Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
Bolsa de pastor is a small weed of the mustard family, used as a tea or liquid extract. Its botanical name is Capsella bursa-pastoris. In English it is called shepherd's purse.
It is best known as a folk remedy for bleeding. Healers in Latin America, Europe and Asia used it for heavy periods, nosebleeds and small cuts. The dried flowering tops are the part normally used.
Traditional use is not proof that a remedy works. It is also not proof that a remedy is safe. Both points apply to this plant, and they are said here once.
Here is the short evidence verdict. A few small human trials suggest it may lower heavy menstrual bleeding. The trials are small and mostly from one region, so the effect is not settled.
This page treats it as a caution herb, not a routine one. It can act on the womb, on blood clotting and possibly on heart rate. That makes who should avoid it just as important as what it may do.
Nobody has shown clearly how bolsa de pastor acts in the human body. The ideas below come mostly from lab and animal work.
In animal tissue studies, extracts make the womb muscle contract. That is the usual reason given for its folk use in menstrual and after-birth bleeding. Whether it does the same in a woman drinking a tea is not established.
In lab and animal tests, the plant also appears to narrow small blood vessels. Narrowed vessels could, in theory, slow oozing from a surface wound. This has not been tested well in people.
The herb contains small amounts of vitamin K, which the body needs for clotting. The amount in a normal cup of tea is low. It is still enough to matter if you take a blood thinner (anticoagulant), so the caution stands.
Animal studies have also reported drops in blood pressure and changes in heart rate at higher doses. These findings are one reason the herb is not treated as harmless. They have not been confirmed in human trials.
Bolsa de pastor is sold mainly as a dried herb for tea. Loose herb and tea bags are the most common forms in Latin American markets and herbal shops.
Other forms you may see:
- Tincture, a liquid extract in alcohol, sold in dropper bottles.
- Capsules of powdered herb.
- Fluid extract or drops standardised by the maker.
- Compresses or washes for small skin wounds, in folk practice.
The fresh plant is eaten as a leafy green in some countries. Food amounts are a different matter from concentrated extracts.
Strength varies widely between products. A tincture can be many times stronger than a cup of tea. Treat any concentrated form with more care, not less.
Shepherd's purse travelled with European settlers and became a common weed across Latin America. Local herbal practice took it up for bleeding complaints.
In Mexican and Andean folk use, the tea was taken for heavy or long periods. Midwives also used it after childbirth. Crushed leaves were laid on cuts and used for nosebleeds.
European herbals of the 1500s and 1600s described the same uses. German regulators later listed it among traditional herbal remedies for menstrual bleeding and minor skin bleeding.
These records show long and wide use. They do not show that it is effective, and they were written before modern safety testing.
Stop the herb and see a doctor if you notice any of these:
- Bleeding that soaks through a pad or tampon every hour.
- Bleeding between periods, after sex, or any bleeding after menopause.
- Dizziness, fainting, breathlessness or a racing heart.
- A slow heartbeat (bradycardia) or an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).
- Rash, swelling of the face or lips, or trouble breathing.
Go to an emergency department for heavy bleeding with fainting, or for any heavy bleeding after childbirth. Also see a doctor if periods have become heavier than usual, even if you feel well. The cause needs checking before any herb is tried.
In the United States it is sold as a dietary supplement and is not approved as a medicine. In the United Kingdom and much of the European Union it is sold as a herbal tea or traditional herbal product, not as a licensed drug. In Latin America it is widely sold as a loose herb in markets, with little product testing.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
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