review article purslane weed ( portulaca oleracea ): a

Review ArticlePurslane Weed (Portulaca oleracea) A Prospective Plant Sourceof Nutrition Omega-3 Fatty Acid and Antioxidant Attributes

Md Kamal Uddin1 Abdul Shukor Juraimi1 Md Sabir Hossain1 Most Altaf Un Nahar2

Md Eaqub Ali3 and M M Rahman4

1 Institute of Tropical Agriculture University Putra Malaysia Serdang Malaysia2 Bangladesh Agricultural University Mymensingh 2202 Bangladesh3Malaysia Nanotechnology and Catalysis Research Center University of Malaya 50603 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia4 Bangabadhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University Gazipur 1706 Bangladesh

Correspondence should be addressed to Md Kamal Uddin mkuddin07yahoocom

Received 13 September 2013 Accepted 5 December 2013 Published 10 February 2014

Academic Editors W Gelderblom T Takamizo and D X Tan

Copyright copy 2014 Md Kamal Uddin et al This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons AttributionLicense which permits unrestricted use distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properlycited

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L) is an important plant naturally found as a weed in field crops and lawns Purslane is widelydistributed around the globe and is popular as a potherb in many areas of Europe Asia and the Mediterranean region This plantpossesses mucilaginous substances which are of medicinal importance It is a rich source of potassium (494mg100 g) followedby magnesium (68mg100 g) and calcium (65mg100 g) and possesses the potential to be used as vegetable source of omega-3fatty acid It is very good source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and gamma-linolenic acid (LNA 18 3 w3) (4mgg fresh weight) ofany green leafy vegetable It contained the highest amount (222mg and 130mg per 100 g of fresh and dry weight resp) of alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid (266mg and 506mg per 100 g of fresh and dry weight resp) The oxalate content of purslane leaveswas reported as 671ndash869mg100 g fresh weightThe antioxidant content and nutritional value of purslane are important for humanconsumption It revealed tremendous nutritional potential and has indicated the potential use of this herb for the future

1 Introduction

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L) deserves special attentionfrom agriculturalists as well as nutritionists Purslane is acommon weed in turfgrass areas as well as in field crops[1 2] Many varieties of purslane under many names growin a wide range of climates and regions Purslane has wideacceptability as a potherb in Central Europe Asia and theMediterranean region It is an important component of greensalad and its soft stem and leaves are used raw alone or withother greens Purslane is also used for cooking or used as apickle Itsmedicinal value is evident from its use for treatmentof burns headache and diseases related to the intestine liverstomach cough shortness of breath and arthritis Its use as apurgative cardiac tonic emollient muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory and diuretic treatment makes it important in

herbalmedicine Purslane has also been used in the treatmentof osteoporosis and psoriasis

Recent research demonstrates that purslane has betternutritional quality than the major cultivated vegetables withhigher beta-carotene ascorbic acid and alpha-linolenic acid[3] Additionally purslane has been described as a power foodbecause of its high nutritive and antioxidant properties [4]Different varieties harvesting times and environmental con-ditions can contribute to purslanersquos nutritional compositionand benefits [5]

Purslane is popular as a traditional medicine in Chinafor the treatment of hypotension and diabetes Scientificallyit is not proven to have antidiabetic effects but still peopleuse it for this purpose An experiment has been carried outfor the extraction of crude polysaccharide(s) from purslaneto investigate the hypoglycemic effects of these constituents

Hindawi Publishing Corporatione Scientific World JournalVolume 2014 Article ID 951019 6 pageshttpdxdoiorg1011552014951019

2 The Scientific World Journal

with animal tests for the use of this plant in the treatment ofdiabetes [6]

Purslane is a very good source of alpha-linolenic acidAlpha-linolenic is an omega-3 fatty acid which plays animportant role in human growth and development and inpreventing diseases Purslane has been shown to containfive times higher omega-3 fatty acids than spinach Omega-3 fatty acids belong to a group of polyunsaturated fattyacids essential for human growth development preventionof numerous cardiovascular diseases and maintenance of ahealthy immune system [7] Our bodies do not synthesiseomega-3 fatty acids Therefore omega-3 fatty acids must beconsumed from a dietary source Omega-3 fatty acids contain18 to 24 carbon atoms and have three or more double bondswithin its fatty acid chain [8] Fish is the richest source ofomega-3 fatty acids Health authorities highly recommendthat we consume fish regularly to meet our bodiesrsquo require-ments of omega-3 fatty acids as other sources are limitedand do not supply nearly as much omega-3 fatty acids [9]Purslane has recently been identified as the richest vegetablesource of alpha-linolenic acid an essential omega-3 fatty acid[10] The lack of dietary sources of omega-3 fatty acids hasresulted in a growing level of interest to introduce purslaneas a new cultivated vegetable [11 12] Purslane flourishes innumerous biogeographical locations worldwide and is highlyadaptable tomany adverse conditions such as drought salineand nutrient deficient conditions [13]

Distribution It is reported that purslane was a commonvegetable of the Roman Empire Origin of purslane is notcertain but existence of this plant is reported about 4000years ago The succulent stems and fleshy leaves of purslanereflect that it may have originated and adapted to desertclimates of the Middle East and India It can be found inEurope Africa North America Australia and Asia [14]

Botanical Classification Portulaca oleracea is s cosmopolitanspecies and the genus Portulaca belongs to the family Portu-lacaceae a small family with 21 genera and 580 species and iscosmopolitan in distribution occurring especially in Amer-ica with some species found in Arabia [15] Purslane plantsare succulent annual herbaceous and erect or decumbentup to 30 cm high Purslane is botanically known as Portulacaoleracea and is also called portulaca

Habitat It grows well in orchards vineyards crop fieldslandscaped areas gardens roadsides and other disturbedsites

Stem Stems are cylindrical up to 30 cm long 2-3mm indiameter green or red swollen at the nodes smooth glabrousapart from the leaf axils and diffusely branched and theinternodes are 15ndash35 cm in length

Leaf Purslane leaves are alternate or subopposite flat fleshyhaving variable shapes obovate 1ndash5 cm long 05ndash2 cmacrossobtuse or slightly notched at the apex tapering at basesessile or indistinctly petiolate glabrous smooth and waxyon the upper surface with entire margin small stipules andcluster of hairs up to 1mm long Leaves are egg to spatula

shaped succulent and stalkless or have very short stalksabout 5ndash30mm long and sometimes their edges are red-tinged Leaves are green or green with red margin

Seedling Cotyledons (seed leaves) are egg shaped to oblonghairless succulent about 2ndash5mm long and sometimestinged red

Flower Flowering initiates duringMay to September Flowersoriginate as single or clusters of two to five at the tips of stemsThe flowers are minute or small having orange yellow purpleor white pink color with five petals and typically open only onhot and sunny days from mid-morning to early afternoon

Fruit Fruit consists of almost round to egg-shaped capsulesusually about 4ndash8mm long that open around the middle torelease the seeds Seeds are tiny less than 1mm in diametercircular to egg shaped flattened and brown to black with awhite point of attachment Numerous seeds are produced

2 Health Benefits of Purslane

21 Nutrition It is rich in vitamin A which is a naturalantioxidant value It can play role in vision healthy mucusmembranes and to protect from lung and oral cavity cancerPurslane contains the highest content of vitamin A amonggreen leafy vegetables It also contains vitamin C and B-complex vitamins like riboflavin niacin and pyridoxineIt provides highest dietary minerals such as potassium(494mg100 g) followed by magnesium (68mg100 g) cal-cium (65mg100 g) phosphorus (44mg100 g) and iron(199mg100 g) (Table 1)

The range of Ca Mg K Fe and Zn from the young stageto mature plants was from 1612 plusmn 27 to 1945 plusmn 30mmol kgminus1DW 2127 plusmn 23 to 2443 plusmn 27mmol kgminus1 DW 1257 plusmn 10 to 1526plusmn 31mmol kgminus1 DW 218 plusmn 8 to 262 plusmn 3mmol kgminus1 DW and128 plusmn 2 to 160 plusmn 1mmol kgminus1 DW respectively On the otherhand the Na and Cl concentrations in leaves were higher atthe young stage and lower at the mature stage The Na andCl concentrations ranged from 356 plusmn 4 to 278 plusmn 8mmol kgminus1DW and from 82 plusmn 2 to 53 plusmn 2mmol kgminus1 DW respectively[16]

22 Omega-3 Fatty Acid Purslane is one of the richest greenplant sources of omega-3 fatty acids It has lower the choles-terol and triglyceride levels raise the beneficial high densitylipoprotein Moreover the ability of omega-3 fatty acids todecrease the thickness of the blood may be advantageousin the treatment of vascular diseases [3] Unlike fish oilswith their high cholesterol and calorie content purslane alsoprovides an excellent source of the beneficial omega-3 fattyacids without the cholesterol of fish oils since it containsno cholesterol There are 3 varieties of purslane namelythe green golden and a large-leaved golden variety [17 18]Important sources of omega-3 fatty acids are summarized inTable 2 It has a low incidence of cancer and heart diseasepossibly due in part to purslanersquos naturally occurring omega-3 fatty acids [19]

The Scientific World Journal 3

Table 1 Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) (Nutritive value per 100 g)

Principle Nutrient value Percentage of RDAEnergy 16Kcal 15Carbohydrates 34 g 3Protein 130 g 2Total Fat 01 g 05Cholesterol 0mg 0Vitamins

Folates 12120583g 3Niacin 0480mg 3Pantothenic acid 0036mg 1Pyridoxine 0073mg 55Riboflavin 0112mg 85Thiamin 0047mg 4Vitamin A 1320 IU 44Vitamin C 21mg 35

ElectrolytesSodium 45mg 3Potassium 494mg 105

MineralsCalcium 65mg 65Copper 0113mg 125Iron 199mg 25Magnesium 68mg 17Manganese 0303mg 13Phosphorus 44mg 6Selenium 09 120583g 2Zinc 017mg 15

Source USDA National Nutrient data

Purslane is best used for human consumption as a greenvegetable rich in minerals and omega-3 fatty acids [20]Omega-3 fatty acid is a precursor of a specific group of hor-mones It may offer protection against cardiovascular diseasecancers and a number of chronic diseases and conditionsthroughout the human life The antioxidant enzymes such asGPx GR SOD andGST take part inmaintaining glutathionehomeostasis in tissues Also increased levels of GPx GRGST CAT and SOD were found to correlate with elevatedglutathione level and depressed MDA and NO in rats thusshowing the antioxidant activity of purslane

Purslane leaves contain higher contents of alpha-linolenicacid (18 3 w3) alpha-tocopherol ascorbic acid and glu-tathione than the leaves of spinach It grows in growthchambers containing seven times higher contents of alpha-tocopherol than that found in spinach One hundred gramsof fresh purslane leaves (one serving) contains about 300ndash400mg of 18 3 w3 122mg of alpha-tocopherol 266mgof ascorbic acid 19mg of beta-carotene and 148mg ofglutathione [21]

Purslane has the highest level of alpha-linolenic which isan omega 3 fatty acid essential for human nutrition comparedto any leafy green vegetable A 100 g sample of purslanecontains 300ndash400mg of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) It alsohas 001mg per gram of eicopentanoic acid (EPA) which is

Table 2 Plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids (g100 g)

Category Fruitsvegetables Amount (g)

Low

Avocados California raw 01Broccoli 01

Strawberries 01Cauliflower raw 01

Kale raw 02Spinach raw 01

Peas garden dry 02Cowpeas dry 03

Beans navy sprouted cooked 03Corn germ 03

Medium

Bean common dry 06Leeks freeze-dried raw 07

Wheat germ 07Spirulina dried 08

Purslane 09Oat germ 14Beachnuts 17

Soybeans kernels roasted 15Soybeans green 32

High

Soybean oil 68Walnuts Persian English 68

Wheat germ oil 68Butternuts 87Walnut oil 104

Rapeseed oil (New Puritan Oil) 111Source Bulletin US Department of Agriculture Provisional table on thecontent of omega-3 fatty acids and other fat components in selected foods(HNISPT-103)

not present at all in flax oil This would provide 1mg of EPAfor a 100 g portion of purslane or 10mg for a kg (22 pounds)or 1 g for 100 kg (220 pounds) of sample

Purslane is the richest source of gamma-linolenic acid(LNA 18 3 w3) (4mgg fresh weight) of any green leafyvegetable It also contains a small amount of eicosapentaenoicacid (EPA 20 5 w3) (001mgg fresh weight) [21] Subse-quently purslane contained 18 3 w3 20 5 w3 and 22 6w3(docosahexaenoic acidDHA) aswell as 22 5 w3 (docosapen-taenoic acid DPA) [22]

Selected food sources of omega-3 fatty acids are illus-trated in Table 2 Rapeseed oil walnut oil butternuts andwheat germ oil are excellent sources (68ndash111 g100 g freshweight) of omega-3 fatty acids Good sources (06ndash32 g100 gfresh weight) of these fats include green soybean soybeankernels beechnut and oat germ Cabbage cauliflower broc-coli strawberries spinach garden pea corn and commondry bean are additional sources of omega-3 fatty acids Thesefoods contain a smaller (01ndash03 g100 g fresh weight) level ofomega-3 fatty acids

Purslane leaves contained higher amounts of alpha-linolenic (18 3 w3) than stem fractions whereas 20 5w3 washigher in stem fractions [22] (Table 3)


Table 3 Composition of selected fatty acids in purslane (Portulaca oleracea) ( of total FA)a

Omara-Alwala et al 1991 [22] Simopoulos and Salem 1986 [10]Fatty acid Leaf Stem Whole plant Whole plant183-omega-3 414ndash664 24ndash59 284ndash425 476205-omega-3 08ndash126 186ndash355 64ndash215 01223-omega-3 14ndash33 trace 10ndash30 mdash226-omega-3 03ndash64 trace 06ndash56 mdashaResults from Omara-Alwala et al 1991 [22] and Simopoulos and Salem 1986 [10] expressed as mg of FA per kg or g of net weight

Table 4 Fatty acid profiles in total lipid extracts from leaves of purslane and spinach

Fatty acid Chamber grown purslane Wild purslane SpinachDry wt mgg fresh wt Dry wt mgg fresh wt Dry wt mgg fresh wt

180 112 0064 095 0048 078 0007181 499 0016 213 010 204 0018182 1699 0968 1345 070 1170 010183 5987 341 6378 322 5385 048Source Simopoulos et al 1992 [21]

Leaves of purslane grown both in the controlled growthchamber and in the wild contained higher amount of alpha-linolenic fatty acid (18 3 w3) than that of spinach leavesThe highest amount (341mgg) of alpha-linolenic acid wasrecorded in growth chamber grown purslane which wasseven times higher than that of spinach leaves (048mgg)(Table 4)

23 Lipid Content and Fatty Acid Composition All fractionscontained very low lipid content with 047 in stems 051in leaves and 054 in the flowers (Table 5) In generalpolyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were found to be mostabundant in all fractions followed by saturated (SFAs) andmonounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) The most predomi-nant fatty acids were 183n-3 (50) in the leaf 183n-6 (46)in the stem and 182n-6 (30of total fatty acid) in the flowersALA content ranged from 149 to 523mg (100 g sample) instems and leaves respectively An interesting finding in thisstudywas that 183n-6 was found at high levels in all fractionsaccounting for 46 in stems 13 in leaves and 10 in flowers[23]

24 Antioxidants The TPC in cultivars of P oleracea rangedfrom 127 plusmn 13 to 478 plusmn 45mgGAE100 g fresh weight of plantThe IC50 ranged from 089 plusmn 007 to 341 plusmn 041mgmLthe AEAC values ranged from 110 plusmn 14 to 430 plusmn 32mgAA100 g and the FRAP values ranged from 093 plusmn 022 to510 plusmn 056mg GAEg [24] (Lim and Quah 2007) DPPHscavenging (IC50) capacity ranged from 130 plusmn 004 to 171 plusmn004mgmL while the ascorbic acid equivalent antioxidantactivity (AEAC) values were from 2295 plusmn 79 to 3193 plusmn 87mgAA100 g the total phenol content (TPC) varied from 1745plusmn 85 to 3485 plusmn 79mg GAE100 g AAC varied from 605 plusmn21 to 865 plusmn 39mg100 g and FRAP ranged from 18 plusmn 01 to43 plusmn 01mg GAEg [16]

Higher amounts of alpha-tocopherol ascorbic acid andbeta-carotene were observed in the leaves of purslane grown

Table 5 Fatty acid composition of purslane fractions

Fatty acid Composition ( of total fatty acids)Leaf Stem Flower

150 039 mdash 101160 1309 1690 1930180 229 775 451Total SFA 1642 2464 2452161 054 051 090181 429 338 1230Total MUFA 483 389 1320182n-6 1446 970 3011183n-6 1325 4557 968183n-3 4970 1562 2101200 021 011 029220 019 016 010240 112 031 109Total PUFA 7875 7147 6228Lipid content () 051 047 054Source Siriamornpun and Suttajit 2010 [23]

both in the growth chamber and in the wild compared tothe composition of spinach leaves (Table 6) Growth chambergrown purslane contained the highest amount (222mg and130mg per 100 g of fresh and dry weight resp) of alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid (266mg and 506mg per 100 gof fresh and dry weight resp) whereas beta-carotene wasslightly higher in spinach

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and beta-carotene have beenreported to possess antioxidant activity because of theirability to neutralize free radicals and have the potentialto prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer [25] Leaveshad the highest content of beta-carotene ascorbic acid andDPPH followed by flowers and stems (Table 7) Thai wild


Table 6 Antioxidant content of purslane and spinach leaves

Name Alpha-tocopherol Ascorbic acid Beta-carotenemg100 g (fresh

wt)1015840mg100 g (dry

wt)mg100 g (fresh

wt)1015840mg100 g (dry

wt)mg100 (g fresh

wt)1015840mg100 g (dry

wt)Chamber grown purslane 222 230 266 506 19 382Wild purslane 82 170 230 451 22 435Spinach 18 36 217 430 33 635Source Simopoulos et al 1992 [21]

Table 7 Ascorbic acid and beta-carotene content and 11-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity of different parts ofThai purslane

Plant parts Antioxidant compound contentBeta-carotene (mg gminus1 sample) Ascorbic acid (mg gminus1 sample) DPPH ()

Leaf 058 399 7671Stem 029 227 9011Flower 055 232 9101

purslane contained almost 10 times higher beta-carotene andascorbic acid [3 4 26] content than other varietiesThe beta-carotene content in the leaf was two times higher than in thestems and slightly higher than in the flowers This finding isin agreement with the data on Australian purslane where thebeta-carotene content in the leaf was higher than in the stem[3] Purslane is amongst the group of plants with high oxalatecontents Melatonin is a ubiquitous and versatile moleculethat exhibits most of the desirable characteristics of a goodantioxidant [27] The oxalate content of purslane leaves wasreported as 671ndash869mg100 g fresh weight [28 29]

3 Conclusion

As a significant source of omega-3 oils P oleracea could yieldconsiderable health benefits to vegetarian and other dietswhere the consumption of fish oils is excluded Scientificanalysis of its chemical components has shown that thiscommon weed has uncommon nutritional value making itone of the potentially important foods for the future Presenceof high content of antioxidants (vitamins A and C alpha-tocopherol beta-carotene and glutathione) and omega-3fatty acids and its wound healing and antimicrobial effectsas well as its traditional use in the topical treatment ofinflammatory conditions suggest that purslane is a highlylikely candidate as a useful cosmetic ingredient

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interestsregarding the publication of this paper

References

[1] M D Kamal-Uddin A S Juraimi M Begum M R IsmailA A Rahim and R Othman ldquoFloristic composition of weedcommunity in turf grass area of west peninsular Malaysiardquo

International Journal of Agriculture and Biology vol 11 no 1pp 13ndash20 2009

[2] M K Uddin A S Juraimi M R Ismail and J T BrosnanldquoCharacterizing weed populations in different turfgrass sitesthroughout the Klang Valley of western Peninsular MalaysiardquoWeed Technology vol 24 no 2 pp 173ndash181 2010

[3] L Liu P Howe Y-F Zhou Z-Q Xu C Hocart and R ZhangldquoFatty acids and 120573-carotene in Australian purslane (Portulacaoleracea) varietiesrdquo Journal of Chromatography A vol 893 no1 pp 207ndash213 2000

[4] A P Simopoulos H A Norman and J E Gillaspy ldquoPurslane inhuman nutrition and its potential for world agriculturerdquoWorldReview of Nutrition and Dietetics vol 77 pp 47ndash74 1995

[5] I Oliveira P Valentao R Lopes P B Andrade A Bentoand J A Pereira ldquoPhytochemical characterization and radicalscavenging activity of Portulaca oleraceae L leaves and stemsrdquoMicrochemical Journal vol 92 no 2 pp 129ndash134 2009

[6] A P Simopoulos ldquoOmega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants inedible wild plantsrdquo Biological Research vol 37 no 2 pp 263ndash277 2004

[7] I Gill and R Valivety ldquoPolyunsaturated fatty acids Part 1occurrence biological activities and applicationsrdquo Trends inBiotechnology vol 15 no 10 pp 401ndash409 1997

[8] J Whelan and C Rust ldquoInnovative dietary sources of n-3 fattyacidsrdquo Annual Review of Nutrition vol 26 pp 75ndash103 2006

[9] P J Nestel ldquoPolyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 n-6)rdquo The Amer-ican Journal of Clinical Nutrition vol 45 no 5 pp 1161ndash11671987

[10] A P Simopoulos andN Salem Jr ldquoPurslane a terrestrial sourceof omega-3 fatty acidsrdquo The New England Journal of Medicinevol 315 no 13 p 833 1986

[11] U R Palaniswamy R J McAvoy and B B Bible ldquoStage ofharvest and polyunsaturated essential fatty acid concentrationsin purslane (Portulaca oleraceae) leavesrdquo Journal of Agriculturaland Food Chemistry vol 49 no 7 pp 3490ndash3493 2001

[12] I Yazici I Turkan A H Sekmen and T Demiral ldquoSalinitytolerance of purslane (Portulaca oleraceae L) is achieved byenhanced antioxidative system lower level of lipid peroxidation


and proline accumulationrdquo Environmental and ExperimentalBotany vol 61 no 1 pp 49ndash57 2007

[13] M K Uddin A S Juraimi M A Hossain F Anwar and M AAlam ldquoEffect of salt stress of Portulaca oleracea on antioxidantproperties and mineral compositionsrdquo Australian Journal CropScience vol 6 pp 1732ndash1736 2012

[14] A N Rashed F U Afifi and A M Disi ldquoSimple evaluationof the wound healing activity of a crude extract of Portulacaoleracea L (growing in Jordan) inMusmusculus JVI-1rdquo Journalof Ethnopharmacology vol 88 no 2-3 pp 131ndash136 2003

[15] A Danin and J A Reyes-Betancort ldquoThe status of Portulacaoleracae in the Canary Islandsrdquo Lagascalia vol 26 pp 71ndash812006

[16] M K Uddin A S Juraimi M E Ali and M R Ismail ldquoEval-uation of antioxidant properties and mineral composition ofPortulaca oleracea (L) at different growth stagesrdquo InternationalJournal Molecule Science vol 13 pp 10257ndash10267 2012

[17] A P Simopoulos ldquoEvolutionary aspects of diet essential fattyacids and cardiovascular diseaserdquo European Heart Journal vol3 pp D8ndashD21

[18] S Siriamornpun and M Suttajit ldquoMicrochemical componentsand antioxidant activity of different morphological parts of thaiwild purslane (Portulaca oleracea)rdquoWeed Science vol 58 no 3pp 182ndash188 2010

[19] M A Dkhil A E A Moniem S Al-Quraishy and R ASaleh ldquoAntioxidant effect of purslane (Portulaca oleracea) andits mechanism of actionrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Researchvol 5 no 9 pp 1589ndash1593 2011

[20] A E Abdel-Moneim M A Dkhil and S Al-Quraishy ldquoTheredox status in rats treated with flaxseed oil and lead-inducedhepatotoxicityrdquo Biological Trace Element Research vol 143 no1 pp 457ndash467 2011

[21] A P Simopoulos H A Norman J E Gillaspy and J ADuke ldquoCommon purslane a source of omega-3 fatty acids andantioxidantsrdquo Journal of the American College of Nutrition vol11 no 4 pp 374ndash382 1992

[22] T R Omara-Alwala T Mebrahtu D E Prior and M OEzekwe ldquoOmega-three fatty acids in purslane (Portulaca oler-acea) Tissuesrdquo Journal of the AmericanOil Chemistsrsquo Society vol68 no 3 pp 198ndash199 1991


[24] Y Y Lim and E P L Quah ldquoAntioxidant properties of differentcultivars of Portulaca oleraceardquo Food Chemistry vol 103 no 3pp 734ndash740 2007

[25] V A Rifici and A K Khachadurian ldquoDietary supplementationwith vitamins C and E inhibits in vitro oxidation of lipopro-teinsrdquo Journal of the American College of Nutrition vol 12 no6 pp 631ndash637 1993

[26] M A Alam A S Juraimi M Y Rafii et al ldquoEvaluationof antioxidant compounds antioxidant activities and mineralcomposition of 13 collected purslane (Portulaca oleracea L)accessionsrdquo BioMed Research International vol 2014 Article ID296063 10 pages 2014

[27] A Galano D X Tan and R J Reiter ldquoMelatonin as a naturalally against oxidative stress a physicochemical examinationrdquoJournal of Pineal Research vol 51 no 1 pp 1ndash16 2011

[28] A P Simopoulos D-X Tan L C Manchester and R J ReiterldquoPurslane a plant source of omega-3 fatty acids andmelatoninrdquoJournal of Pineal Research vol 39 no 3 pp 331ndash332 2005

[29] A I Mohamed and A S Hussein ldquoChemical composition ofpurslane (Portulaca oleracea)rdquo Plant Foods for Human Nutri-tion vol 45 no 1 pp 1ndash9 1994

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with animal tests for the use of this plant in the treatment ofdiabetes [6]

Purslane is a very good source of alpha-linolenic acidAlpha-linolenic is an omega-3 fatty acid which plays animportant role in human growth and development and inpreventing diseases Purslane has been shown to containfive times higher omega-3 fatty acids than spinach Omega-3 fatty acids belong to a group of polyunsaturated fattyacids essential for human growth development preventionof numerous cardiovascular diseases and maintenance of ahealthy immune system [7] Our bodies do not synthesiseomega-3 fatty acids Therefore omega-3 fatty acids must beconsumed from a dietary source Omega-3 fatty acids contain18 to 24 carbon atoms and have three or more double bondswithin its fatty acid chain [8] Fish is the richest source ofomega-3 fatty acids Health authorities highly recommendthat we consume fish regularly to meet our bodiesrsquo require-ments of omega-3 fatty acids as other sources are limitedand do not supply nearly as much omega-3 fatty acids [9]Purslane has recently been identified as the richest vegetablesource of alpha-linolenic acid an essential omega-3 fatty acid[10] The lack of dietary sources of omega-3 fatty acids hasresulted in a growing level of interest to introduce purslaneas a new cultivated vegetable [11 12] Purslane flourishes innumerous biogeographical locations worldwide and is highlyadaptable tomany adverse conditions such as drought salineand nutrient deficient conditions [13]

Distribution It is reported that purslane was a commonvegetable of the Roman Empire Origin of purslane is notcertain but existence of this plant is reported about 4000years ago The succulent stems and fleshy leaves of purslanereflect that it may have originated and adapted to desertclimates of the Middle East and India It can be found inEurope Africa North America Australia and Asia [14]

Botanical Classification Portulaca oleracea is s cosmopolitanspecies and the genus Portulaca belongs to the family Portu-lacaceae a small family with 21 genera and 580 species and iscosmopolitan in distribution occurring especially in Amer-ica with some species found in Arabia [15] Purslane plantsare succulent annual herbaceous and erect or decumbentup to 30 cm high Purslane is botanically known as Portulacaoleracea and is also called portulaca

Habitat It grows well in orchards vineyards crop fieldslandscaped areas gardens roadsides and other disturbedsites

Stem Stems are cylindrical up to 30 cm long 2-3mm indiameter green or red swollen at the nodes smooth glabrousapart from the leaf axils and diffusely branched and theinternodes are 15ndash35 cm in length

Leaf Purslane leaves are alternate or subopposite flat fleshyhaving variable shapes obovate 1ndash5 cm long 05ndash2 cmacrossobtuse or slightly notched at the apex tapering at basesessile or indistinctly petiolate glabrous smooth and waxyon the upper surface with entire margin small stipules andcluster of hairs up to 1mm long Leaves are egg to spatula

shaped succulent and stalkless or have very short stalksabout 5ndash30mm long and sometimes their edges are red-tinged Leaves are green or green with red margin

Seedling Cotyledons (seed leaves) are egg shaped to oblonghairless succulent about 2ndash5mm long and sometimestinged red

Flower Flowering initiates duringMay to September Flowersoriginate as single or clusters of two to five at the tips of stemsThe flowers are minute or small having orange yellow purpleor white pink color with five petals and typically open only onhot and sunny days from mid-morning to early afternoon

Fruit Fruit consists of almost round to egg-shaped capsulesusually about 4ndash8mm long that open around the middle torelease the seeds Seeds are tiny less than 1mm in diametercircular to egg shaped flattened and brown to black with awhite point of attachment Numerous seeds are produced

2 Health Benefits of Purslane

21 Nutrition It is rich in vitamin A which is a naturalantioxidant value It can play role in vision healthy mucusmembranes and to protect from lung and oral cavity cancerPurslane contains the highest content of vitamin A amonggreen leafy vegetables It also contains vitamin C and B-complex vitamins like riboflavin niacin and pyridoxineIt provides highest dietary minerals such as potassium(494mg100 g) followed by magnesium (68mg100 g) cal-cium (65mg100 g) phosphorus (44mg100 g) and iron(199mg100 g) (Table 1)

The range of Ca Mg K Fe and Zn from the young stageto mature plants was from 1612 plusmn 27 to 1945 plusmn 30mmol kgminus1DW 2127 plusmn 23 to 2443 plusmn 27mmol kgminus1 DW 1257 plusmn 10 to 1526plusmn 31mmol kgminus1 DW 218 plusmn 8 to 262 plusmn 3mmol kgminus1 DW and128 plusmn 2 to 160 plusmn 1mmol kgminus1 DW respectively On the otherhand the Na and Cl concentrations in leaves were higher atthe young stage and lower at the mature stage The Na andCl concentrations ranged from 356 plusmn 4 to 278 plusmn 8mmol kgminus1DW and from 82 plusmn 2 to 53 plusmn 2mmol kgminus1 DW respectively[16]

22 Omega-3 Fatty Acid Purslane is one of the richest greenplant sources of omega-3 fatty acids It has lower the choles-terol and triglyceride levels raise the beneficial high densitylipoprotein Moreover the ability of omega-3 fatty acids todecrease the thickness of the blood may be advantageousin the treatment of vascular diseases [3] Unlike fish oilswith their high cholesterol and calorie content purslane alsoprovides an excellent source of the beneficial omega-3 fattyacids without the cholesterol of fish oils since it containsno cholesterol There are 3 varieties of purslane namelythe green golden and a large-leaved golden variety [17 18]Important sources of omega-3 fatty acids are summarized inTable 2 It has a low incidence of cancer and heart diseasepossibly due in part to purslanersquos naturally occurring omega-3 fatty acids [19]













Low






Medium





High


























wt)1015840mg100 g (dry

wt)mg100 g (fresh

wt)1015840mg100 g (dry

wt)mg100 (g fresh

wt)1015840mg100 g (dry




Leaf 058 399 7671Stem 029 227 9011Flower 055 232 9101


3 Conclusion




References



































Journal of




Agronomy





Microbiology




Volume 2014




































Low






Medium





High


























wt)1015840mg100 g (dry

wt)mg100 g (fresh

wt)1015840mg100 g (dry

wt)mg100 (g fresh

wt)1015840mg100 g (dry




Leaf 058 399 7671Stem 029 227 9011Flower 055 232 9101


3 Conclusion




References



































Journal of




Agronomy





Microbiology




Volume 2014










































wt)1015840mg100 g (dry

wt)mg100 g (fresh

wt)1015840mg100 g (dry

wt)mg100 (g fresh

wt)1015840mg100 g (dry




Leaf 058 399 7671Stem 029 227 9011Flower 055 232 9101


3 Conclusion




References



































Journal of




Agronomy





Microbiology




Volume 2014













































Journal of




Agronomy





Microbiology




Volume 2014
























review article purslane weed ( portulaca oleracea ): a

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