of half a meter, and the smallest specimens are only 20 cm tall. The leaves of this plant are narrowed to the petiole and collected in a rosette. Near the roots, they have an oblong-lanceolate, porous-separate or notched-dentate shape. Leaves located on the stem have an arrow-shaped shape. The flowers are small, white, usually collected at the top of the stem. The fruits have a characteristic triangular shape of the pod with a heart-shaped notch on top. The flowering of this plant falls on the period from April to late autumn, and you can collect it almost throughout the territory of our country.
The magical properties of herbs usually appear at a certain stage of their ripening. For medical purposes, grass is harvested during the entire period of its flowering and fruit ripening. The shepherd’s bag, the medicinal properties of which are inherent in the aerial parts of the plant, is necessarily removed from the ground with the root. After that, the sector located below the basal leaves is removed, and the rest is dried in the shade in the fresh air.
Like many other useful herbs, the application of which is just beginning, the shepherd's bag is still waiting for new discoveries. The chemical composition of this medicinal plant has just begun to be analyzed. At the moment, it has confirmed the content of vitamins C and K, malic and citric acid, as well as a huge amount of potassium.
As a hemostatic agent or for internal bleeding, a shepherd’s bag is also used, the therapeutic properties of which can quickly increase the coagulating properties of blood. Preparations based on this herb are used for pulmonary, uterine and renal bleeding in the form of tincture or extract.
A shepherd’s bag, the healing properties of which are used by healers, is used not only as a means to stop blood flow. The decoction and juice of this plant is taken for diseases of the liver, bladder and kidneys,
biliary colic. In case of metabolic disorders, doctors recommend using water or alcohol tinctures based on a shepherd’s bag. A proven recipe suggests mixing ten parts of alcohol with one part of a medicinal plant. Then the tincture is kept in a warm dark place for 14-17 days.
Remember that before using any folk medicine, you must visit a doctor and listen to his recommendations.