Portulaca oleracea has many nicknames, such as five elements, longevity vegetables, purslane and so on. Portulaca oleracea can be found in any area except mountain areas, and it is distributed all over the world. It is the eighth most common plant in the world. In China, Portulaca oleracea is a medicinal and edible plant. Portulaca oleracea L. is one of 78 medicinal and edible wild plants designated by the Ministry of Health of China, which was once included in the menu of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Portulaca oleracea was first seen in Newly Revised Materia Medica, which was recorded in all previous dynasties, but with different names. In ancient Chinese medical classics, purslane is considered to be cold, sour and non-toxic, and has the functions of soothing the liver and regulating qi, invigorating the spleen and nourishing the stomach, moistening the intestines and detoxifying. Purslane in China Pharmacopoeia (20 15 edition) has the functions of clearing away heat and toxic materials, cooling blood, stopping bleeding and stopping dysentery. Chinese medicine believes that the efficacy of purslane is mainly reflected in the heat of clearing heart, liver, lung and large intestine; Clearing fire and detoxifying; Cooling blood, lowering liver and stomach fire, etc.

Regarding the function of purslane in boiled water, it is mainly to see the most prominent effect of this medicine. Portulaca oleracea is the first choice for various intestinal diseases. For the large intestine meridian, it has the functions of detoxification, anti-inflammation and clearing heat, which can basically cure the intestinal heat syndrome. Folklore is also often used to treat gastrointestinal diseases. In addition, purslane can also be used to treat some skin diseases, mainly because the detoxification function of purslane can be treated both inside and outside, and the internal blood can be divided into two parts, which makes the skin unprofessional. Some skin diseases can be well treated whether they are taken orally or externally, or both.

Although purslane has a wide range of functions and few side effects, some people are still not suitable for eating. Portulaca oleracea is cold and prone to miscarriage, so pregnant women should not take it. In addition, people with weak constitution and deficiency of spleen and stomach should eat less, and people with diarrhea caused by abdominal cold should not eat, so as not to aggravate the condition. According to the diagnosis of traditional Chinese medicine, taking purslane based on syndrome differentiation can achieve better curative effect. It should be noted that purslane is cold and slippery, people with chronic spleen deficiency and diarrhea and spleen and stomach weakness should use it with caution, and pregnant women should not eat it. If there is turtle shell in the Chinese medicine you are taking, you should not eat it.