Portulaca oleracea Purslane Portulaca oleracea Purslane (also called wild Portulaca, or Pigweed) Ancient plant and modern medicine Continuing ‘Let your Food be your Medicine' series. The Old Ways As I write this it is the last day of April and in New Zealand we would celebrate ‘Last Light' , the New Year of the Celtic and witches calendars. As I look around the garden I am sad to see the Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) withdrawing its summer vibrant energy, flowering complete and shedding thousands of tiny black seeds, stems turning a paler pinkish red, leaves smaller and clustered. Purslane is such a bonus to my lunch and salad and I hope I am not too late to pickle some before the end of autumn. I first ate Purslane in Crete where each evening the deliciously simple salad was a few lettuce leaves, fresh stalks of Purslane drizzled with olive oil. The wild plants (often the ones we call weeds) do give us so much information if we know how to look for it. Why do we choose the exotic, expensive and latest ‘cure all' when so much medicine is in our garden, on the roadside or poking up through the pavements? Sour is the dominant taste but there is a saltiness present. Slime is the sensation. A striking redcolours the stems and the flowers are yellow. The oval leaves, slightly wider at the tip, glisten with moisture and it is cool to touch and taste. The plant sprawls across the ground growing best without competition. Already we know a lot! Sourindicates acid constituents and therefore could improve digestion. Saltiness indicates the presence of mineral salts so it is nutritive. Slimeindicates mucilage and would be soothing to all it comes in contact with, healing and reducing inflammation. This could be topically as in a poultice or internally affecting the digestive tract. It is cooling so people with hot inflamed conditions would benefit. Red colour according to some of the old teachings indicate an effect on the reproductive areas and the blood, and yellow on the stomach, liver, gall bladder, pancreas and kidneys. If you eat a lot of Purslane you do pass more urine so it is a diuretic. I have found Purslane all over the world, in the temperate countries of Europe, America, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, abundant on the islands of Tahiti and on the sides of footpaths in Chennai, India. There is evidence that Purslane was around in Pre-Columbian times and the Vikings may have introduced it to the areas of the world they traveled through.10 Seventeenth and eighteenth century writings make reference to it with Culpepper being the most popular. He states that it ‘allays the heat of the liver, blood….stomach…urine. The juice…to stay vomitings…for inflammations and ulcers; the herb bruised and applied to the fore head and temples, allays excessive heat…and applied to the eyes it takes away inflammation.'11 The New Ways I am concerned that we have lost the art and practice of using these incredibly valuable, prolific weeds both as medicine and food. Most modern herbals do not consider it a valuable medicine but Chevalier12, Duke13,14,15, Tierra16, all list its uses as valuable in the treatment of urinary and digestive problems, fever and boils12; as a nutritional plant12; as a vegetarian source of Omega 3 Fatty acids and vitamin E13; Boils, sores, bee stings, postpartum bleeding (? – see actions below)diarrhoea16; many cardio-vascular problems from high blood pressure to intermittent claudication, skin problems and chronic fatigue14. What Plant? Purslane is an annual, a sprawling succulent with thick, brittle, hairless, red stems arising from a central rosette. The leaves are obovate and the small yellow flowers only open if it is sunny. It produces copious numbers of tiny but visible black seeds. It likes to grow on cleared areas, often rough but will thrive in a cultivated garden. It is a relative of the inedible garden varieties of Portulaca.   What Part? All parts can be used including roots, stems, leaves, flowers, seeds (as an addition to flour). How and When to use? See Research review. Its extraordinary range of Vitamins (A, C and E) and minerals (calcium and potassium salts, phosphorus, manganese and iron), glutathione and Omega 3 fatty acids make this plant a nutritional treasure chest. A great source of anti-oxidants. It can be used as; a salad vegetable, chopped or left whole a lightly cooked vegetable like spinach a vinegar a topical poultice a decoction in water a paste for skin treatments .a wound healer When to use? As a general nutritive for everyone but especially for menopausal women, people with absorption difficulties, people recovering from illness and fatigue states and older people For any hot inflamed skin conditions eg boils, cuts, dermatitis psoriasis For people with digestive conditions such as irritable bowel, ulcerative colitis, other ulceration or inflammations and diarrhoea. For people with cystitis. As a diuretic For people with pre-menstrual bloating .For a general anti-oxidant both as a preventative of age-related illnesses and part of the approach to treating people with chronic health problems. How To Prepare a vinegar Just place several stems either whole or chopped in a glass jar. Cover with organic apple cider vinegar. Leave 10 days. The vinegar is quite mucilaginous, will have extracted some minerals but the stalks can be eaten as well. a succus (juice) Process the plant in a blender then strain. a burned ash Dry and burn the whole plant. a topical poultice Mash the plant in a mortar and pestle and apply directly a decoction in water Barely cover the chopped plant with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5-10mins. Strain a paste for skin treatments The mashed plant or juice can be mixed with Slippery Elm powder and used for topical applications. How Much To Use? For salads ½ a cup per person For a lightly cooked vegetable ½ cup per person For a vinegar 1-3 tbsp daily For a succus (juice) 1 tbsp daily As burned ash – for the minerals and used like salt. 1/2 to 1 tsp daily For a topical poultice As much as is needed for the area For a decoction in water 1 cup 1-3 times daily For a paste for skin treatments 3 parts of the plant to 1 part of Slippery Elm Safety There is some conflicting information in the literature. Purslane is described as both a muscle relaxant and a uterine muscle contractor. In either case it should not be used during pregnancy in large amounts. Recent Research Reviews In the Australian Journal of Medical Herbalism, Vol 12 Issue 2, 2000, a comprehensive review of Purslane was presented. It was written by a group of people from the United Arab Emirates, for Herbal Research and Traditional Medicine in the Department of Health. They listed the following Clinical applications Chronic cough Ulcerative colitis Urinary tract infections Mastitis Diarrhoea, Skin ailments Other research Nutritive value 1. Leaves from both indoor and outdoor samples of purslane contained higher amounts of alpha-linolenic acid (18:3w3) than did leaves of spinach. Chamber-grown purslane contained the highest amount of 18:3w3. Samples from the two kinds of purslane contained higher levels of alpha-tocopherol, ascorbic acid and glutathione than did spinach. Chamber-grown purslane was richer in all three and the amount of alpha-tocopherol was seven times higher than that found in spinach, whereas spinach was slightly higher in beta-carotene. One hundred grams of fresh purslane leaves (one serving) contain about 300-400 mg of 18:3w3; 12.2 mg of alpha-tocopherol; 26.6 mg of ascorbic acid; 1.9 mg of beta-carotene; and 14.8 mg of glutathione. We confirm that purslane is a nutritious food rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.1. 2. Leaves had the highest amount of protein in the third growth stage (44.25 g/100 g dry matter). Roots showed a decline in protein level as the plant aged. Soluble carbohydrate was significantly higher in growth states 1 and 3. Significant variation among growth stages was found with regard to total phosphorous, calcium, potassium, iron, manganese, and copper. Total phosphorus (P) content in leaves was significantly higher than P found in stems and roots. Iron (Fe) content varied significantly among growth stages, and roots and leaves had the highest Fe content (121.47 and 33.21 mg, respectively). Significant accumulation of manganese (Mn) was found in different growth stages. Leaves and roots had significantly higher Mn content than stems.4 3. The fatty acid profile and beta-carotene content of a number of Australian varieties of purslane (Portulaca oleracea) were determined by GC and HPLC. The total fatty acid content ranged from 1.5 to 2.5 mg/g of fresh mass in leaves, 0.6 to 0.9 mg/g in stems and 80 to 170 mg/g in seeds. alpha-Linolenic acid (C18:3omega3) accounted for around 60% and 40% of the total fatty acid content in leaves and seeds, respectively. Longer-chain omega-3 fatty acids were not detected. The beta-carotene content ranged from 22 to 30 mg/g fresh mass in leaves. These results indicate that Australian purslane varieties are a rich source of alpha-linolenic acid and beta-carotene. 4. The results of the study showed that as the plant matured from stage I (15 days) to stage II (30 days) calcium and magnesium content increased. In contrast, phosphorus content decreased as the plant matured. Varietal differences were also observed at different stages of maturity. The results also indicated that the consumption of green leafy vegetables at stage I (15 days) and stage II (30 days) potentially provide the greatest amount of minerals.9 Wound Healing The results obtained indicated that Portulaca oleracea accelerates the wound healing process by decreasing the surface area of the wound and increasing the tensile strength. The greatest contraction was obtained at a single dose of 50mg and the second greatest by two doses of 25mg. 2 As a Bio-monitor P oleracea can be considered a suitable 'biomonitoring tool' of fresh water environment besides its usage in the Al toxicity testing.3 As a muscle relaxant The juice and aqueous extracts from the plant Portulaca oleracea have been used in West Africa for a variety of medical purposes, and extracts were previously shown to have muscle relaxant properties on isolated nerve-muscle preparations.. We conclude that the neuromuscular activity of extracts of Portulaca oleracea is caused by high concentrations of potassium ions.6 As a anti-microbial A crude sample obtained by EtOAc extract showed a specific and marked activity against dermatophytes of the genera Trichophyton5