Herbal tea for menstrual pain (Bursa Pastoris)

Bursa Pastoris

Belonging to the Brassicaceae family, bursa pastoris, in addition to having a hemostatic action, has excellent astringent properties useful for circulation and diarrhea. 

The plant, on average 30-50 cm tall, grows everywhere, blooms all year round and has small white flowers. 

The basal leaves are gathered in rosette, their petiole is short and have a variable shape; the leaves of the stem are sessile, have a sagittate shape and are amplexicauli. The flowers, in large numbers, are inserted on racemes without leaves; the individual flowers are very small, have 4 green sepals and 4 white petals.

Bursa Pastoris: Properties and Benefits

Its main constituents are bursin (alkaloid), malic acid, citric, acetic acid, tyramine, choline, potassium, tannins.

This herbal tea is mainly known for its ability to curb and regulate too abundant menstrual flows and calm the pains related to these days. 

In these cases it acts at the level of the uterine muscles, favoring its contraction and determining, as a consequence, a brake on the bleeding in progress and reflex regulates the cadence of the menstrual cycle, especially in subjects with abundant and painful menstruation.

- Counteracts inflammation

The Shepherd's Bag acts against fever, counteracts eye inflammation, headache or toothache; in these cases it should be applied in a compress on the specific part or on the wrists and under the soles of the feet for fever.

- Adjusts pressure

The Shepherd's Bag helps to rebalance blood pressure, and is suitable in case of hyper or hypotension. For this purpose it is taken in infusion, which is prepared by pouring 1 dessert teaspoon full of shredded plant, possibly fresh, in 1/4 liter of boiling water; it is left to rest briefly and is taken in cups 2 times a day, stopping the treatment as soon as the pressure has returned to normal.

Today bursa-pastoris is among the most used spontaneous herbs in the kitchen, which makes a use similar to that of spinach: its rosettes are boiled and sautéed in a pan, or seasoned and mixed together with other vegetables in cooked mysticisms, as a filling for savory pies, as a base for omelettes, as an ingredient in herbal sauces; they can also be used in soups, soups and risottos.

Bursa Pastoris: Herbal tea preparation

Prepare a decoction with 50 grams of the mixture in a liter of water. Protract to ebolition. Drink a glass, sweetened with honey, at the first pains, a second after an hour. Continue for three days.