CAPSELLA (Shepherd's Purse) C. bursa-pastoris is gathered from the wild or grown for food, to supplement animal feed, for cosmetics, and for medicinal purposes. It is commonly used as food in Shanghai and the surrounding Jiangnan region, where they are stir-fried with rice cakes and other ingredients or as part of the filling in wontons. It is one of the ingredients of the symbolic dish consumed in the Japanese spring-time festival, Nanakusa-no-sekku.
In Korea, it is known as naengi and its roots are one of the ingredients of the characteristic Korean dish, namul (fresh greens and wild vegetables) Capsella bursa-pastoris herb has been used in the traditional Austrian medicine internally as tea or tincture, or externally as a tincture, tea or ointments, for treatment of disorders of the skin, locomotor system, cardiovascular system, hemostasis, and gynecologic problems
CONTRA: Any coagulation disorders, pregnancy, hypotension with bradycardia (Capsella is cholinergic), pregnancy (also an oxytocin synergist).
