Purslane – more than just a healthy salad

Purslane is one of the herbs and salads that you can rarely buy in the supermarket. Purslane has many advantages: when used as a salad, it is healthy, tasty and easy to prepare. As a medicinal plant, it is said to have a positive effect on health due to the valuable ingredients. But are summer purslane, winter purslane and purslane croissants actually the same thing? How do they differ and how healthy is purslane really? You will find helpful answers to these questions and a delicious recipe for a salad with purslane in the following article.

What is purslane?

There are two edible plants called purslane, but they are botanically unrelated:

• If “purslane” is simply mentioned, then the  summer purslane  (Portulaca oleracea) is usually meant, which also has the names vegetable purslane or burzelkraut and is called semizotu in Turkish. This is an annual herbaceous plant with fleshy, light green to reddish-green leaves. It usually grows lying down, but as a cultivated form it can reach a height of up to 40 centimeters. Purslane is most commonly used raw in a salad and is in season from March to August.
• On the other hand, there is the  winter purslane  (Claytona perfoliata). This is often also called Postelein, plate herb or Cuban spinach and can be harvested from October to March. Postelein has slightly larger, dark green leaves and tastes very similar to summer purslane.

There is a risk of confusion with the purslane (Portulaca grandiflora). This is a flower with brightly colored petals, not suitable for consumption.

The following information relates exclusively to “Portulaca oleracea”, i.e. the summer purslane.

How does purslane taste?

Purslane has a sour, salty, slightly nutty and refreshing taste. Its thick, fleshy leaves make it very crunchy and ideal as a spicy ingredient in salads.  But purslane is also a pleasure steamed as a vegetable or in  pesto . It is advisable to process only young leaves and shoots. Older leaves can taste a bit bitter.

The flower buds of the purslane are also edible. Their taste is reminiscent of capers.

Purslane – water content and calories

The water content in purslane is high, up to 92 percent. Such a water content is common for lettuce. For comparison, lettuce is 95 percent water and  cucumber  is 97 percent water.

Purslane therefore has a low calorie content. The green herb has just 17 kilocalories (kcal) or 50 kilojoules (kJ) per 100 grams.

How healthy is purslane?

Due to its valuable ingredients, purslane is considered a healthy leafy vegetable. Purslane contains several vitamins in appreciable amounts, including:

• Vitamin C (72 milligrams per 100 grams) – the vitamin strengthens the immune system  , among other things,   and is important for building bones and connective tissue. The daily requirement for an adult is 100 milligrams. This means that the daily requirement for vitamin C can be covered with the consumption of 139 grams of purslane.
• Vitamin K (381 micrograms per 100 grams) – the vitamin is important for bone metabolism and is involved in blood clotting. In order to meet the daily requirement of an adult of 65 micrograms of vitamin K, it is sufficient to consume around 17 grams of purslane.
• Beta carotene  is a provitamin from which the body makes vitamin A. Vitamin A is important for the normal functioning of the eyes, skin and bones.

Purslane also contains numerous  minerals  that the body needs for important metabolic functions. For example, per 100 grams of purslane contains:

• 95 milligrams of calcium
• 390 milligrams  of potassium
• 151 milligrams of magnesium
• 3.6 milligrams of  iron

Due to its high nitrate and oxalic acid content, however, purslane should not be consumed regularly in large quantities.

Purslane: Properties as a medicinal plant

Purslane has made a name for itself not only as a food plant, but also as a medicinal plant. The medicinal herb purslane was mentioned in an old script as early as 800 BC. In the Middle Ages it was mainly used to treat inflammation, scurvy (a vitamin C deficiency disease) and  heartburn  .

Nowadays, purslane is said to have a health-promoting effect on the following ailments, among others:

• dyslipidemia
• arteriosclerosis
• Gastrointestinal complaints
• headache
• Fever
• restlessness
• fatigue

Due to its content of secondary plant substances, especially  flavonoids , purslane is also said to have an anti-cancer effect. In addition, the mucilage contained should lower the blood sugar level and bind toxins. The unsaturated fatty acids from the plant, including  omega-3 fatty acids , have a positive effect on the elasticity of the body’s vessels.

For many of these healing effects of purslane, the exact mechanisms of action are not yet known. To this day, there is also a lack of scientific studies that are necessary to classify the importance of purslane as a medicinal plant and to prove its health effects.

In the event of health problems and before using purslane for healing purposes, medical advice should always be sought.

Prepare purslane

Purslane can be eaten raw or cooked. The fresh leaves of the purslane bring a spicy aroma to the salad. It goes well with a vinegar and oil dressing, but also tastes good with  yoghurt .

Similar to  spinach,  purslane can also be steamed or blanched. You can use and eat both the leaves and the stalks of purslane. Only the lower ends of the stems should be cut off.

Likewise, purslane brings variety to the table as an ingredient in soups or sauces. The crunchy leaves of the purslane can also be used finely chopped as a spice or pureed in pesto.

Recipe with purslane: summery salad

There are many varied recipes for the preparation of purslane. Here you will find a recipe for a summery purslane salad with strawberries and  nuts .

ingredients for 4 persons

For the salad:

• 200 Grams Portulak
• 250 grams of strawberries
• 1 Spitzpaprika
• 2 tablespoons chopped nuts (either walnuts, peanuts or cashew nuts)

For the  dressing :

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 THE Granatapfelsirup oder Balsamico-Creme
• salt  and pepper

preparation

The preparation is so easy:

1. Wash purslane, strawberries and pointed peppers.
2. Pluck the purslane leaves from the stalks or cut off the stalks.
3. Cut the peppers and strawberries into small pieces.
4. Put everything in a salad bowl and mix gently.
5. Mix the dressing, pour over it and sprinkle the salad with chopped nuts.

Grow your own purslane

Despised as a weed for a while, purslane is now enjoying increasing popularity in the kitchen. Since you can’t buy it everywhere, it’s a popular choice to grow in your own garden during the summer months. In summer and well into autumn, you always have fresh purslane at hand when you need it. Because the leaves can be harvested for months and grow back quickly.

The seeds of the purslane can be spread directly into the bed from mid-May. Growing purslane requires little work and is best done like this:

1. Loosen the soil before sowing and work in compost or fertilizer if necessary.
2. Scatter seeds widely and cover with just a little soil. Purslane needs light to germinate.
3. Water the bed gently and keep it moist in the beginning.
4. After a few days, the seeds germinate and two cotyledons are formed.
5. If the plants are too close together, they should be separated with a distance of about 15 centimeters between the plants.
6. Four weeks after sowing, the plants are usually big enough for the leaves to be harvested.

When cultivating, you should ensure that the soil is as nutrient-rich, loose and sandy as possible. Otherwise, purslane likes sunny and warm locations, it is robust, requires little care and can even withstand longer periods of drought without any problems.

Store purslane properly

Purslane should be eaten as soon as possible after harvest. Wrapped in a damp cloth, the leaves can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. It is not suitable for freezing.