Portulaca oleracea, also known as longevity vegetable, five-element grass, peace vegetable, sour rice vegetable, and long-life vegetable, is the whole herb of Portulaca oleracea from the Portulacaceae family. Portulaca oleracea is a wild vegetable that has been recorded in ancient texts for its contributions to humanity, and it is commonly referred to as "longevity vegetable" among the people.
Why is it called Portulaca oleracea? There's a beautiful legend behind this name: In the past, there was a wealthy merchant's family with three sons. The elder two were married, and the youngest, being still young, had a child bride. The child bride was only eleven or twelve years old, frail and weak, but all the hard work at home fell on her shoulders. Not only did she have to eat leftovers and wear tattered clothes, but even the slightest mistake would result in scolding and beating from her mother-in-law.
One year, dysentery spread through the village, and many people died within half a month. The child bride unfortunately caught it too, running to the outhouse with diarrhea every day. When her mother-in-law found out, she was extremely panicked, fearing she might get infected herself, and wanted to kick the child bride out of the house. However, upon further thought, kicking her out would damage the family's reputation, so she decided to send her to live in the straw shed in the vegetable garden instead.
After moving to the straw shed, no one brought food to the child bride, and she was so hungry she couldn't bear it anymore. She didn't dare to steal vegetables from the garden, so she picked some wild herbs by the roadside and cooked them in the pot inside the shed. After eating and drinking like this for three days, she surprisingly found that her dysentery had stopped, and she regained her strength. Two days later, her illness was completely gone.
This incident quickly spread throughout the village, and the villagers began digging up this wild herb to eat, finding it truly effective. But none of them knew what the wild herb was called. They noticed it looked like a horse's teeth, so they named it "Portulaca oleracea." From then on, people knew that Portulaca oleracea was an excellent remedy for diarrhea.
Portulaca oleracea is cold in nature, with a sweet and sour taste. It has effects such as clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling blood to stop dysentery, and stopping bleeding. It is used for conditions like heat-toxic sores, eczema dermatitis, erysipelas, snake bites, itching and swelling reduction, excessive bleeding, etc. It is an important herb for preventing and treating dysentery, and usually, decocting it alone can yield good results. Ancient medicine tells us that Portulaca oleracea contains strong antioxidants that protect the skin's normal physiological functions, delay skin aging, eliminate pigmentation spots, prevent facial acne, and keep the skin moisturized, fine, and smooth. It is suitable for people with dry skin.
Therapeutic Recipes:
1. Take 500 grams of Portulaca oleracea, pinch off the roots and wash it clean. Blanch it in boiling water, then soak it in cool boiled water. When eating, mix it with minced garlic, fine salt, monosodium glutamate, and drop some sesame oil. It tastes fresh and refreshing, moistens and lubricates, clears summer heat and reduces fire, and can also fight cancer and cleanse the intestines.
2. Place 120 grams of fresh Portulaca oleracea and 50 grams of mung beans in a pot and boil them into a soup. This has a heat-clearing and detoxifying effect, and is particularly effective for damp-heat diarrhea or hot toxic bloody dysentery.
3. Wash 100 grams of fresh Portulaca oleracea, cut it into small pieces, place it in a sandpot, add an appropriate amount of glutinous rice and water, and cook it into porridge as usual. You can add a little brown sugar when serving. It can clear heat and detoxify, disperse blood to reduce swelling, strengthen the spleen, and nourish the stomach. It is suitable for chest pain, coughing with blood-streaked phlegm, reduced appetite, constipation, red tongue with yellow greasy coating, etc.
4. Boil 200 grams of Portulaca oleracea in boiling water until cooked, and boil an appropriate amount of tofu for 5 minutes in boiling water. Cut both into small pieces, place them in a container, add various seasonings and sesame paste, and mix evenly. It can clear heat and detoxify, cool down, and is very effective in treating boils, carbuncles, eczema, and other skin diseases.
5. For office workers who stay up late and get heaty, take 30 grams of fresh Portulaca oleracea and 30 grams of daylily flowers, wash them, add two bowls of water, and boil them down to one bowl. Add an appropriate amount of sugar when drinking. It has a good effect in clearing heat and reducing fire.
6. Wash and remove the roots of 200 grams of fresh Portulaca oleracea and 150 grams of bean sprouts. Add water to the pot, bring it to a boil, blanch the Portulaca oleracea and bean sprouts until they are just cooked, then transfer them to cold water to cool. Drain the water, chop them finely, and place them in a plate. Take a small bowl, mix the seasoning into a sauce, pour it over the Portulaca oleracea and bean sprouts in the plate, and mix evenly. This dish can enhance skin tenderness and smoothness, suitable for those with dry and rough skin, flat warts, acne, and rosacea.
External Use Recipe:
Fresh Portulaca oleracea can treat suppurative diseases. Take 300 grams of fresh Portulaca oleracea, wash it clean, crush it, add 1000 milliliters of water, boil it, and use a towel dipped in the medicinal liquid to wash the affected area when warm. Crush another 200 grams of fresh Portulaca oleracea and apply it externally to the affected area, changing the medicine once a day. For boils, erysipelas, cellulitis, fungal infections of the feet, and erosive exudative skin lesions, it takes about a week to see results.
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