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, a traditional Chinese medicine, has the functions of clearing away heat and toxic materials, cooling blood and stopping bleeding. It is used to treat toxic dysentery, swelling and pain, furuncle, eczema, erysipelas, snake bite, hematochezia, hemorrhoids and metrorrhagia. Modern pharmacological research shows that it has many functions such as antibacterial, hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, anti-tumor, antioxidant and immune enhancement.

Portulaca oleracea can inhibit many kinds of bacteria, such as typhoid fever, Escherichia coli and Shigella dysenteriae. It also has inhibitory effect on fungi and staphylococcus aureus. Portulaca oleracea plays an auxiliary role in many kinds of inflammation and is called natural antibiotic.

Portulaca oleracea is a familiar wild vegetable. Stir-fried or eaten as stuffing, it has unique flavor and rich nutrition, even exceeding many green leafy vegetables. It can also be used as medicine, and has the functions of clearing away heat and toxic materials, promoting diuresis and removing dampness, promoting blood circulation and reducing swelling, removing dust and sterilizing, diminishing inflammation and relieving pain, stopping bleeding and cooling blood. Portulaca oleracea is mainly used for dysentery, enteritis, nephritis and other diseases.