The dried above-ground parts of the plant - leaves, stems, flowers and fruits - collected at flowering time are used medicinally.

Important constituent groups are flavonoids (including diosmin, which is used for quality control), biogenic amines, amino acids and proteins.

In folk medicine, shepherd's purse is used in the broadest sense to stop bleeding. The documented traditional medical use relates to the symptomatic treatment of menorrhagia (menstruation that is too heavy and lasts too long) and metrorrhagia (bleeding outside the menstrual cycle). External use is also reported, for example for local treatment of nosebleeds, haemorrhoids and to stop bleeding from skin injuries.

Traditional herbal medicines are used today for heavy menstrual bleeding in women with a normal menstrual cycle, if a serious illness can be ruled out. For this purpose, either cut shepherd's purse herb is used as a tea preparation or industrially produced extracts are used in finished medicinal products. It should be taken 3-5 days before menstruation.

In the kitchen, shepherd's purse is sometimes used as a wild salad.

The common shepherd's purse is an annual to biennial herb from the cruciferous family(Brassicaceae). It roots up to one metre deep. Upright, sparsely branched stems up to 70 centimetres high with a basal rosette of leaves spring from this root. The basal leaves are usually pinnately divided, the stem leaves cover the stem and are undivided or pinnately dissected.

The flowers are typical four-petalled cross flowers. Their 2-3 cm long, white petals protrude far beyond the green calyx. After pollination, the triangular to heart-shaped pods with their numerous seeds form as fruits - a single individual can produce up to 64,000 of them. They are spread by wind and rainwater or by birds and other small mammals.

Shepherd's purse prefers a fresh and nutrient-rich, humus-rich loamy soil with plenty of sun or at least partial shade.