Purslane: Worthwhile or Weed?

Purslane. I guarantee you’ve seen it, and if, like me, you grew up below the Mason-Dixon, you may even have heard of it by the slightly unappetizing moniker: Hogweed. Found growing wild across most of the United States, purslane is most definitely a weed, but the question is, is it a useful one? As you’ve probably guessed, given that we’re devoting an article to it, it is indeed. Read on for a few reasons why.

Easy Grower
For starters, as a weed, this is a very easy plant to grow and maintain. In fact, there is almost no maintenance required (just make sure it doesn’t overtake your other, more delicate plantings). Sporting red stems and small green leaves, I’ve heard folks call it wild watercress, and compare the flavor to spinach. As it turns out, the former is a pretty accurate description, being that the plant contains some 93-percent water.

Varieties
The type of purslane you are likely most familiar with is Portulaca Oleracea–the bright-green, wild-growing variant. With yellow flowers, its not exactly ugly, but be cautious putting it into your garden. The plant drops seeds when disturbed, so they can be a real bear to remove.

Golden purslane, or Portulaca sativa (yeah, yeah, I know what you’re thinking, hippie), is what you’ll usually find in an herb garden. Prized by chefs for giving dishes a Mediterranean flair, this sort of Purslane tastes like lemony spinach. This plant flowers during warm weather in the summer and fall.

Finally, there are two large groups of ornamental purslane , Portulaca grandiflora and Portulaca umbraticola. Steer clear of these, as they are strictly for decoration.

Uses
Clearly, purslane’s primary use is as a food. Stems and leaves can be used in salads, with other greens, or even farther afield, mixed in with your morning eggs. Pickling in apple cider vinegar, with some garlic and peppercorns for taste, is also an option. More than just a delicious accent, however, purslane has some pretty impressive health benefits.

For starters, a single cup of purslane 1.74-percent daily value of protein (%DV), 2.8%DV of Calcium, 10.75%DV of Iron, 4.51%DV of Potassium and 2.71%DV of Phosphorous. It does not stop there, however. Purslane also contains Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6,and B9 (in amounts ranging from 1.25%DV to 3.69%DV), and a whopping 10%DV of Vitamin C. So clearly this herb does not just resemble spinach in taste, it resembles it in health benefits too.

This has long been known around the world, and particularly in the Mediterranean and Asian countries where its use was first promulgated. In addition to its use there as a potherb (soup flavoring), it was traditionally used to treat burns (in salve form), headaches and stomach ailments. Some other cultures even went further, using it to treat liver conditions, shortness of breath and arthritis. More modern uses find it helps with conditions like psoriasis and osteoporosis.

Foraging
The easiest way to secure purslane, of course is by planting it in your garden, but what if you want to find some in the wild, the old-fashioned way? Luckily for you, the stuff can be found growing just about anywhere. Stems are smooth and red, while leaves are green and flat. If you get lucky, you’ll see yellow flowers, but these are rare, and really only open on sunny days (and will not even appear without sufficient rainfall). As usual, look up some photos, and NEVER eat anything in the wild unless you are absolutely sure you know what it is.