Purslane

Learn how this plant extract can help control blood sugar

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is a plant with an identity crisis. Europeans and Asians love to eat it in salads or cooked like spinach. Americans, on the other hand, generally consider purslane to be a weed (pigweed or hogweed) and go to great lengths to kill it.

But there’s another aspect of purslane that everyone—particularly those with diabetes—can appreciate, and that’s its ability to help control blood sugar.

What Conditions Is Purslane Good For?

• Diabetes (one of my recommended nutrients for diabetes)

How Does Purslane Work?

A patented purslane extract (Portusana) has been shown to:

• Increase insulin sensitivity
• Enhance glucose uptake into the cells
• Slow the transport of glucose from the intestines into the bloodstream
• Lower blood sugar
• Lower hemoglobin A1c

Animal studies suggest that purslane also curbs appetite and assists in weight loss.

What Does the Research Say About Purslane?

Here are some examples of research supporting purslane’s effectiveness as a natural treatment for diabetes.

In a pilot clinical trial, researchers gave 180 mg of purslane (as Portusana) to people with elevated blood sugar every day for five weeks. The researchers discovered that the purslane lowered blood sugar levels after only 2–3 weeks in the people with blood glucose levels below 200. For those with blood glucose levels above 300, significant reductions were observed after 4–5 weeks.

In a 12-week, double-blind study, patients with type 2 diabetes who were taking oral diabetes drugs were divided into two groups. One group added 180 mg of purslane (as Portusana) to their usual daily regimens while the other received a placebo. At the end of the study, those taking the purslane had a 44 percent improvement in their hemoglobin A1c level compared to placebo, with an average reduction of 0.85 percentage points.

More Dr. Whitaker Advice on Nutritional Support

• How to get started using supplements
  
• Special rules for safely selecting and using herbal supplements
  
• Why taking vitamins and supplements is essential for optimal health