Purslane – A weed with nutritional superpowers

By Elina Vogiatzaki

Common names of Purslane
Porslein (Afrikaans), Ma-Chi-Xian (Chinese), le Pourpier (French), Glistrida /Adrakla /Andrákhne (Greek), Portulak (German), la Verdolaga (Spanish), Lunia (Hindi).

Brief history

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is nowadays considered as a weed commonly found in crop fields or garden patches. However, Theophrastus named purslane, andrákhne (ἀνδράχνη), as one of the several summer pot herbs that must be sown in April (Enquiry into Plants 7.1.2)⁸. It belongs to the Portulacaceae family and is widely spread around the world. Its’ name could have two different meanings: a) ‘little door’, deriving from the latin ‘portula’, because of the way its capsule opens, and b) ‘porto’ (which means carry) plus ‘lac’ (which means milk), referring to the succulent consistence of its’ stems and leaves¹³. It mostly grows in warm climates and is an excellent source of nutrients and medicinal compounds. For centuries Purslane has been used as a folk medicine in several counties⁴.

Health benefits

Very nutritious

Due to its highly nutritious content, purslane is considered as a superfood and a great source of nutrients, vitamins and omega-3-fatty acids. It contains high amounts of vitamin A (retinol), C (ascorbic acid) and E (alpha tocopherol), as well as B complex vitamins like riboflavin, niacin, and pyridoxine. It is also an excellent source of minerals such as potassium (494 mg/100 g), magnesium (68 mg/100 g), calcium (65 mg/100 g), phosphorus (44 mg/100 g), and iron (1.99 mg/100 g), as well as crude protein 22-25%³. On the top of that, purslane is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as alpha-linolenic and gamma-linolenic acid¹⁵.

Anti-oxidant – Prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer

Due to the high content of flavonoids (kaempferol, myricetin, luteolin, apigenin, quercetin, genistein, and genistin), vitamins and other phytochemicals (i.e. galotannins, phenolic compounds, polysaccharides and omega-3 fatty acids, purslane is an excellent antioxidant. Thus, it can help to prevent DNA damage, cancer, cardiovascular disease and other oxidative stress related diseases^{12, 13, 18}.

Antidiabetic

There are several studies that have shown the positive effects of purslane extracts or seeds on diabetes^{6, 16, 18}. It lowers the blood glucose¹⁶, it reduces the insulin resistance and it improves the blood lipid content in patients with type 2 diabetes⁵.

Neuroprotective activity

A molecule named Oleracein E (OE), which was firstly isolated from Purslane, is a potent antioxidant and it has also been shown to play a neuroprotective role in Parkinson’s disease¹⁴. There are many other studies in animal models that have also shown the protective action of purslane extracts on the neurons and their capacity to reduce oxidative stress consequences^{7, 18}. Interestingly, there is also a study which highlighted that purslane could help in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease as well as a possible treatment for it¹⁷.

Antimicrobial

Purslane has antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties^9,18. According to scientific studies purslane extracts can inhibit the growth of Gram-positive bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus faecalis, and enteropathogenic bacteria. Purslane has also antifungal properties and it can inhibit the growth of Candida albicans and strains from the Trichophyton genera. Finally, purslane has been shown to inhibit the penetration of herpes virus to the cells.

Anti-inflammatory

Although inflammation is a natural process of our immune system to protect us from different harmful pathogens or other stimuli, when it is chronic it can damage our cells and tissues. Thus, including anti-inflammatory foods in our diet is very important to maintain a good health. Two compounds isolated from purslane, oleracone and oleracimine, can reduce inflammation and act also as antioxidants, indicating the potential beneficial role of purslane in many inflammatory or inflammation induced diseases, such as atherosclerosis and arthritis^{11, 18}.

Protects the liver

There are several animal studies that show the hepatoprotective role of purslane. Different types of purslane extracts tested on damaged livers of rats exhibited beneficial effects. They were able to restore liver damage induced from toxic to the liver compounds, such as D-galactosamine and CCl₄and bring the hepatic marker enzymes as well as bilirubin back to normal levels^{1, 2, 10}.

Attention: Purslane has high oxalic acid content!

Although purslane is very nutritive and it has many health benefits, you must be cautious that it contains very big amounts of oxalic acid. This chemical can create kidney stones and disorders.

Recipes

You can use purslane in the following ways:

Pickled purslane
Purslane curry
Tzatziki with purslane
Purslane pesto (for pasta, sandwiches or burgers)
Add it raw in your omelets, sandwiches, salads or burgers or cook it together with your vegetable stews or soups.
Dried purlsane is used for tea or soups in China
Vegetable stew

References

Anusha M, Venkateswarlu M, Prabhakaran V, Taj S, Kumari B, Ranganayakulu D, Hepatoprotective activity of aqueous extract of Portulaca oleracea in combination with lycopene in rats, Indian journal of pharmacology, 2011; 43: 563-7.
Ehab SE, Sabrin RM, Ibrahim & Mohamed A, Aziz, Portulene, a new diterpene from Portulaca oleracea L., Journal of Asian Natural Products Research, 2008; 10, 11: 1039-1043.
Ezekwe MO, Omara-Alwala TR, Membrahtu T (1999) Nutritive characterization of purslane accessions as influenced by planting date. Plant Food for Human Nutrition 54, 183-191.
Fatemi Tabatabaei SR, Rashno M, Ghaderi S, Askaripour M., Iranian journal of pharmaceutical research : IJPR. 2016; 15, 2: 561-71.
Hadi A, Pourmasoumi M, Najafgholizadeh A, Kafeshani M, Sahebkar A, Effect of purslane on blood lipids and glucose: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, 2018; 33; 1: 3-12.

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