I can eat that?!
That is usually the response from someone near me when I bend over and sample a leaf of this cooling delicious plant.
Springing up from cracks in the sidewalk, purslane softens concrete jungles. Creeping over garden beds in summer, it offers relief from hot weather. This succulent plant is a volunteer. Dozens of purslane varieties grow worldwide, on every continent except Antarctica. The exact origin of purslane is unknown, and scientists have traced it to North Africa, India, western Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Australia! Early peoples most likely had a hand in spreading it far and wide. In North America, archaeologists have excavated purslane seeds dating from between 1000 B.C.E. and 750 C.E. It was used as a medicinal plant in ancient Egypt and has been cultivated on the Arabian Peninsula and in the Mediterranean region since the Middle Ages. All over the planet, purslane continues to be an accessible source of food and medicine.
It’s easy to harvest purslane. The leaves and flowers are edible. Just simply pull a stem from the plant and remove the leaf for your salad. The plant grows quickly, so you will most likely get a few harvests off one plant.
Purslane can be eaten fresh or cooked. I like it fresh but I have seen recipes using cooked purslane. The leaves are cooling and bring moisture to the body. So it’s great for summer salad and veggie juices. It’s high in ALA, omega 3’s, vitamins A, C, and E, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium just to start. This is wild edible super nutritious food folks!
It has 5 times more omega 3 than spinach and is a good alternative for people who don’t eat fish. Omega 3 from fish is an essential ingredient for health. The overwhelming data on this is easily available to research. You don’t have to worry about potential heavy metals in your purslane.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3934766
The average American is at 20:1 ratio of omega 6 to 3. It is ideal to be 1:1. But in today’s world achieving a ratio of 2:1 is a good goal. Omega 6 is not a bad omega. It has the potential to cause inflammation when needed in the body. However, having too much is a real problem for chronic conditions. Purslane has been traditionally used as a pain reliever and I am sure the omega-3 content is a player in this action.
Botanical Name
Portulaca oleracea; also P. grandiflora, P. pilosa, P.sativa, and other species
Other Common Names
pigweed, portulaca, pursley, pussley, verdolaga
Plant Properties
analgesic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antispasmodic, demulcent, diuretic, febrifuge, inflammatory modulator
Plant Uses
FOOD! -burns, constipation, cough, dermatitis, diarrhea, fever, food, headache, inflammation
Today we make Cucumber Salad with Purslane
4 cups of your favorite cucumbers sliced into chunks
A handful of fresh leaves from your garden of purslane
1/2 a red onion sliced super thin
1 avocado sliced into chunks
Place all these ingredients into a bowl. Now make the dressing.
Dressing:
1 tablespoon of your preferred oil. I like olive oil or avocado oil
3 tablespoons of your favorite herb vinegar. I like to use oregano-infused rice vinegar for this.
1 teaspoon of honey or maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste
Mix the dressing and toss in the salad.
Purslane can be considered and consumed as food. There are some considerations if you are pregnant or susceptible to kidney stones. It is high in oxalates so if consumed in very large quantities, it poses a problem for the kidneys. In some small animal studies, a large amount can induce uterine contractions. You would have to purposely consume LOTS of these plants to see the unwanted side effects. This effect has not been demonstrated in humans.
Wishing you health and happiness
Chrystal