11/08/2016
Purslane
Portulaca oleracea
Purslane is a friendly non-native plant. It shows up throughout your garden and in urban wilds, and if you don’t want it, it is easy to pull up. However, if you pull it and prepare soil for seeds, if there are any pieces of purslane in the ground, they will sprout. It is a succulent and not poisonous.
You can eat the mild-tasting leaves and stems raw or steamed. Or pickle them by packing a jar with them, adding salt, and then covering with apple cider vinegar. You can also juice them or preserve as a glycerite/tincture.
They are high in Omega-3 essential fatty acids; some say it is the highest in Omega-3s of any leafy vegetable. It is high in Vitamins A and C, as well as the minerals Calcium and Iron.
Use as a remedy for:
Internally: digestion tonic, fever, demulcent/soothing urinary tract, insulin resistance.
Externally: inflammation, wounds, burns.