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How to Make An Anti-Imflammatory Herbal Jar (Pickled Purslane)

How To Make An Anti Inflammatory Herbal Jar (Pickled Purslane)

Have you ever heard of pigweed? Pigweed, or otherwise known as Purslane and Portulaca Oleracea is a weed with red stems, luscious green leaves, and beautiful yellow flowers.

Purslane is available all over the world from vineyards, fields to roadside cracks. However, this weed is not just a little piece of nature, but it is extremely nutritious and has been used in alternative medicine for many years to treat a variety of health problems including, inflammation.

Similar to other weed-like green vegetables such as watercress and spinach, it can be eaten raw or cooked. Not only does it have a wonderful organic taste that is slightly sour, but it has huge nutritional benefits as it is rich in Vitamin A and C, Magnesium, Manganese, Potassium, Iron, and Calcium. All of which are extremely good for your brain and body so it’s worth adding to your diet.

Pickled Purslane

Purslane can improve your diet massively, and what is even better for you, is pickled purslane. You might think it’s odd to pickle a weed, but it brings lots of health benefits that you might not know of.

Pickled purslane is used in many countries as herbal medicine as it is an antiseptic, a muscle relaxant, and for anti-inflammatory purposes. It is referred to in Chinese culture as the “vegetable for long life.” Not only does it give a long life, according to Chinese culture, but it can last nearly a lifetime too if pickled in a jar.

So now, let me tell you a bit more about this wonderful weed and how to make your very own anti-inflammatory jar of pickled purslane at home, so you can get all of the amazing benefits purslane has to offer.

The health benefits of purslane speak for themselves, here is a breakdown of its nutritional components:

  • 20 kcalHow to Make An Anti-Imflammatory Herbal Jar - Purslane
  • 2g protein
  • 3g carbohydrates
  • 65g calcium
  • 2g iron
  • 68g magnesium
  • 494g potassium
  • 1,320g vitamin A
  • 21g vitamin C
  • 13.10g vitamin E

It is common to find purslane in salads, powdered seed, or as an extract in pill form.

It is clear that purslane is high in nutritional benefits but let’s take a closer look at what exactly pickled purslane can do for inflammation.

Purslane has two of the key alkaloids, Oleracone and Oleracimine, which are proven to have anti-inflammatory effects.

How to Make an Anti-Inflammatory Herbal Jar 

  • Pull the plant and roots: To begin you have to pull the whole plant with roots, stem, and leaves. Then, give the whole plant a clean by rinsing it in water to remove all of the excess dirt.
  • Cut the roots: Now, you have to cut the roots, and rinse the stem and leave again to make sure they are extra clean!How to Make An Anti-Imflammatory Herbal Jar - Cutting Purslane
  • Leave to dry: Once the stem and leaves are washed and there is no dirt, place them on a towel for about an hour so they can dry.

How to Make An Anti-Imflammatory Herbal Jar - Cutting Purslane

  • Get your jar ready: To make pickled purslane, you will need a jar where you can store the plant. This can be an old jam jar, or something similar. Once the stem and leaves are dry, you can put them into the jar.
  • Create the brine: The brine is the fluid that will be added to the purslane. This pickles the plant and gives you all those magical anti-inflammatory benefits.How to Make An Anti-Imflammatory Herbal Jar - Jars
  • 1 Washed & Rinsed Purslane, Stems & Leaves
  • 1 ½ Cups of Water
  • 1 ½ Cups of Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon Pickling Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Sugar
  • 1 Clove Garlic, peeled

Instructions:

1. Place the garlic clove into the bottom of the jar. Press the purslane onto the garlic.

2. You’ll need a saucepan to combine the water, vinegar, pickling salt, and sugar. Do this until it comes to a boil.

3. Pour the brine over the purslane in the jar, making sure to cover all the purslane with the brine.

How to Make An Anti-Imflammatory Herbal Jar - Adding Vinegar

4. Close the jar tightly and place it in the refrigerator for at least 3 days before eating.

5. Leave to sit for at least a week to allow the brine to work its magic.

The great thing about this home remedy is it’s easy to make and is a great addition to your healing shelf at home.

To store your pickled purslane you can leave it out of a refrigerator for up to eight months, but if you open it then it must be stored in a refrigerator…

 So just make sure to keep it cool when you decide to use it!

Recipes With Pickled Purslane  

To enjoy eating it you can add it to your meals or simply eat it straight from the jar.

It goes perfectly with meat or fish, or with a simple lunch salad with some vegetables. It depends on what you would prefer, but it goes with lots of different dishes

Here are a few recipe ideas for you to think about:

  • Quinoa, pea, and pickled purslane
  • Courgette salad with tomatoes and pickled purslane.

How to Make An Anti-Imflammatory Herbal Jar - Salad 1

  • Lunch sandwich with ham, cheese, and pickled purslane.
  • A potato salad topped with pickled purslane.
  • Pickled purslane appetizers How to Make An Anti-Imflammatory Herbal Jar - Salad
  • Pickled purslane snack bites.

There are so many options for enjoying this nutritious plant, and if you suffer from inflammation, we hope you will add pickled purslane to your list of home remedies to help.

After all, any little aid to ease pain will make your mind, body, and spirit happy!

You may also like:

How To Prepare Medicinal Pickled Garlic

How you Can Easily Identify Edible Plants and Use Them as Remedies (Video)

10 Most Powerful “Autoimmune Herbs” (Anti-Inflammatory)

How to Make Healing Herbal Honey

How to Make an Alcohol Extraction with Goldenseal to Fight Inflammation

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What do you do with the root. I didn’t see anything after pulling and cutting the root. ? Thank you.

Hi Laura,

Thank you for your comment.
You remove the roots and once the stem and leaves are dry, you can put them into the jar.

God bless!

This is very informative. Do you add the brine while it’s hot or wait for it to cool before adding to purslane?

What do you do with the roots?

Hi Kimipele,

Thank you for your comment.
You remove the roots.

God bless!

Do you leave it sitting out for at least a week and then refrigerate it?

what is the purpose of plug the roots? The instructions do not make it clear that they are put in the are with with stems and leave. Also the instructions do not give the amount of purslane used for the amount of vinegar, water and salt. Is the sugar and garlic necessary for the medicinal effect or just for taste?

leave them in the ground to grow more purslane

Great recipe. I love purslane, but the idea of pickling it is fantastic. I have tubs of pigweed and chickweed, which I use in salads. Purslane is also a brilliant green mulch keeping other weeds down and keeping the soil moist in times of drought.

Hi Sarah,

Thank you so much for your comment.
We are glad you like the recipe.

God bless!

I have seen this plant around. But if I can’t find any to forage, is there a way you buy it?

Hi Martha,

You can try on Esty or Amazon. Sometimes they sell the fresh plant as well.

God bless!

Strictly Medicinal Seeds has an online store and you can request a catalogue. They sell the seeds.

look in someone else’s yard, sidewalk cracks.

Where can I buy it?

They sell it in the supermarket in Mexico and sometime you can buy it in Latino markets. Most of the time it is easier to forage for it. Grows as a weed in fields and home gardens.

Where can I buy the purslane? i am planning an herbal garden for next year

Pinetree garden seeds sells purslane seeds

Hi. If water is an ingredient in the brine, why is it important to let the plant dry off from being washed before pickling?

Hi Irene,

You can add directly the plant after you wash it, however, it’s better to leave it do dry properly in case there is more dirt that was not removed with the first wash.
This way you can see it better after the plant is dry.

God bless!

Great article. Purslane grows everywhere around my yard and more abundantly in my garden (away from dogs, foot traffic, etc.) so I’ll definitely give this a try!

Hi Roger,

Thank you for your comment.
We are glad to hear that you like the article.
Please let us know how the recipe goes.

God bless!

I don’t eat sugar, is it necessary for this recipe?

Hi Melinda,

If the taste is ok for you, then definitely you can remove the sugar.
Or replace it with a healthier alternative.

God bless!

Is this recipe for just one plant? Or is it by weight or any other measurement?

Hi Carolyn,

This recipe requires:
1 Washed & Rinsed Purslane, Stems & Leaves
1 ½ Cups of Water
1 ½ Cups of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Pickling Salt
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Clove Garlic, peeled

But you can always adjust the quantities according to your taste and needs.

God bless!

I see many people searching for this herb. I have a surplus of seeds I save from my plants and am happy to share with others. Contact me for details at generationsfarming@yahoo.com or on my Facebook page Generations Farm Skiatook

Could it be done as a natural ferment? The bacterial content would make it even healthier.

Hi Kimberly,

Thank you for your comment.
Yes, you can definitely ferment purslane as well.

God bless!

Why not Cut the stems leaving the roots in the ground to produce more purslane?

Frances, I see no reason to pull the roots. I’m in the desert and pulling the roots leaves me with few plants to use or reseed the area. I will try it by just removing a few of the branches.

Does pickling or fermenting help it have less oxalate content? I understand it rivals spinach for oxalates.

So to store for the 8 months, no canning processing required? I just made a few jars (another recipe before I received this email) and it said to process the jars in boiling water for 10 minutes to store as pickled.

Can I use alcohol to make a purslane tincture? will it get me all the good stuff in purslane?

Can you something like this with Lambs quarters or just use this plant like a spinach and not ferment it.

Jul, I think Lambs quarters done when young in this manor would be delightful. Thank you for the idea. I’ve always used it as a steamed or boiled green (like spinach). And eating the leaves fresh in the garden.

Jul, BTW, I would leave the roots and a few lower leaves so the plant can continue to grow. Just a thought in case you are not over ran with Lambs quarters.

Is it necessary to pull the roots? How much should I take and how often for anti inflammatory benefits?

We call this portulaca. Pursalane a diff name or are these two diff plants?

For your nutritional values, don’t you mean mg not grams?

Can hardly wait until Spring for my nutritious purslane to come alive. My husband thinks I am silly for preventing him from destroying purslane when he tills the garden for weeds. I gave him clear orders to work around these beautiful plants. He just laughs but one day maybe he will understand…and then again…. :D.

Don’t think that I could ever choke it down my throat no matter how good it is for me. None of the recipes you mentioned would help it. I’ve got a very ill stomach and just thinking about it makes me nauseous. 🤢

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