The Herb Purslane Is A Nutritional Powerhouse

The lovely, moist succulent known as purslane, is 93% water, features dark magenta stems, and rich green, rounded leaves. Also known as Portulaca oleracea, this nutritious, edible weed has collected some colorful nicknames over the years, including: little hogweed, pigweed, and fatweed.
A first-century historian named “Pliny the Elder” suggested that Romans used purslane as the primary vegetable during dinners and as a crunchy addition to salads. Some 18th-century French farmers were known to hate the plant, saying “it’s a mischievous weed meant for pigs.” The herb can be found in Africa, North America, Asia, and Australia.
Some say that Europe is purslane’s native home, but given its succulence, it most likely originated nearer to deserts. The plant has been native to India, Greece, and Persia for centuries, but may have first appeared in North Africa some 4,000 years ago. Some archeologists suggest the plant is prehistoric. Slightly sour and infused with nuanced flavors akin to watercress and spinach, the fleshy purslane is loved by millions throughout the world.
This jade-like plant can be sautéed, juiced, boiled, pickled, drenched in butter, or featured in a delicious salad with oil, salt, and vinegar. It’s a versatile weed that can be grabbed from the Earth and immediately consumed. As it’s often found in plentiful heaps strewn across the countryside, the plant is easy to grow and has provided helpful sustenance throughout the ages, especially during times of famine.
“I have made a satisfactory dinner on several accounts, simply off a dish of purslane, which I gathered in my cornfield, boiled, and salted.” — Henry Thoreau
Backed by a colorful and fruitful history, purslane promises a long list of wonderful health benefits. It’s remarkable that this one plant can provide so much for us!
- Aids in weight loss
- Improves and protects cardiovascular health
- Strengthens bones
- Reduces eye inflammation
- Reduces inflammation on or near stings, bites, and cuts
- Can improve vision and reduces cataracts
- Can improve circulation
- Heals some digestive tract diseases
- Helps prevent anemia
- Reduces appearance of wrinkles and blemishes
- Reduces effects of childhood disorders like autism and ADHD
- Helpful to the liver
- A natural diuretic
- Reduces occurrences of psoriasis
- Treats headaches
- Helpful for diseases related to the intestine, liver, stomach, cough, shortness of breath, and arthritis
- Chock-full of antioxidants, which can neutralize free radicals
Purslane is wonderful for our health in a variety of situations, but it’s also a superfood. This leafy green vegetable is action-packed with omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and a variety of helpful minerals. In addition to the value derived from its unique pigments, purslane is truly one of the most generous and nutritive foods on planet Earth.
- Magnesium
- Manganese
- Potassium
- Glutathione
- Calcium
- Vitamins A, E, and C
- Highest levels of alpha-linolenic acid, an essential omega-3 fatty acid
Many scientific studies focused on purslane have shown that it’s of better nutritional quality than most of the world’s major cultivated vegetables. It’s also popular in Chinese medicine for the treatment of hypertension.
While all the good news might make you want to run out and harvest baskets full of purslane, the herb should only be consumed in modest portions. Infused with 1.7% oxalic acid, it can do more than just agitate folks with digestive disorders and kidney stones. Since oxalates can inhibit the body’s ability to absorb minerals, for some, the herb can be problematic. If you love purslane and refuse to give up the obsession, you can combine the weed with yogurt or kefir, which will decrease the herb’s levels of oxalates.
Yummy Purslane Recipes
Here are a few simple ways to enjoy Purslane:
Purslane Salad: Chop your purslane leaves with some radishes, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Add splashes of apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.
Purslane Spinach Sauté: Heat some oil, butter, and garlic in a pan, throw in a few cups of lightly chopped spinach and purslane. Cook for no longer than 2 minutes. Add a bit of honey and salt to taste.
Stuffed Purslane Avocados: Cut (4) avocados in half, scoop out the avocado meat (save the 8 half-shells), and mix in a bowl with lightly chopped purslane. Add a little chili pepper, some lemon juice, olive oil, and walnuts. When your concoction is well-mixed, scoop it back into your avocado shells.
Purslane & Your Favorite Meats: Purslane is a delicious companion to duck, lamb, and fish. After cooking your meat with garlic, marjoram, curry, and/or salt, add a cup or two of freshly chopped purslane.
Peaches & Purslane: Chop together a few peaches and a cup of purslane, and you’ll enjoy a nicely balanced flavor of sweet and sour. Add an ounce or two of freshly squeezed orange juice. Some might also add a sprinkle of salt or spice.
Vegetarians And Futurists Unite!
Because purslane is such a significant source of omega-3 oils, it can be a vital contributor to the health of vegetarians and vegans, who tend to avoid fish-derived oils. With uncommon nutritional value, purslane will most likely emerge as one of the most important foods in our Earth’s future. It’s quick to grow, easy to harvest, and doesn’t require a host of fertilizers. With more than 500 known species, purslane is available throughout the world.
17 Ways to Use Apple Cider Vinegar for Your Health and Wellness

Apple cider vinegar, commonly denoted as ACV, has received a lot of hype as a miracle home remedy for all kinds of ailments, from allergies to arthritis. While a lot of conclusive research needs to be done, there are all kinds of ACV tricks you can try for your home and wellness.
What is Apple Cider Vinegar?
Apple cider vinegar is the product of fermentation—the process in which sugars in food are broken down by bacteria and yeast. In stage one of fermentation, the sugars are turned into alcohol. Stage two, if the alcohol ferments further, you get vinegar. While vinegar can be made from all sorts of things—fruits, vegetables, and grains –ACV, is, unsurprisingly, made from pulverized apples. The main ingredient of apple cider vinegar, or any vinegar, is acetic acid. It also has other acids, vitamins, mineral salts, and amino acids.
It sounds like a relatively innocuous substance more likely to be found in a salad dressing or used as a preservative, but because of its unique properties, ACV has a huge range of uses.
15 Health Benefits to Apple Cider Vinegar
Adding apple cider vinegar as a supplement to your diet can result in a number of benefits to your health. Apple cider vinegar may help with everything from heart disease to weight loss. Below is a list of 17 proven benefits.
1. Help with Heart Disease
If you’re looking for an alternative modality to improve heart health and ameliorate high blood pressure, ACV could be exactly what you’re looking for. Though clinical trials haven’t been conducted yet on humans, trials on animals have shown ACV to reduce triglyceride and cholesterol levels, two of the major contributing factors to heart disease.
2. Lower Blood Sugar
Do you experience high blood sugar levels from type 1 or type 2 diabetes? Are your insulin levels low and your glucose levels too high? Try taking ACV after meals to lower your blood sugar levels. According to research conducted from a small study in 2004, subjects taking 20mL of ACV diluted in 40mL of water with a teaspoon of saccharine, lowered their blood sugar levels after a meal. This reduction was significant, though small, and only lasted about 30 minutes.
While this method needs more research conducted before it could be considered a viable treatment, some researchers have described it as a potential adjuvant to other treatments for diabetes.
3. Leg Cramp Relief
Ever had a crazy sudden pain in your leg in the middle of the night? It’s the worst! Stop the attacks with an ACV tonic. Taken diluted in water twice daily, it will dissolve acid crystals in the blood and provide potassium, calcium, and other essential minerals to the body needed to ease the leg cramps.