Introduction

Garden purslane, commonly known as Khurfa, is a well-known herb whose leaves are widely used as food and medicine. It exists in two main types: a cultivated variety and a wild variety.

Botanical Description

Plant

• A small herb growing 3–12 inches in height
• Found commonly in fields, gardens, and waste places
• The larger variety grows in cultivated areas, while the smaller one grows wild, especially in the rainy season

Leaves

• Leaves are:
  • Thick, fleshy, and smooth
  • Round or slightly oval, about 1 inch long
  • Reddish-green in the larger type
• Smaller variety:
  • Leaves are narrower, pointed, and greenish
  • Taste is slightly salty and sour
• Leaves may open for a few hours in the morning

Flowers

• Small and delicate
• Usually open in the morning for a short duration

Fruit (Pod)

• Round capsule
• Develops mainly in the winter season
• Contains numerous small seeds

Seeds

• Initially white when unripe
• Turn dark brown or black when mature
• Small, smooth, and shiny

Root

• Thick variety:
  • Root is about the thickness of a finger and ~8 inches long
• Small variety:
  • Root is thin and about 6 inches long

Distribution (Place of Origin)

• Widely found in:
  • Punjab (Pakistan and India)
  • Uttar Pradesh (UP)
  • Delhi
• Also abundant in Sri Lanka
• Wild variety grows in:
  • Rainy season
  • Ruins, gardens, and around cemeteries

Chemical Composition

• Potassium oxalate
• Mucilage (slimy substance) with sour and salty nature

Temperament (Unani System)

• Cold – Second Degree

Pharmacological Actions

External Actions

• Mucilaginous (Mulattif / Lubricant)
• Soothing and cooling effect

Internal Actions

• Mucilage (demulcent)
• Acts on:
  • Liver
  • Stomach
  • Intestines
• Helps in:
  • Constipation
  • Diarrhea (in mild cases)

Medicinal Uses

Dietary Use

• Leaves are commonly cooked and eaten as vegetables (saag

Internal Uses

• Due to its cooling and mucilaginous properties, it is useful in:
  • Bilious fevers
  • General fevers
  • Urinary tract inflammation
  • Disorders of the:
    • Liver
    • Stomach
    • Intestines
  • Acidity and heartburn
• Also considered helpful in:
  • Scurvy
  • Tuberculosis (supportive use)

External Uses

• Paste applied to:
  • Relieve burning sensation in hands and feet
  • Treat burns
  • Reduce heat-induced swelling
  • Alleviate headache
• Applied like henna (mehndi) for cooling effect

Other Uses

• Helps in controlling:
  • Dysentery
  • Bilious diarrhea
• Its water (decoction) is used for internal relief

Special Benefit

• Relieves excess bile (Safra)

Dosage

• Water (decoction): about 5 tola

Purslane Seeds (Khurfa Seeds)

Temperament (Unani System)

• Cold and Dry – Second Degree

Pharmacological Actions

• Cooling (Mubarrid)
• Demulcent (Mucilaginous)
• Soothing to the stomach and intestines
• Anti-inflammatory
• Helps reduce excess heat in the body (Safra and Dam)

Medicinal Uses

Gastrointestinal Uses

• Beneficial for:
  • Stomach irritation
  • Intestinal inflammation
  • Acidity and heartburn
• Acts as a soothing agent for the digestive tract

Heat-Related Disorders

• Useful in hot diseases, such as:
  • Excessive thirst (due to heat in blood)
  • Bilious conditions (Safrawi disorders)
  • Heat-related headaches
  • Hot cough

Fever and Inflammation

• Helps in:
  • Fever
  • General body inflammation
• Provides a cooling and calming effect

Diarrhea

• Decoction of seeds is useful in:
  • Hot diarrhea
  • Irritation of intestines

Diabetes

• Boiled seeds act as a tonic for:
  • Hot humors
  • Stomach and intestines
• Traditionally considered helpful in diabetes management

Method of Use

• Seeds are usually:
  • Boiled to prepare a decoction
  • Taken for internal cooling and soothing effects

Dietary Benefits

• Strengthens and soothes the:
  • Stomach
  • Intestines

Dosage

• 3–7 grams, taken once or twice daily (or as prescribed)