Benefits
Fasting blood sugar levels
In 54 adults with fatty liver, 10 g/day of seeds plus a low-calorie diet lowered fasting blood sugar versus the diet alone, and a 700 mg/day extract did so versus placebo in 70 adults. A 5-week seed crossover in type 2 diabetes and a 300 mg/day extract trial found no difference. A pooled analysis found a fall of about 6 mg/dL, with no change in insulin.
Triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels
Versus control, seeds lowered triglycerides in a 5-week crossover in 48 adults with type 2 diabetes, and 1 g/day of seed capsules lowered LDL cholesterol and triglycerides versus placebo over one month in 74 obese adolescents. In a fatty-liver trial, LDL fell versus diet alone. A 300 mg/day extract trial found no lipid difference from placebo.
Systolic blood pressure readings
Systolic pressure fell more than in controls in the 5-week seed crossover (a 3.3 mmHg fall versus a 0.5 mmHg rise) and in a 12-week trial of a branded extract in 63 adults with type 2 diabetes (7.5 versus 0.01 mmHg). A pooled analysis of 5 trials found an average fall of about 3 mmHg, with very large differences between trials and no overall change in diastolic pressure.
Liver enzyme and liver stiffness readings
In 70 adults with fatty liver on a calorie-restricted diet, 700 mg/day of extract for 8 weeks lowered liver enzymes (ALT, AST, GGT) and liver stiffness on elastography more than placebo. That positive result comes from a single trial: a 12-week trial of 300 mg/day in 74 similar adults found no difference from placebo in liver enzymes or steatosis grade.
Bowel regularity and digestive comfort scores
In 60 adults with functional constipation, 480 mg/day of a purslane extract for 8 weeks raised complete bowel movements versus placebo, and a later 101-person trial in irritable bowel syndrome reported lower symptom scores than placebo. Both trials tested the same extract, both had authors employed by Korea Drug Co., and funding ran through a pharmaceutical company.
A leafy-green source of plant omega-3 (ALA)
In a food analysis, purslane leaves held more alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) than spinach, about 300 to 400 mg per 100 g serving, along with vitamin E, vitamin C and glutathione. ALA is the plant omega-3 also found in flaxseed. The trials cited here did not measure blood ALA, so how much purslane changes omega-3 status is not known.
Mechanism of action
Plant omega-3 and antioxidant nutrients in the leaf
Fresh purslane leaves contain ALA, the plant omega-3, along with alpha-tocopherol, vitamin C, beta-carotene and glutathione. These nutrients are the usual explanation offered for its effects on blood fats, but no trial cited here tested them as the cause.
Polyphenols and plant sterols in leaf extracts
The 700 mg/day trial standardized its hydroethanolic extract by total phenolics and listed compounds in it such as beta-sitosterol, beta-carotene, hesperidin and alpha-tocopherol. The authors attributed purslane's effects to its polyunsaturated fats, flavonoids, polysaccharides, antioxidants and vitamins, citing mostly lab and animal work; no trial tested which compound acts.
Stool bulk and colon transit
In the constipation trial, colon transit time fell within the purslane group from about 44.5 to 33.7 hours. The authors suggested the extract works by adding stool bulk and increasing bowel movement, but the mechanism was not tested separately.
Clinical trials
Randomized crossover trial of 10 g/day purslane seeds in 240 ml of low-fat yogurt for 5 weeks, with yogurt alone as the control and a 2-week washout; funded by Tehran University of Medical Sciences. A companion paper from the same trial reported oxidative stress markers. (Esmaillzadeh et al. 2015, J Res Med Sci)
48 adults with type 2 diabetes (mean age 51) in Isfahan, Iran; the oxidative stress report analyzed 40.
Versus yogurt alone, the seeds lowered triglycerides (-25.5 vs -1.8 mg/dL, P = 0.04), systolic blood pressure (-3.33 vs +0.5 mmHg, P = 0.01) and weight (-0.57 vs +0.09 kg, P = 0.003). Fasting glucose (P = 0.90), insulin, insulin resistance and LDL, HDL and total cholesterol did not differ, and the diastolic change was borderline (P = 0.09). The companion paper found no between-group change in total antioxidant capacity, malondialdehyde or oxidized LDL.
Randomized controlled trial of 10 g/day purslane seed sachets, taken before breakfast and dinner, with a low-calorie diet, versus the diet alone for 8 weeks. There was no placebo, and the abstract does not state funding. (Gheflati et al. 2019, Phytother Res)
54 adults with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in Yazd, Iran (27 per group).
Compared with diet alone, the seeds lowered fasting blood sugar (-3.52 vs +3.03 mg/dL, P = 0.017) and LDL cholesterol (-4.35 vs +11.82 mg/dL, P = 0.004), and total cholesterol rose less (+4.33 vs +23.48 mg/dL, P = 0.032), so part of the gap reflects rises in the control group. The authors also reported better insulin resistance indexes. Other glucose, lipid and oxidative stress measures did not differ.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 300 mg/day of purslane hydroalcoholic extract in capsules for 12 weeks. (Darvish Damavandi et al. 2021, Phytother Res)
74 adults with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, randomized to extract or placebo (Iran University of Medical Sciences group, Tehran).
ALT, AST, GGT, fasting glucose, insulin resistance, triglycerides and LDL fell from baseline within the purslane group, but at the end of the study there were no significant differences from placebo in steatosis grade, insulin, liver enzymes, bilirubin, lipids or blood pressure. The authors concluded that 300 mg/day for 12 weeks had no significant effect.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of two 350 mg capsules a day of a 70% hydroethanolic extract of purslane aerial parts versus cellulose placebo for 8 weeks; both groups followed a calorie-restricted diet. Liver steatosis on elastography was the primary outcome, and the authors declared no external funding. A second paper from the same trial reported mood questionnaire scores. (Milkarizi et al. 2024, Front Nutr)
72 adults with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease randomized at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran; 70 completed (35 per group).
Versus placebo, the extract group lost more weight (-3.8 vs -1.4 kg) and had larger falls in fasting blood sugar (-5.5 vs +0.3 mg/dL), ALT (-7.0 vs +0.3 U/L), AST and GGT, better lipids, and lower liver stiffness and hepatorenal ultrasound index (P < 0.001), partly because both rose slightly on placebo. Systolic pressure differed only after adjustment (P = 0.03; 0.064 unadjusted). The second paper found lower depression and stress scores than placebo, but not lower anxiety.
Triple-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 500 mg capsules of powdered purslane seed twice a day versus lactose placebo for one month; a university-funded pharmacy thesis. PubMed lists the same paper twice (PMIDs 25568533 and 25195352). (Sabzghabaee et al. 2014, Med Arch)
Obese adolescents referred to the Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Institute, Iran; 74 completed.
Total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides fell within the seed group. In the between-group analysis only LDL cholesterol and triglycerides differed significantly from placebo; total and HDL cholesterol did not. The abstract gives no effect sizes. No significant side effects were reported.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of three capsules a day of a purslane extract (the branded Portusana) or matched placebo for 12 weeks in adults on one oral glucose-lowering drug; two authors were affiliated with the maker, Frutarom Switzerland. (Wainstein et al. 2016, J Med Food)
63 adults with type 2 diabetes at a medical center in Holon, Israel (31 extract, 32 placebo).
Systolic blood pressure fell more on the extract than on placebo in the whole group (-7.5 vs -0.01 mmHg, P < .0001). HbA1c fell more on the extract only in a responder subgroup, defined as anyone whose week-12 HbA1c was below baseline (-0.8% vs -0.6%, P = .03), a subgroup chosen by the outcome itself; the abstract reports no HbA1c difference for the whole group. Adverse events were few, mild and similar between groups.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 480 mg/day of KDC16-2, a 70% ethanol extract of purslane aerial parts, versus cellulose placebo for 8 weeks. Funded by a Korean government food-technology grant run through Korea Pharmaceutical Co.; two authors work at the Korea Drug Co. R&D center. (Bang et al. 2022, Saudi J Gastroenterol)
60 adults (50 women) with functional constipation by Rome IV criteria in Korea; about 20% dropped out.
Complete spontaneous bowel movements, the primary outcome, rose more than on placebo over 8 weeks (P = 0.003); at week 4 they rose by 1.2 a week versus 0.5 on placebo, and responder rates were 68% vs 30%. Bloating, straining and hard-stool symptoms improved more than on placebo; quality-of-life scores improved within the extract group, which started with worse scores. Stool form and adverse events did not differ between groups.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of KDC16-2 (480 mg), the same 70% ethanol purslane extract used in the constipation trial, versus a maltodextrin and mannitol placebo for 8 weeks. Funded by a Korean government food-technology grant run through Korea Pharmaceutical Co.; five authors are Korea Drug Co. employees. Published online ahead of print. (Nam et al. 2026, Intest Res)
Adults with irritable bowel syndrome (all subtypes) by Rome IV criteria in Korea; 108 randomized (54 per group), 101 analyzed per protocol (53 extract, 48 placebo; 6 of 7 dropouts were on placebo).
At week 8, digestive and IBS symptom scores improved more than on placebo, especially abdominal pain: the GSRS total went from 44.1 to 31.7 versus 41.4 to 39.9 (P < 0.001), and the IBS-SSS from 232.0 to 120.6 versus 202.7 to 178.2 (P = 0.001); week 4 GSRS did not differ. Stool form did not differ between groups, and IL-6 fell only within the extract group. One participant on the extract developed a urinary stone, judged unrelated.