Portulaca Oleracea Linn: a Global Panacea with Ethnomedicinal and Pharmacological Potential

Portulaca oleracea L. belongs to the family Portulaceae, is a warm-climate annual herb, known as khurfa in Arabic and common purslane in English. The plant is succulent, herbaceous, erect or decumbent growing up to 30 cm height with cylindrical stem of 2-3 mm in diameter. The plant, which is common weed of cultivation, are eaten as a vegetable and used for medicinal purposes. Traditionally, since antiquity this plant has been used for the treatment of various ailments like skin diseases, fever, dysentery, diarrhea, bleeding piles, kidney, liver, spleen diseases etc. The qualitative phytochemical studies of this plant extract showed the presence of alkaloids, coumarins, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, anthraquinone, saponins, tannins etc. The plant is reported to have versatile biological activities like antipyretic, antitussive, diuretic, hypolipidemic, antiulcerogenic, antiinflammatory, anticonvulsant, antimicrobial properties etc. The present review is an endeavour to summarize the recent knowledge of significant traditional uses, pharmacognosy and pharmacological activities of the plant P. oleracea.