Garden Portulak, or Portúlaca olerácea, - herb with which properties many owners of kitchen gardens are unfamiliar because of what they mercilessly root out it from the beds. And it is not useless weed, but culinary plant and medicine for treatment of diseases of digestive tract and skin diseases, such as psoriasis and infectious defeats.
The imperceptible plant with leathery leaves — portulak garden — belongs to succulents. It has the creeping stalk with fleshy oblong ovoid leaves reaching 35 cm in length. Development of portulak continues all spring, summer and early autumn. This plant is considered weed — so easily, without the aid of the person, it extends on the fields, gardens, kitchen gardens and roadsides which are rather lit with sunlight. Blossoming of portulak happens in the summer. In gardening decorative types which help to cover with multi-colored carpet ordinary-looking beds are used. Such ornament does not need fertilizing and frequent watering, but pleases owners with long blossoming. In process of maturing in conic capsules fruits black round and flat seeds are formed.
Chemical composition of portulak
In portulaka large amount of natural hormone of noradrenaline, potassium salt which include potassium nitrate, potassium chloride, potassium sulfate is revealed. Greens of portulak contain many carbohydrates, monoterpenoids, carotinoids, coumarins, steroids, organic acids.
It is a lot of in it and polyunsaturated (omega-3) of fatty acids. The plant also contains dopamine, bedanidin, betanin, oxalic, apple, citric, glutamic, asparaginic acid, alanine, glucose, fructose, sucrose. In small amounts alkaloids, coumarins, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, anthraquinone glycosides are found. All this does portulak by plant, not just edible, but very useful to health.
Application of portulak
In traditional medicine portulak is widespread means for treatment of dysentery, sharp gastroenteritis, diarrhea , etc. therefore it is most often used for disposal of diarrhea. It also makes medical impact on ulcer dermatitis and infectious defeats of connecting fabric and terms, such as mastitis, furuncles, ugly face, mycosis. In 1996-2000, clinical trials which have proved efficiency of extract of portulak at treatment of psoriasis, the chronic atrophic gastritis connected with intestinal metaplaziya and atypical giperplaziya of biliary askaridoz, nematodny invasion, infection of uric ways, emptyings of herpes, acne have been manufactured in China. Now portulak it is used in the cosmetic industry for treatment of problems with skin. In the Chinese traditional medicine it is often used in summertime for prevention and treatment of thermal shock.
The plant is good natural source of salts of calcium, potassium and magnesium therefore it can be used for normalization of water-salt balance and normalization of metabolism.
Besides pharmacology portulak it is known also in cookery. It is excellent salad product which can be used during all warm season. Its fleshy leaves and stalks have pleasant saltish taste and perfectly saturate with moisture. Preparation of portulak will not take a lot of time: it is enough to wash out, cut and fill with vegetable oil or lemon juice. And tasty, and, above all - useful, the dish is ready.
Pharmacological properties of plant portulak
Spirit tincture and broth of portulak have the considerable braking effect on the bacterial infections caused by gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, such as dysenteric stick, colibacillus, salmonella, deprive staphylococcus, the typhoid cutting;
Fresh juice and water extract strengthen intestines vermicular movement, weaken thick and duodenum thanks to what laxative influence happens softly, without unpleasant feelings;
Oral and vnutribryushinny introduction of water extract is weakened by skeletal muscles;
Injections of extract excite smooth muscles of uterus.
Contraindications to application of portulak
Obvious contraindication to use of extracts of portulak is the allergy and individual intolerance of medicines of plant. At excess of dosage with in 9-15 grams of the dried-up grass and 30-60 grams of fresh grass of portulak the nausea and vomiting can develop.
Portulak is contraindicated at pregnancy and at children's age up to 12 years in connection with insufficiency of researches of application of portulak in these groups.
People with hyper excitability of nervous system, hypertension, vegetososudisty dystonia and bradycardia also should refrain from the use of portualak.