Edible Weeds

Purslane: Health Benefits
Celeste Longacre
June 5, 2022

Common purslane, Portulaca oleracea, is a succulent used in Greek and Italian cooking, even though it’s often seen as a weed here. Immigrants from India originally brought it with them, where it has escaped into gardens and backyards and is now naturalized all over the world. Over the many centuries, purslane has been treated as a medicinal wonder, as a cultivated ornamental, as an annoying weed, and as an edible leafy green!
Purslane leaves resembles those of a tiny jade plant. When plucked for recipes, they lend a lemony, tangy flavor that’s reminiscent of sorrel; it’s a good substitute for watercress, spinach, and arugula.


Purslane Health BenefitsAmazingly, purslane is one of the world’s most nutritious wild edible plants. It’s now considered a “superfood” is showing up in farmer’s markets and even “fancy” restaurants all over the country often in salads or sandwiches. Meanwhile, gardeners will find purslane growing right in their vegetable bed!

Nutritionally, purslane can boast:

• Seven times the beta-carotene of carrots!
• Six times more vitamin E than spinach!
• Fourteen times more Omega 3 fatty acids (found mostly in fish)!
• Significant amounts of vitamins A and C, as well as calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium and antioxidants

Purslane is also said to be a natural remedy for insomnia. It has many of the same health benefits as other leafy greens.