Shepherd’s Purse

Capsella bursa-pastoris

HRB-0273Entry “SHEPHERD’S PURSE” in the 1850 textNot in the 1652 first edition: added by Culpeper in 1653 or by a later editor up to 1850

Open in the Concordance

Old claims, quoted verbatim: not medical advice. A warning sits above the claims and never hides them; no warning does not mean safe, only that no source here has flagged the plant.

Substance of concernEFSA: Oxalates, TyramineEFSA’s list of substances, not a danger rating. Checked 26 October 2026.

Historical correspondence. Ruled by Saturn, by Culpeper. A traditional astrological assignment, kept apart from the modern evidence; it is not a finding.

Culpeper’s claims about it: 8, under 8 headings, 1 where he says it harms or causes

  1. Anthony’s FireCLM-000097
    The herb being made into a poultice, helps inflammations and St. Anthony’s fire.
    QUO-000077Papers and the EMA’s verdict, in the Concordance
  2. Bleeding (to stay)CLM-000194
    It helps all fluxes of blood, either caused by inward or outward wounds;
    QUO-000170Papers and the EMA’s verdict, in the Concordance
  3. Bloody FluxCLM-000242
    as also flux of the belly, and bloody flux, spitting blood, and bloody urine, stops the terms in women;
    QUO-000208Papers and the EMA’s verdict, in the Concordance
  4. InflammationsCLM-000955
    The herb being made into a poultice, helps inflammations and St. Anthony’s fire.
    QUO-000077Papers and the EMA’s verdict, in the Concordance
  5. JaundiceCLM-001050
    being bound to the wrists of the hands, and the soles of the feet, it helps the yellow jaundice.
    QUO-000781Papers and the EMA’s verdict, in the Concordance
  6. Jaundice — YellowCLM-001097
    being bound to the wrists of the hands, and the soles of the feet, it helps the yellow jaundice.
    QUO-000781Papers and the EMA’s verdict, in the Concordance
  7. WoundsCLM-002242
    It helps all fluxes of blood, either caused by inward or outward wounds;
    QUO-000170Papers and the EMA’s verdict, in the Concordance
  8. Wounds — in the HeadCLM-0024701850 index, p. 171
    A good ointment may be made of it for all wounds, especially wounds in the head.
    QUO-001460Papers and the EMA’s verdict, in the Concordance

Source

Nicholas Culpeper, The Complete Herbal, a new edition (London: Thomas Kelly, 1850). Project Gutenberg eBook #49513. SRC-CUL-1850

Quotations are verbatim from the 1850 text, line breaks joined. Modern research and the European regulator’s verdict on each claim are on the Concordance page, kept apart from this historical record.