Purslane is a superfood you may have never heard of. This humble weed is a treasure hiding in plain sight, commonly found growing in the cracks of sidewalks, along the edges of driveways, and in other urban environments.
It also happens to be one of the most nutritious greens on the planet and a powerful healing herb that has been used in Western herbalism and Chinese medicine for millennia.
“Recent research demonstrates that purslane has better nutritional quality than the major cultivated vegetables, with higher beta-carotene, ascorbic acid, and alpha-linolenic acid. Additionally, purslane has been described as a power food because of its high nutritive and antioxidant properties,” Malaysian researchers note in a 2014 review published in Scientific World Journal.
Purslane is in the Portulacaceae family and is also known as pigweed, little hogweed, verdolaga, and red root. It’s thought to be native to North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Indian subcontinent but to have arrived in North America and Europe by the late 16th century. Now grown worldwide in both tropical and temperate climates, purslane grows year-round in warm climates, and from late spring through early fall in colder climates.
Also known as Portulaca oleracea, the herb is a succulent and often grows as a groundcover, reaching about six inches tall and spreading out in a wide mat. It has thick, dark green leaves with smooth stems that are reddish-pink in color.
Purslane prefers full sun and will grow in almost any kind of soil. The plant produces small, yellow flowers that grow in groups of two or three that appear in late summer and like to open in the first few hours of morning sun. It’s happiest in warm weather and, although it prefers to be watered regularly, it’s quite resistant to drought, making it easy to grow and allowing it to thrive almost anywhere.
Purslane as Medicine
Because of purslane’s abundant healing properties, it has many applications in medicine, some of which are listed below:
- Purgative: used for purging or cleansing the body, usually by evacuating the bowels
- Cardiac tonic: improving the efficiency and contraction of the heart, leading to improved blood flow to all parts of the body
- Emollient: softening, soothing, and moisturizing the skin
- Muscle relaxant: relaxing the muscles, helping to ease muscle spasms or contractions
- Anti-inflammatory: reducing inflammation
- Diuretic: helping the body to cleanse itself through elimination through the urine
In medicine, almost all parts of the purslane plant are used, including the stem, leaves, flowers, buds, seeds, and juice.
Purslane is mentioned in the writings of Roman naturalist and philosopher Pliny the Elder from the first century. During the Roman empire, purslane was used as a remedy for headaches, inflammation, bladder disorders, dysentery, and hemorrhoids. His writings also suggest that purslane was used in the Roman diet as the main vegetable and an addition to salads.
In Ayurvedic medicine, the traditional medical system of India, purslane is used to treat indigestion, ulcers, edema, eye diseases, and asthma.
It’s also used in the Middle East to prevent scurvy, expel worms, reduce fever, and treat skin conditions.
Fights Cancer
A study from the Asian Pacific Journal for Cancer Prevention published in 2014 showed that purslane extract killed 83 percent of human liver cancer cells in vitro. Perhaps even more impressive is that after taking the extracts, the cancer cells died within 24 hours. In other studies, purslane extracts have also been shown to be toxic to breast, lung, colon, and cervical cancers and sarcoma, which are cancerous tumors in the bones and soft tissues.
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine published a study in 2019 that set out to examine the effect of purslane on cervical cancer. The study states that cervical cancer is the second-most prevalent cancer worldwide and the most common gynecological malignancy. More than 500,000 new cases are diagnosed every year, mostly in developing countries.
The study found that polysaccharides isolated from purslane, when taken orally, inhibited the growth of cervical carcinoma by enhancing the body’s immune response.
Improves Asthma Symptoms
A 2019 study published in the Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research found that purslane improved the diseased lungs of asthmatic rats, raised their total white blood cell count, and decreased inflammation. The study proposes that purslane extract could be used as a preventative anti-inflammatory treatment against asthma.
Another study, published in the Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine in 2017, showed that purslane extract had both anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects on rats with asthma. Immunomodulation is the ability to alter or regulate the immune system by activating or suppressing its function. The extract had an equal or better effect than dexamethasone, a steroid medication used to treat inflammation associated with moderate to severe asthma.
In an older study on asthmatic patients, researchers found that oral administration of 5 percent boiled extract or .25 milliliters per kilogram of purslane was as successful at opening airways as the medication theophylline, a drug used to relax and open the airways of the lungs to alleviate the symptoms of asthma, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema. In the study, published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology in 2004, patients receiving the purslane extract also saw a significant increase in pulmonary (lung) function.
Treats Diabetes
A study on rats published last month in the journal Molecules found that extracts from purslane significantly improved symptoms associated with Type 1 diabetes, including inflammation and reproduction system dysfunction.
Reviewing conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, a study in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology published last month looked at the effects of purslane extract on metabolic syndrome, and found that purslane extract significantly lowered blood glucose levels and balanced lipid (fat) profiles. It found that purslane had antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cholesterol-lowering, anti-obesity, and anti-diabetic properties.
A study in the Journal of Research in Medical Sciences published in 2015 studied the effects of purslane seeds on people with Type 2 diabetes. The study concluded that diabetic patients who consumed purslane seeds for five weeks had improved triglyceride levels and blood pressure and showed a significant decrease in weight and body mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat based on a person’s height and weight. BMI is used to estimate total body fat and gauge the risk for diseases that can occur due to higher levels of body fat, like heart disease, high blood pressure, and Type 2 diabetes.
Lowers Cholesterol
Purslane contains substantial amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which significantly reduce LDL or bad cholesterol. Eating a diet rich in omega-3s has also been shown to prevent high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and to decrease the risks of developing cardiovascular disease, because of their ability to fight inflammation.
The consumption of purslane seeds effectively lowered cholesterol levels in women with atherosclerosis, according to a 2016 study published in Scientific Reports. Atherosclerosis is a disease caused by a buildup of cholesterol or fatty deposits in the arteries that restricts blood flow. It’s the primary cause of coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic stroke, and peripheral arterial disease. Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of death in the United States.
A Nutrient-Dense Food Source
As mentioned above, purslane is one of the richest plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are usually found in fish and flax seeds. Most people associate omega-3s with fish oils, which are an excellent source, although they also contain high levels of calories and cholesterol. By contrast, purslane contains no cholesterol and very few calories—only 9 calories per 1 cup serving. It also contains abundant vitamins A and C, as well as potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and iron.
It’s also loaded with beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant needed to maintain healthy skin, vision, and neurological function. Antioxidants help to combat free radicals, which can cause inflammation and lead to disease.
Purslane is also packed with vitamin C, another important antioxidant, which boosts the immune system, improves heart health, reduces inflammation, and is important for healthy, beautiful skin. A serving of just over 2 cups of purslane gives you approximately 35 percent of your daily recommended intake.
The entire plant is edible, and it can be eaten raw, steamed, or well-cooked in dishes. Raw purslane has a lemony, salty, and somewhat sour flavor with a slightly crunchy, cucumbery texture. It’s a delicious addition to salads and sandwiches (leaves and stems) and perfect in soups, where it also works as a thickener. It’s traditionally added to curries and is particularly amenable to pickling, which allows it to be kept through the winter and enjoyed all year round.
Cautions
Purslane also contains high amounts of oxalates (similarly to spinach), so it should be consumed with caution by those susceptible to forming kidney stones.
If you are foraging for wild purslane, be careful not to take it from roadsides or other places where it might have been exposed to exhaust, pesticides, and other chemicals. The safest places to get purslane are fields, forests, and other natural environments. Thankfully, purslane transplants very well and will thrive with little effort.
Purslane in Chinese Medicine
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), purslane is the herb “ma chi xian,” and in ancient Chinese folklore, it was referred to as “the vegetable for long life.” In the TCM system, purslane belongs to the category of herbs that clear heat, resolve toxicity, cool the blood, and ease the intestines. It’s considered cold and slippery, making it excellent for cooling toxic heat and moving it out of the body, and also sour, meaning it has an astringent quality, drying up excess fluids. This is why purslane is a common remedy for diarrhea and excessive sweating.
In Chinese medicine, purslane treats the following conditions:
- boils
- sores
- eczema
- postpartum bleeding
- intestinal bleeding
- urinary tract infections with blood in the urine
- vaginal discharge
- hot flashes and night sweats
- dysentery
- hemorrhoids
- insect bites
- snake bites
- diarrhea
- excessive sweating
Current research has shown that purslane has significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. These findings validate what the Chinese have known for thousands of years: that purslane is a powerful medicine for both pain and inflammation.
In a time of food insecurity, supply chain disruptions, soaring food prices, and increasing corruption in our medical system, learning some of the health benefits of plants we can grow ourselves seems prudent. Purslane is delicious, a nutritious food, a versatile and potent medicine, and simple to grow, and it can be foraged easily—almost anywhere—making it a superb addition to your life and garden.