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Article: Purslane eyed as rich food source. (US weed has beneficial nutrients)
- Article from:
- Agricultural Research
- Article date:
- December 1, 1992
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1992 U.S. Government Printing Office. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Hippocrates used it as a medicine. Henry David Thoreau found it in a cornfield, boiled it, and called it a "satisfactory dinner." Many Europeans today eat it as Thoreau did, or chop it up fresh and put it in their salads.
It's known as purslane--a plant that is a troublesome weed in many U.S. crops, especially vegetables. But recent research findings confirm that purslane is also a rich source of fatty acids, vitamin E, and other key nutrients--making it a prime candidate as a new vegetable crop.
There are about 200 species of purslane, the common name for a group of plants known as Portulaca. Scientists have focused on one annual species, P. oleracea, ...