Purslane, known colloquially as “pursley,” “red root,” “pigweed” and “little hogweed,” is an amazing backyard succulent plant that many people commonly consider a weed that they should cut or pull up.
Yet purslane can serve as an alternative to spinach, kale and other green salad plants in daily meals because it is edible with a milder lemony flavor. It is also rich in antioxidants, vitamins and other nutrients like other green vegetables.
As a result of the range and levels of nutrients, purlane helps support heart health and the immune system, prevents cancer and makes most people healthier overall.
The only downsides to purslane are that the plant is rich in oxalic acid that can cause problems if ingested in high quantities.
Eating a lot of oxalic acid can cause a person to lose too many required minerals from the body during digestion, promote the formation of calcium kidney stones and adversely affect people who have difficulty processing oxalic acid or certain health conditions that already deplete minerals.
Home owners and amateur gardeners should always call an expert if they believe that they have found this weed because another succulent weed known as spurge, which is inedible and poisonous, shares several similarities in appearance to purslane.
The problem is that spurge leaks a milky sap when cut that can cause skin irritation, burning and soft tissue inflammation.
The inflammation increases with exposure to mucous membranes, and toxic vapors can affect people located several feet away from a cut spurge plant.
