PDR for Herbal Medicines

690 /SESAME

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Sesamum orientale

See Sesame

PDR FOR HERBAL MEDICINES

Shepherd's Purse

Cap sella bursa-pastoris

DESCRIPTION

Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the aerial portion of

the plant.

Flower and Fruit: The plant stays in bloom for almost the

whole year. The flowers are white and about 4 to 6 mm long.

The 4 sepals are 1 to 2 mm long and the 4 petals are 2 to 3

mm long. There are 6 stamens. The inflorescence is extended

after flowering. The many-seeded pod is 4 to 9 mm long and

almost as wide. It is glabrous, flattened, long-stemmed,

triangular and obcordate. The seeds are 0.8 to 1 mm long and

red-brown with a short style.

Leaves, Stem and Root: Shepard's purse is a 2 to 40 cm high

plant with a simple fusiform root and a simple upright stem.

The stem is glabrous or has scattered hairs on the lower

section. The basal leaves form a rosette and are petioled,

entire-margined or pinnatifid. The few cauline leaves are

alternate, smaller, sessile, entire, very wrinkled and involute.

Habitat: Worldwide, except tropical regions.

Production: Shepherd's Purse herb consists of the fresh or

dried aboveground parts of Capsella bursa, collected in the

wild during the summer and dried rapidly.

Other Names: Shepherd's Scrip, Shepherd's Sprout, Lady's

Purse, Witches' Pouches, Rattle Pouches, Case-Weed, Pick-

Pocket, Blindweed, Pepper-and-Salt, Poor Man's Parmacet-

tie, Sanguinary, Mother's Heart, Cocowort, St. James' Weed,

Shepherd's Heart, Toy wort

ACTIONS AND PHARMACOLOGY

COMPOUNDS

Cardioactive steroids: presumably only in the seeds

Glucosinolates, sinigrin: 9-methyl sulfinyl nonyl glucosino-

late, 9-methyl sulfinyl decyl glucosinolate

Flavonoids: including rutin, luteolin-7-rutinoside

Caffeic acid derivatives: including chlorogenic acid.

The plant very often acts as a host to endophytic fungi

(Albugo Candida, Peronospora parasitica), so the presence

of mytotoxins is a possibility.

EFFECTS

A number of different studies have shown both a lowering

and elevation of blood pressure, positive inotropic and

chronotropic cardiac effects, and increased uterine contrac-

tion. Despite numerous studies a clear therapeutic use could

not be identified.