Herbs Guide

Portulaca

Family Name: Portulacaceac

Botanical Name(s): Portulacae Oleraceae

Popular Name(s): Portulaca, Ma Chi Xian, Purslane

Parts Used: Leaves and stems

Habitat: The herb is native of many parts of Europe, found in the East and West Indies and China.

Description: It has a round, smooth, procumbent, succulent stem, growing about 6 inches high, with small, oblong, wedge shaped, dark-green leaves, thick and stalked, clustered together. The flowers are small, yellow, solitary or clustered; stalk less, placed above the last leaves on the branches.

Uses: Cools the blood. This herb is used internally for damp heat with symptoms of toxic dysentery, boils, sores, vaginal discharges, and urinary tract infections