Ji Cai
StarCapsella bursa-pastoris
Synonyms: Capsella lycia, Capsella bursa-pastoris var. pygmaea, Nasturtium bursa-pastoris, Thlaspi bursa-pastoris, Capsella bursa-pastoris var. vera, Capsella bursa-pastoris f. vulgaris, Bursa bursa-pastoris, Rodschiedia bursa-pastoris, Capsella bursa-pastoris f. gracilis, Capsella bursa-pastoris f. macrocarpa, Thlaspi bursa-pastoris var. microcarpum, Thlaspi bursa-pastoris subsp. pinnatifolia
Traditionally used for
- Headaches
- Eye health
- Nose & throat
- Bowel health
- Urinary & fluids
- Menstrual & women's health
- Blood pressure
- Skin
Cautions & contraindications
- Pregnancy
☯ TCM Properties
Promotes diuresis, harmonizes the Spleen and stops bleeding; Improves vision; Lowers Blood pressure
Traditional Chinese Uses
Ji Cai (shepherd's purse herb) is a cooling herb traditionally used in Chinese medicine to cool the Blood and stop bleeding, making it relevant for nosebleeds, blood in the urine, and excessive menstrual flow with heat signs. It also drains Damp-Heat from the lower burner to address dysentery-like conditions and urinary complaints. Beyond these actions, it has been used externally for eye inflammation and headaches with redness.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Capsella bursa-pastoris is an annual or biennial herb in the mustard family (Brassicaceae), growing 10-50 cm tall. It forms a basal rosette of pinnately lobed leaves, with smaller arrow-shaped stem leaves. Small white flowers are borne in terminal racemes, followed by distinctive triangular or heart-shaped seed pods (silicles) resembling a shepherd purse. Seeds are tiny and reddish-brown.
Roadsides, fields, gardens, and disturbed habitats; a cosmopolitan weed found throughout temperate regions worldwide.
Capsella bursa-pastoris is a highly adaptable, globally distributed weed thriving in disturbed habitats. No conservation concerns.
Active Constituents
Sinigrin and related glucosinolates
Glucosinolate (thioglycoside)Concentration: the characteristic Brassicaceae glucosinolate fraction of the herb; content varies widely with ecotype, season and drying and no reliable single figure exists
On tissue damage, myrosinase hydrolyses these to isothiocyanates, which carry much of the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity of the herb and its pungent character. The same class is responsible for the theoretical goitrogenic concern common to all Brassicaceae herbs, and is largely destroyed by prolonged decoction.
Sulforaphane
Isothiocyanate (glucosinolate hydrolysis product)Concentration: reported qualitatively in the herb; not quantified in the dried drug
An Nrf2-activating isothiocyanate with well-studied cytoprotective and antioxidant activity in other Brassicaceae. Its presence here is reported rather than quantified, so it should not be treated as a dosing target.
Fumaric acid
Dicarboxylic organic acidConcentration: long cited as a characteristic constituent of the herb; no consistent quantitative figure in the modern literature
Historically singled out from shepherd's purse as an antineoplastic and hepatoprotective principle. The claim rests on older work and fumaric acid is a common plant metabolite, so it is a poor authentication marker.
Quercetin and its glycosides (including rutin)
Flavonol and flavonol glycosidesConcentration: flavonoids are the major reported metabolite class of the herb
Flavonoids are the dominant class in modern profiling of Capsella bursa-pastoris and are the presumed carriers of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Shepherd's purse polyphenols suppressed MAPK and NF-kappaB signalling and induced heme oxygenase-1 in LPS-stimulated macrophage and mouse paw-oedema models.
Luteolin
FlavoneConcentration: reported as a constituent flavonoid; not quantified in the drug
A flavone with anti-inflammatory activity in preclinical models, contributing to the polyphenol fraction responsible for the herb's antioxidant profile.
Kaempferol derivatives
Flavonol glycosidesConcentration: identified as the largest single flavonoid subgroup in recent profiling
Kaempferol derivatives, together with quercetin, apigenin, luteolin and icaritin, make up the flavonoid backbone of the herb as catalogued in the 2024 Nutrients review.
Choline and acetylcholine
Quaternary ammonium aminesConcentration: reported in the fresh herb; degraded on storage and heating
Acetylcholine in the fresh plant is the traditional explanation for the smooth-muscle stimulant and uterotonic reputation of shepherd's purse. It is heat- and storage-labile, which is one reason fresh or freshly tinctured material is preferred where the haemostatic action is wanted.
Tyramine and histamine
Biogenic aminesConcentration: reported in the herb; not quantified
Vasoactive amines that plausibly contribute to the vasoconstrictor action attributed to the herb. Tyramine is the constituent behind the theoretical caution with monoamine oxidase inhibitors.
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)
Naphthoquinone vitaminConcentration: consistently reported as a constituent of the leafy herb; no standardised figure for the dried drug
Widely cited as part of the basis for the herb's haemostatic use. It is also the reason a theoretical antagonism with warfarin is raised, though no controlled measurement of vitamin K content in a therapeutic dose of shepherd's purse has been published.
beta-Sitosterol
PhytosterolConcentration: the most abundant phytosterol reported in the herb
The dominant sterol of the plant; a common phytosterol with mild anti-inflammatory activity, not specific to this species.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Warfarin and other vitamin K antagonists
Shepherd's purse is a leafy Brassicaceae herb consistently reported to contain vitamin K, and it is used clinically precisely to reduce bleeding. Both point in the direction of opposing warfarin. There is no published case report, no pharmacokinetic study and no measured vitamin K content for a therapeutic dose, so the concern is inferential. The risk that matters practically is not a dramatic swing but an unpredictable one, since herb vitamin K content varies with season, ecotype and drying.
Clinical note: If a warfarinised patient starts or stops this herb, keep the intake steady and check INR after one to two weeks rather than assuming no effect.
Oxytocin, misoprostol, ergometrine and other uterotonics; and use in pregnancy before term
Shepherd's purse is classified as a uterine stimulant in the Western herbal literature and its established clinical uses are in postpartum haemorrhage and heavy menstrual bleeding, both of which depend on uterine action. The postpartum trials deliberately dosed it only after placental expulsion. No controlled data exist on additive effects with pharmaceutical uterotonics, and no teratogenicity data exist, so the caution is precautionary rather than demonstrated.
Clinical note: Do not use during pregnancy before term. In active third-stage management alongside oxytocin, treat the herb as a possible additive uterotonic rather than an inert adjunct.
Antihypertensives and sedatives (CNS depressants)
The herb has documented traditional and pharmacological attributions of blood-pressure lowering and sedative action, and lowering blood pressure is one of its listed TCM functions. The supporting studies are preclinical or descriptive and no human dose-response data exist, so additivity with antihypertensive or sedative drugs is a reasonable expectation rather than an observed interaction.
Clinical note: In an elderly or already-hypotensive patient on multiple antihypertensives, check postural blood pressure after starting the herb.
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (phenelzine, tranylcypromine, moclobemide)
Tyramine is reported among the biogenic amines of shepherd's purse. Dietary tyramine is the recognised trigger for hypertensive crisis on irreversible MAO inhibitors. The tyramine content of a therapeutic herb dose has never been measured, and no case of a reaction has been reported, so this is a chemistry-derived caution only.
Clinical note: Mention it if a patient is on an irreversible MAOI, where the general rule is to avoid unquantified tyramine sources; there is no evidence a normal herb dose is hazardous.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| not established | Not established — see note | — | — | — | No Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 一部 monograph for 荠菜, and not listed in Bensky, Clavey & Stöger, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed. (2004), so no dose is given here. |
Evidence Tier
Strong evidence · 4 studiesRecorded studies by study design, strongest design at the top. This is a study-design tier only, not a GRADE rating: it does not weigh risk of bias, consistency or precision.
Systematic review / meta-analysis
0
Randomized controlled trial
3
2 verified · 1 unverified
Show 3 studies
- Effect of Hydroalcoholic Extracts of Capsella Bursa-Pastoris on Heavy Menstrual Bleeding: A Randomized Clinical Trial
- Effect of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Capsella bursa pastoris on Early Postpartum Hemorrhage: A Clinical Trial Study
- The Effect of Capsella bursa-pastoris Extract on Heavy Menstrual Bleeding and Quality of Life in Patients with Uterine Leiomyoma: A Double-blind Randomized Clinical Trial
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
1
0 verified · 1 unverified
Other / unclassified
0
Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description
Clinical Studies
Effect of Hydroalcoholic Extracts of Capsella Bursa-Pastoris on Heavy Menstrual Bleeding: A Randomized Clinical Trial
A triple-blinded randomised trial in gynaecology clinics affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, allocating 84 women with heavy menstrual bleeding to hydroalcoholic Capsella bursa-pastoris extract (n = 42) or control (n = 42). Menstrual blood loss fell significantly in both arms after the intervention. This is the best-designed trial of the herb for menorrhagia and is directly relevant to the TCM stop-bleeding indication, but the improvement in the control arm limits how much of the effect can be attributed to the herb.
Effect of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Capsella bursa pastoris on Early Postpartum Hemorrhage: A Clinical Trial Study
A randomised clinical trial in 100 women given 10 sublingual drops of shepherd's purse extract or placebo immediately after placental expulsion. In the first three hours after birth, bleeding was reduced by about 32% with the extract compared with about 16% on placebo. The dosing point matters clinically: the herb was given only after the placenta was delivered, not during pregnancy or labour.
The Effect of Capsella bursa-pastoris Extract on Heavy Menstrual Bleeding and Quality of Life in Patients with Uterine Leiomyoma: A Double-blind Randomized Clinical Trial
Fifty-four women with uterine leiomyoma were randomised to 350 mg of alcoholic Capsella bursa-pastoris extract twice daily or control for three months, with heavy menstrual bleeding and quality of life as outcomes. This is the only trial that tests the herb in a defined structural cause of bleeding rather than in unexplained menorrhagia; it is small and published in a low-visibility journal, so it should be weighed accordingly.
Shepherd’s Purse Polyphenols Exert Its Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidative Effects Associated with Suppressing MAPK and NF-κB Pathways and Heme Oxygenase-1 Activation
Polyphenols from shepherd's purse suppressed MAPK and NF-kappaB signalling and induced heme oxygenase-1 in LPS-stimulated macrophages, with corresponding anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in vivo. Gives a plausible mechanism for the herb's anti-inflammatory reputation. Preclinical only, and no dose bridge to human use.
Historical Texts
Qian Jin Shi Zhi (the dietetic section of Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang)
Tang dynasty, Sun Simiao, 7th centuryMing Yi Bie Lu
Han to Six Dynasties compilation, attributed to Tao Hongjing, c. 500 CEBen Cao Gang Mu
Ming dynasty, 1596Shi Jing (Book of Songs)
Zhou dynastyReferences
- Aleksandra Lukaszyk, Inga Kwiecien, Agnieszka Szopa. Traditional Uses, Bioactive Compounds, and New Findings on Pharmacological, Nutritional, Cosmetic and Biotechnology Utility of Capsella bursa-pastoris . Nutrients (2024) [DOI]
- M. Heydari, M. Keshavarzynejad. Effect of Hydro-Alcoholic Extract of Capsella Bursa Pastoris on Postpartum Pain and Volume of Bleeding, a Randomized Clinical Trial . Journal of Health and Care (2023) [DOI]
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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