Shepherd's bag: medicinal properties and methods of application

The shepherd's bag, whose medicinal properties have been known for more than two thousand years, was widely used even in Ancient Greece and Rome. In medieval Europe, this plant was used as an excellent hemostatic, but later it was unfairly forgotten by traditional medicine and became the prerogative of a healer.

Interest in the shepherd's bag was revived during the First World War, when the shortage of the Canadian yellow-throat and ergot, which were at that time the main haemostatic agents, forced the doctors to look for an alternative to them.

The shepherd's bag is an annual plant representing a huge family of crucifers. Its stem reaches a height of up to half a meter, and the smallest specimens have a growth of only 20 cm. The leaves of this plant are tapered to the petiole and collected in a rosette. Near the roots, they have an oblong-lance-like, porous-separate or notched-toothed form. The leaves on the stem have an arrow-shaped shape. Flowers are small, white, collected usually on the top of the stem. Fruits have a characteristic triangular pod shape with a heart-shaped groove from above. The flowering of this plant falls on the period from April to late autumn, and it can be collected almost throughout the entire territory of our homeland.

The magical properties of herbs usually appear at a certain stage of their maturation. For medical purposes, the herb is collected during the entire period of its flowering and ripening of the fruit. The shepherd's bag, the medicinal properties of which are inherent in the aerial part of the plant, is extracted from the earth necessarily with a root. After that, the sector located below the radical 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 only just begun to be analyzed. At the moment, the contents of vitamins C and K, apple and citric acid, as well as a huge amount of potassium are confirmed.

As a hemostatic agent or with internal bleeding, a shepherd's bag is also used, the medicinal properties of which allow the coagulation properties of the blood to be rapidly increased. Preparations based on this herb are used for pulmonary, uterine and renal bleeding in the form of a tincture or extract.

The shepherd's bag, the medicinal properties of which are used by healers, is used not only as a means for stopping blood. Decoction and juice of this plant is taken with diseases of the liver, bladder and kidneys, biliary colic. When metabolism is disturbed, healers recommend drinking 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 remedy, you must definitely visit a doctor and listen to his recommendations.