Pharmaceutical Name:

Herba portulacae

Botanical Name:

Portulaca oleracea L.

Common Name:

Purslane
Portulaca

Source of Earliest Record:

Xinxiu Bencao

Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations:

The entire plant is gathered in summer, steamed or boiled and then dried in the sun.

Properties and Taste:

Sour and cold

Meridian:

Large intestine and liver

Functions:

To clear heat and release toxins
To cool the blood and stop dysentery

Indications and Combinations:

Dysentery manifested as fever, abdominal pain, blood and pus in the stool and tenesmus.

*Use with Scutellaria root (Huangqin) and Coptis root (Huanglian).  Also, can be taken alone as treatment for these symptoms.

Dosage:

30-60 g (double dosage for the fresh herb)