Purslane

Category: Food

Type

Voluntary

Introduction and description

Portulaca oleracea is a succulent in the family Portulacaceae. A common plant in parts of India, purslane is known as sanhti, punarva, or kulfa.   It is known as Ma Chi Xian  in traditional Chinese medicine and indeed medicinally it is a very useful plant.  It is also very nutritious, as such it is the ideal plant - a healing food.

It has been used medicinally and as a pot herb for several thousand years and archaeobotanical finds are common at many prehistoric sites. Seeds have been retrieved from the Samian Heraion dating to seventh century BC and in the fourth century BC, Theophrastus named purslane, andrákhne (ἀνδράχνη), as one of the several summer pot herbs that must be sown in April.  In antiquity, its healing properties were thought so reliable that Pliny the Elder advised wearing the plant as an amulet to expel all evil (Natural History 20.120)!

A Potential source of confusion

Purslane is a common name for several plants with edible leaves.  Within the Portulacaceae family of succulent flowering plants, Portulaca oleracea, is the specific plant covered in this section - a species of Portulaca eaten as a vegetable and known as summer purslane.  There is also an edible plant Claytonia perfoliata, which is known as Miner's lettuce or winter purslane. 

There are other plants called Purslane with different properties.  The table below from Plants for a Future show all the other ‘Purslanes’ there appear to be.  The one in bold is the plant described in this section.

Latin Name Common Name Family Synonyms Claytonia sibirica Pink Purslane, Siberian springbeauty Portulacaceae Claytonia alsinoides. C. sibirica. Halimione portulacoides Sea Purslane Chenopodiaceae Atriplex portulacoides. Obione portulacoides. Ludwigia palustris Water Purslane, Marsh seedbox Onagraceae   Lythrum portula Water Purslane, Spatulaleaf loosestrife Lythraceae Peplis portula. Portulaca oleracea Green Purslane, Little hogweed Portulacaceae   Portulaca oleracea sativa Golden Purslane Portulacaceae P. sativa. Sesuvium portulacastrum Sea Purslane, Shoreline seapurslane Aizoaceae nomenclatural synonym:(Portulacaceae) Portulaca portulacastrum Veronica peregrina Necklace Weed, Neckweed, Hairy purslane speedwell Scrophulariaceae

Description

Portulaca oleracea sativa is an annual growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 0.3 m (1ft).  It has smooth, reddish, mostly prostrate stems and alternate leaves clustered at stem joints and ends.

The yellow flowers have five regular parts and are up to 6 millimetres (0.24 in) wide. The flowers open singly at the centre of the leaf cluster for only a few hours on sunny mornings.  Worldwide, depending upon rainfall, the flowers can appear at anytime during the year, but in the UK, it is in flower from Jun to July, and the seeds ripen from Jul to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by insects.

Seeds are formed in a tiny pod, which opens when the seeds are mature. Purslane has a taproot with fibrous secondary roots and is able to tolerate poor, compacted soils and drought.

Distribution

Purslane is found all over the world, throughout the Old World extending from North Africa through the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent to Malesia and Australasia. The species status in the New World is uncertain: in general, it is considered an exotic weed, however, there is evidence that the species was in Crawford Lake deposits (Ontario) in 1430-89 AD, suggesting that it reached North America in the pre-Columbian era. It is naturalised elsewhere, and in some regions is considered an introduced weed.

Cultivation

Portulaca oleracea sativa can be grown in both light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. It cannot grow in the shade.  A perennial plant in warmer climates than Britain, purslane is killed by frost, but can be grown as a half-hardy annual in temperate countries. It can become an aggressive weed in areas where the climate suits it.

It prefers moist but well-drained soil.  Plants will not produce good quality leaves when growing in dry conditions.

Outdoor sowings in situ take place from late spring to late summer, successional sowings being made every two to three weeks if a constant supply of the leaves is required.  Plants take about six to eight weeks to produce a crop from seed and can then be harvested on a cut and come again principle

As a companion plant, purslane provides ground cover to create a humid microclimate for nearby plants, stabilising ground moisture. Its deep roots bring up moisture and nutrients that those plants can use, and some, including corn, will follow purslane roots down through harder soil that they cannot penetrate on their own (ecological facilitation). It is known as a ‘beneficial weed’ in places that do not already grow it as a crop in its own right.

 

Method

When you harvest purslane has an effect on its taste and properties.  At night its leaves trap carbon dioxide, which is converted into malic acid (the souring principle of apples), and, in the day, the malic acid is converted into glucose. When harvested in the early morning, the leaves have ten times the malic acid content as when harvested in the late afternoon, and thus have a significantly more tangy taste.

The stems, leaves and flower buds are all edible. Purslane may be used fresh as a salad, stir-fried, or cooked as spinach is, and because of its mucilaginous quality it also is suitable for soups and stews.

Purslane and tomato salad

12 cherry tomatoes, halved A good handful of purslane 2tbs slivered almonds 2 tbs red wine vinegar 4 tbs much olive oil Smoked salt and pepper

Gently toast the almonds in a dry pan over a medium heat until light brown. Wash the purslane well and strip off the leaves and tips (about the top inch or so). Mix together with the tomatoes and [cooled] almonds. Whisk together the vinegar and olive oil with smoked salt and pepper. Toss salad gently in dressing.

 Australian Aborigines use the seeds to make seedcakes. In many other cooler countries, the plant does not produce enough seed to make this feasible, but in Australia the plants grow quite large and can produce 10, 000 seeds per plant, a person can harvest several pounds of seed in a day. 

The Greeks call it andrakla (αντράκλα) or glystrida (γλυστρίδα), and use the leaves and the stems with feta cheese, tomato, onion, garlic, oregano, and olive oil, add it in salads, boil it, or add to casseroled chicken.

In Turkey, besides being used in salads and in baked pastries, it is cooked as a vegetable similar to spinach.

In Albania, known as burdullak, it is also used as a vegetable similar to spinach, mostly simmered and served in olive oil dressing, or mixed with other ingredients as a filling for dough layers of byrek.

In the south of Portugal (Alentejo), baldroegas are used as a soup ingredient.

 In Pakistan, it is known as qulfa and cooked in stews along with lentils like spinach or in a mixed green stew.

Nutrients

Purslane is an exceptionally nutritious plant.  The table from the USDA showing the nutrients in an American plant.  But the paper below also adds an extra perspective

 

USDA Full Report (All Nutrients):  11427, Purslane, raw

Food Group: Vegetables and Vegetable Products

Scientific Name:  Portulaca oleracea

Nutrient	Unit	Value per 100g
Water 1	g	92.86
Energy	kcal	20
Energy	kJ	84
Protein 1	g	2.03
Total lipid (fat) 1	g	0.36
Ash 1	g	1.36
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	3.39
MINERALS
Calcium, Ca	mg	65
Iron, Fe	mg	1.99
Magnesium, Mg	mg	68
Phosphorus, P	mg	44
Potassium, K	mg	494
Sodium, Na	mg	45
Zinc, Zn	mg	0.17
Copper, Cu	mg	0.113
Manganese, Mn	mg	0.303
Selenium, Se	µg	0.9
VITAMINS
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	21.0
Thiamin	mg	0.047
Riboflavin	mg	0.112
Niacin	mg	0.480
Pantothenic acid	mg	0.036
Vitamin B-6	mg	0.073
Folate, total	µg	12
Folic acid	µg	0
Folate, food	µg	12
Folate, DFE	µg	12
Choline, total	mg	12.8
Vitamin B-12	µg	0.00
Retinol	µg	0
Vitamin A, IU	IU	1320
Vitamin D (D2 + D3)	µg	0.0
Vitamin D	IU	0
FATTY ACIDS
Fatty acids, total trans	g	0.000
OTHER
Apigenin 2	mg	0.00
Luteolin 2	mg	0.00
Isorhamnetin 3	mg	2.79
Kaempferol 2 3	mg	0.66
Myricetin 2	mg	0.00
Quercetin 2 3	mg	0.77

Sources of Data
¹Nutrient Data Laboratory, ARS, USDA National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program Wave 10j , 2006  Beltsville MD  
²Hertog, M. G. L., Hollman, P. C. H., and Katan, M. B.  Content of potentially anticarcinogenic flavonoids of 28 vegetables and fruits commonly consumed in The Netherlands. , 1992 J. Agric. Food Chem. 40   pp.2379-2383
³Huang, Z., Wang, B., Eaves, D. H., Shikany, J. M., and Pace, R. D. Phenolic compound profile of selected vegetables frequently consumed by African Americans in the southeast United States. , 2007 Food Chemistry 103   pp.1395-1402

References and further reading

• ScientificWorldJournal. 2014 Feb 10;2014:951019. doi: 10.1155/2014/951019. eCollection 2014.  Purslane weed (Portulaca oleracea): a prospective plant source of nutrition, omega-3 fatty acid, and antioxidant attributes.  Uddin MK1, Juraimi AS1, Hossain MS1, Nahar MA2, Ali ME3, Rahman MM4.
  1Institute of Tropical Agriculture, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia. 
  2Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh.
  3Malaysia Nanotechnology and Catalysis Research Center, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  4Bangabadhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur 1706, Bangladesh.

• Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China

• Reid. B. E. - Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. - A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods.

• Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.

Related observations

Healing observations

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• Efficacy of purslane in the treatment of oral lichen planus 018904
• Fatty acids and beta-carotene in australian purslane (Portulaca oleracea) varieties 018907
• Neuroprotective Effect of Portulaca oleraceae Ethanolic Extract Ameliorates Methylmercury Induced Cognitive Dysfunction and Oxidative Stress in Cerebellum and Cortex of Rat Brain 018903
• Pharmacological safety evaluation of a traditional herbal medicine "Zereshk-e-Saghir" and assessment of its hepatoprotective effects on carbon tetrachloride induced hepatic damage in rats 027503
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• Portulaca oleracea L. as a Prospective Candidate Inhibitor of Hepatitis C Virus NS3 Serine Protease 018910
• Purslane suppresses osteoclast differentiation and bone resorbing activity via inhibition of Akt/GSK3β-c-Fos-NFATc1 signaling in vitro and prevents lipopolysaccharide-induced bone loss in vivo 018906
• Scientific evaluation of medicinal plants used for the treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding by Avicenna 017233
• Separation and Identification of Four New Compounds with Antibacterial Activity from Portulaca oleracea L 018909
• Synergestic effect of aqueous purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) extract and fish oil on radiation-induced damage in rats 018905
• The neuroprotective effects of purslane (Portulaca oleracea) on rotenone-induced biochemical changes and apoptosis in brain of rat 018908

In time

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