By Elsie Belcheff
Common Weed, Uncommon Medicine
Purslane has been used for centuries in countries throughout the world, as a food supplement and for medicinal purposes.
Portulaca oleracea is a low growing, succulent annual with reddish green stems and branches. Because of its hardiness, it is the bane of Canadian gardeners. Commonly called purslane, this persistent weed has been discovered to be a powerful food supplement.
Purslane has been used for centuries in countries throughout the world, as a food supplement and for medicinal purposes.
Purslane is highly efficient in water use and can grow in arid lands. Some consider this plant to be the power food of the future because of its use of C4 photosynthesis and ability to grow during drought.
Among the 13,000 known food plants, purslane is one of the fewer than 20 plants that have the capacity to meet most of our nutritional requirements. It is a uniquely nutritious plant, rich in naturally occurring fatty acids, antioxidants such as B-carotene (a precursor to Vitamin A), Vitamin C and E, as well as glutathione and pectin.
Purslane is the richest source of linoleic acid (LNA) and Omega-3 fatty acids of any green leafy vegetable yet examined. Dried purslane has about five times more vitamin E than spinach. Purslane has a fat content of 15.9% of dry weight and a protein content of 12.8% — sufficient quality for use as a grain lysine supplement. Purslane seed has a higher amino acid content than any other plant. It has a protein content of 18%, which is relatively high when compared to cereals such as wheat (16.1%), barley (9.2%) and corn (10.3%). Studies (Miller et al) have found purslane to have the best balance and highest concentration of essential amino acids, compared to other plant foods.
At Lab-Analysis, in Edmonton and Saskatoon, it was confirmed that Purslane contains high levels of LNA and antioxidants. These antioxidant levels were at least two times higher than equal servings of commercial cranberry and grapeseed extracts. Additional minerals were found, including phosphorus, zinc, silicon, manganese, magnesium, co-enzyme Q10, iron, potassium, selium, calcium and copper.
Historically, purslane is the weed that heals. Dr. Simopoulos writes that omega-3 fatty acids are essential for growth and development. Recent scientific journals describe purslane as a rich source of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids (PUFA). These fatty acids are of great importance in human health and beginning to be used to treat a multitude of diseases, including cardiovascular diseases.
Purslane is also rich in easily absorbed vitamin C and E, which are known to increase immunity to disease. The high potassium and antioxidants have muscle-relaxing properties. Research (Feng et al) has shown that purslane also contains high amounts of noradrenaline, potentially in higher concentrations than what is extractable from the suprarenal glands of mammals.
Elsie Belcheff
After three years of research on the impact of purslane powder on human health, Elsie Belcheff, a certified herbologist based in Margo, Saskatchewan, has patented a product based on purslane. This supplement, Super D-Master, is found in health food stores across Canada.
