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Purslane

Portulaca oleracea

Also calledMa chi xian (Chinese)

In older monographsPortulaca oleracea L., Portulacae Herba (drug name)

A succulent weed and salad green eaten worldwide, unusually rich in the omega-3 fat α-linolenic acid. Chinese medicine uses it to 'cool the blood' and stop dysentery, and Persian physicians from Rhazes and Avicenna onward recorded it. Small trials suggest modest effects on blood sugar, blood fats and blood pressure.

What it is used for

Blood sugar and diabetes
Limited
A 2024 meta-analysis of RCTs in type 2 diabetes found purslane lowered fasting glucose by about 15 mg/dl but did not change HbA1c, insulin or insulin resistance.³
Cholesterol
Limited
The same meta-analysis found lower total cholesterol (about −18 mg/dl), triglycerides and LDL, higher HDL and lower CRP; the authors call for higher-quality trials.³
High blood pressure
Limited
A meta-analysis of 5 RCTs found a small fall in systolic blood pressure (about −3 mmHg) with very high heterogeneity, and no clear overall effect on diastolic pressure.⁴
Heavy periods
Limited
Used in Persian medicine for heavy menstrual bleeding. In one placebo-controlled trial (48 women), purslane capsules reduced blood-loss scores (PBAC) by 145 points versus 116 with placebo over two months.⁵
Diarrhoea
Traditional
In Chinese medicine it 'cools blood, detoxifies, eliminates dampness and stops dysentery', and is used internally for bacterial dysentery and acute gastroenteritis. Evidence beyond tradition is from animal models of colitis and diarrhoea.^1,2
Urinary tract infections
Traditional
Chinese medicine also uses it to 'alleviate stranguria' (painful urination) and for leucorrhoea.²

How it is prepared

food

Leaves and stems eaten raw in salads or cooked; blanching and pickling lower the oxalate content.

Amounts are as recorded by the named source, not a recommendation.

Safety

Pregnancy: Insufficient data
Breastfeeding: Insufficient data

Interactions with medicines

diabetes medicinesMinorLowered fasting glucose in trials; additive effects are possible.

Interaction checker →

Toxicity

Eaten widely as a vegetable with a long history of safe consumption. Its high oxalate content reduces mineral (calcium, iron) absorption; blanching or pickling lowers it.

In the healing traditions

Traditional Chinese Medicine
Ma chi xian
Sour and cold, entering the large-intestine and liver meridians; cools blood, clears toxins, drains dampness, relieves stranguria and stops dysentery; used for bacterial dysentery, acute gastroenteritis, appendicitis and leucorrhoea. Listed by China's National Health Commission in 2002 as a medicine–food homologous plant.
Chinese Pharmacopoeia
Middle Eastern
Purslane (Traditional Persian Medicine)
Described in the major Persian medical texts; among the herbs used for heavy menstrual bleeding.
Avicenna, Canon of Medicine; Rhazes, al-Hawi; Jorjani, Zakhireh Kharazmshahi

Active compounds

α-linolenic acid: omega-3 fatty acid; purslane is one of the main plant sources
flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, polysaccharides: studied for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in lab and animal work
oxalic acid / oxalates: present at high levels; reduce mineral absorption

History

Purslane appears in the great Persian medical encyclopaedias, Rhazes' al-Hawi and Avicenna's Canon of Medicine, and in Chinese materia medica, where it is classed as sour and cold. In 2002 China listed it as a medicine–food homologous plant.

Sources

Reference, not prescription. Nothing here is medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and be dangerous in pregnancy; tell your doctor or pharmacist about anything you take.