Many people enjoy eating shepherd's purse for its unique flavor and texture, making it quite popular. But how exactly should shepherd's purse be prepared? Do you know all the ways to cook it? Today, the editor from 39 Health Hall will explain the benefits and functions of shepherd's purse, as well as how to prepare it to preserve its nutrients. Let's take a look.
What is Shepherd's Purse?
Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris), belonging to the Brassicaceae family and genus Capsella, is an annual or biennial herb.Also known as shepherd's purse, chickweed, ground vegetable, chickweed, ground rice vegetable, water chestnut vegetable, purple flower vegetable, etc. Locally called fragrant shepherd's purse, it is also known as white flower vegetable or black heart vegetable in northern regions. The Yao people call it "rice stalk vegetable," while in Henan and Hubei it is called ground vegetable. It is a beloved edible wild vegetable.
Don't let its diminutive stature fool you—it boasts a long history. Originating in Eastern Europe and Asia Minor, it is now widely distributed across the globe. Its Latin species name derives from the term meaning "little box" or "shepherd's purse," describing its silique-like fruit resembling a shepherd's pouch. Its English name, "shepherd's purse," reflects this characteristic.
Shepherd's purse is rich in nutrients, making it highly nutritious. It can be prepared in various ways, offering not only delicious flavor but also significant medicinal value. It aids digestion, promotes diuresis, stops bleeding, and improves eyesight. It's commonly used to treat postpartum hemorrhage, dysentery, edema, enteritis, gastric ulcers, colds with fever, and red, swollen, painful eyes.
Cultivated varieties primarily include flat-leaved shepherd's purse and loose-leaved shepherd's purse, harvested in late winter or early spring. Traditional customs involve eating eggs boiled with fresh shepherd's purse on specific days. Its delicious flavor also makes it an excellent choice for dumpling fillings!In southern Shandong (most prevalent in Tengzhou), a snack called "chickweed pancake" often incorporates chickweed mixed with other ingredients and eggs, offering a savory flavor and pleasant texture.
Basic Characteristics
Annual or biennial herb, 25–50 cm tall. Stems erect, branched, sparsely branched or simple-hairy.
Stem and Leaves
The shepherd's purse root is white, with an erect stem that is either unbranched or branched at the base. Basal leaves grow in a rosette close to the ground, with ovate to oblong-ovate pinnately lobed blades. The leaves are hairy, with winged margins and relatively long petioles, typically 5–40 mm long.
The terminal leaf is largest, reaching up to 12 cm long and 2.5 cm wide. Lateral leaves are smaller, typically 5–30 mm long and 2–20 mm wide, with 3–8 pairs of narrow, spreading, ovate lobes that are truncate at the base and have white margins.
Stem leaves are narrowly lanceolate or lanceolate, 1–2 cm long, 2–15 mm wide, with fine hairs or glabrous on both surfaces, arrow-shaped at the base clasping the stem, and with notched or serrated margins.
Flowers
Cross-shaped corolla, raceme inflorescence. Four-strong stamens. Short silique is flattened. Petals obovate, rounded to ovate, apex acuminate, shallowly lobed or with irregular coarse teeth; raceme terminal or axillary.
Each flower bears 4 oblong sepals; petals white, bisexual, spatulate or ovate, 2–3 mm long, with short claws. Siliques obovoid-triangular or obcordate-triangular, 5–8 mm long, 4–7 mm wide, flat, glabrous, apex slightly concave, valves reticulate-veined, style ca. 0.5 mm long.
Seeds arranged in two rows, elliptical, light brown. Flowering and fruiting period: April–June. Stem height during flowering: 20–50 cm.
Growing Environment
Shepherd's purse thrives in warmer climates with ample sunlight. It exhibits remarkable cold tolerance and prefers warm conditions, commonly found on slopes, field edges, and roadsides.Shepherd's purse thrives in moderate temperatures. It can grow as long as there is sufficient sunlight and the soil is not overly dry. While not particularly demanding regarding soil type, it performs best in fertile, loose soil.
Distribution Range
Native to Eastern Europe and Asia Minor, it is widely distributed worldwide. Primarily found in temperate regions globally, it prefers warmth but exhibits strong cold tolerance. It grows wild in fields and can also be cultivated artificially.Variety Classification Broadleaf Shepherd's Purse Also known as Large-leaf Shepherd's Purse, this is a local variety from Shanghai. Plants grow prostrate with a spread of 18 cm. Leaves are light green, large, and thick, measuring 10 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, with approximately 18 leaves per plant.Leaf margins are pinnately shallowly lobed, nearly entire. Leaf surfaces are smooth with slight pubescence; leaf color deepens under low temperatures.
This variety exhibits strong cold and heat tolerance, early maturity, and rapid growth. Harvestable 40 days after sowing, it yields high quantities with excellent market appearance and flavor.Its drawbacks include less pronounced aroma, weak winter hardiness, and early bolting, making it unsuitable for spring sowing. It is generally cultivated in autumn.
Loose-Leaf Shepherd's Purse
Also known as Hundred-Foot Shepherd's Purse, Slow Shepherd's Purse, Variegated Shepherd's Purse, Small-Leaf Shepherd's Purse, Fragmented-Leaf Shepherd's Purse, or Fragmented-Leaf Head.Plants grow prostrate with a spread of 18 cm.
Leaves are green, pinnately dissected with deeply notched margins, 10 cm long. Narrower and shorter leaves number around 20, green in color with deeply pinnately dissected margins. Leaf surfaces are smooth with abundant fine hairs; leaf color deepens to purple upon exposure to low temperatures.
This variety exhibits moderate cold tolerance, strong heat resistance, and pronounced winter hardiness, maturing 10–15 days later than flat-leaf shepherd's purse. It possesses an intense aroma and exceptionally delicious flavor, making it ideal for spring cultivation.