Monday, June 25, 2012

How to make Shepherd's Purse Tincture to stop bleeding.

What is Shepherd's Purse?:

Shepherd's Purse is an herb that is used to stop bleeding. Unlike most flowering plants it actually flowers all year long. The plant starts out as a rosette or basal type leafing at the ground, then it sends up one single stem that branches off and has other smaller flowering "heads". In between the flowers and the leaves are little triangular/heart shaped pods that hold the seeds. 



Things to know:

  • Tinctures are usually made from the fresh plant.

  • Even when dried and infused herbalists say it is one of the best herbs for stopping hemorrhages such as lung, stomach, uterus, and more especially for bleeding kidneys.

  • It was used in the Great War when people had to have their limbs amputated to stop hemorrhages. 

What Web-MD says:

Shepherd's purse is used for heart and circulatory problems including mild heart failurelow blood pressure, and nervous heart complaints. It is also used for headachevomiting-blood, blood in the urine, diarrhea, and bladder infections.

Women use shepherd's purse for premenstrual problems, long periods, and menstrual cramps.

Shepherd's purse is sometimes applied directly to the skin for nosebleeds, superficial burns, and bleeding skin injuries.
Possible Drug interactions:
 
  • Sedative medications (CNS depressants) interacts with SHEPHERD'S PURSE
  • Large amounts of shepherd's purse might cause sleepiness and drowsiness. Medications that cause sleepiness are called sedatives. Taking shepherd's purse along with sedative medications might cause too much sleepiness.
    Some sedative medications include clonazepam (Klonopin), lorazepam (Ativan), phenobarbital (Donnatal), zolpidem (Ambien), and others.
  • Thyroid hormone interacts with SHEPHERD'S PURSE
  • The body naturally produces thyroid hormone. Shepherd's purse might decrease how much thyroid hormone the body produces. Taking shepherd's purse along with thyroid hormone might decrease the effectiveness of thyroid hormone.
    ~ Also from Web-MD




    HOW TO MAKE A TINCTURE WITH SHEPHERD'S PURSE

    1. Identify and harvest Shepherd's Purse. Look for the rosette by the ground, and the triangular seed pods. 









    2. Gather supplies. 
    • glass jar with lid
    • scissors
    • vodka or grain alcohol
    • shepherd's purse.







    3. Be sure to shake out your harvest very well. I did not do it so good and there is a little caterpillar who decided to stick around for the ride. (Gross, don't worry I removed him once I noticed he was in there.)





    4. Start chopping up your Shepherd's purse directly into the jar. 











    5. Fill jar with alcohol. ( I am a Latter-Day Saint and kind of freaked out about this when I first started my herbal journey. The amount of alcohol in one 1/2 teaspoon dose is the same that is in one regular glass of orange juice. And the medicine you get from the doctor or over the counter like cough syrup has alcohol in it as well. This is one of those times I follow the spirit of the law vs the letter of the law. 














    6. Apply lid and store in a dark place for six weeks. You can use after the first week but it will not be as potent. 









    7.  After six weeks strain tincture and put into dropper bottles. Make sure to label with an expiration date of one year. For some reason shepherds purse tincture does not last long, so consider making it an annual project. 



    P.S. I learned the medical practitioners will not recommend Shepherd's purse to patients, because it has not been tested on humans, only on animals or in the laboratory. So use at your own risk. 

    Also please note the disclaimer at the bottom of the page.

    6 comments:

    1. This is enormously helpful! Thank you so much for posting such clear instructions. I'm LDS too but feel like it's ok in a medicinal setting like a dropper remedy.

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. I'm glad to know I am not the only one. :)

        Delete
    2. Also was just wondering how much a dosage is?

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. A dosage is usually one dropperful or about 5ml.

        Delete
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