More Than a Weed! Purslane: Health Benefits and Recipes

Common purslane, Portulaca oleracea, is a succulent used in Greek and Italian cooking. Immigrants from India originally brought it with them; it then escaped into gardens and backyards and is now naturalized worldwide. Over centuries, purslane has been treated as a medicinal wonder, a cultivated ornamental, an annoying weed, and an edible leafy green!

Purslane leaves resemble 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 Benefits

Amazingly, purslane is one of the world’s most nutritious wild edible plants. It’s now considered a “superfood” and is showing up in farmers’ markets and even “fancy” restaurants nationwide, often in salads or sandwiches. Meanwhile, most gardeners will find purslane growing right in their vegetable beds!

Nutritionally, purslane can boast:

• Seven times the beta-carotene of carrots!
• Six times more vitamin E than spinach!
• Five times more Omega-3 fatty acids than spinach!
• Significant amounts of vitamins A and C, as well as calcium, iron, magnesium, 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. 

What is Purslane: Crop or Weed?

Purslane is a plant that most of us here in North America consider a weed. I start seeing purslane in the spring in my own garden.

Because I now know it’s a healthy green, I let it grow in between my rows of carrots and beets and in other places where it isn’t bothering my veggies. Once it touches my crops, I take it out and eat it!

To harvest purslane, it’s a good idea to pull it up completely and then cut off the stems from the piece attached to the root.

Compost the rest of the plant (the root) or feed it to your chickens! Some companies are now actually selling purslane seeds so that they can be added to a garden on purpose—a delightful, nutritious extra for the enthusiastic gardener.

How to Cook Purslane

How do people eat purslane? Once you’ve cut off the root, the individual stems need to be washed carefully. Purslane has little crevices to hold the soil, so you really need to use a hose to get ALL the dirt off. 

• In the Mediterranean area, purslane is usually tossed into salads or added to soups.
• In Mexico, it’s a favorite addition to omelets.
• Purslane can also be lightly steamed for 4 to 5 minutes, then served with salt and a little butter.
• Purslane goes very well with cucumbers, topped with some oil-and-vinegar dressing.
• Also, try adding purslane to smoothies or juicing it.

Purslane Recipes

Here’s a great purslane salad: Fingerling-Potato and Purslane Salad with Grainy-Mustard Dressing.

Or try adding this nutrient-packed green to any soup. I like to add purslane to my bone broth soup, which is delicious! (You can also add seasonal lamb quarters, dandelions, nettles, amaranth, and herbs for health.)

Another option is to freeze purslane and add it to soups through the cold winter months! See how to freeze greens.

What do you think of purslane? Would you add it to your diet? Let us know!