Alright, so let me tell you about this purslane thing. It’s funny how you can walk past something a million times and not even see it, right? That was me with purslane. This stuff was basically taking over a corner of my backyard, popping up between the cracks in the patio, everywhere. I was all set to go on a weed-killing rampage, honestly.
How I Even Bothered With This Weed
So there I was, complaining about these “weeds” to my neighbor, old Mrs. Henderson. She just chuckles and says, “That ain’t just a weed, son. That’s good stuff.” I’m like, “Good for what? Annoying me?” She goes on about how her grandma used to pick it, wash it, and throw it in salads, even used it for little skin owies. I pretty much just nodded and smiled, thinking, “Okay, sure, a magical weed.” But then, later that week, I got this nasty mosquito bite that swelled up like a golf ball and itched like crazy. The usual creams weren’t doing much.
I remembered what Mrs. Henderson said. Figured, what the heck? Couldn’t make it worse, right? So I went out, picked a few sprigs of this purslane – made sure it was the right plant, of course, looked it up on my phone real quick, matched the pictures. Didn’t want to poison myself, ha!
My Highly Scientific “Process”
My grand experiment started simple. Here’s what I did:
- For the bite: I washed a few leaves really well. Like, scrubbed ’em. Then I just crushed them up a bit with my fingers until they got a bit juicy and sticky. I slapped that mush right onto the mosquito bite and, just to be fancy, put a band-aid over it to keep it in place.
- Trying to eat it: After the bite incident (more on that in a sec), I got a bit braver. I started picking the younger, tender leaves. Washed them thoroughly, again. Then I just chopped them up and tossed them into my salads. Sometimes, I’d throw a handful into a stir-fry right at the very end, just to wilt it a bit.
I wasn’t expecting miracles, you know. It’s a plant from my backyard. But I kept at it, especially with adding it to my food, for a couple of weeks.
So, What Actually Happened?
Okay, the mosquito bite. This is the crazy part. Within like, half an hour of putting that crushed purslane on, the itching calmed down. Not gone, but way, way better. The next morning, the swelling was noticeably down. I was pretty surprised, not gonna lie. I thought, “Huh. Maybe the old lady knows a thing or two.”
As for eating it? Well, it tastes a bit lemony, a little crunchy. Not bad, actually. After a few weeks of adding it to my meals pretty regularly, I can’t say I suddenly felt like a superhero. But, and this is just me talking here, I did feel a bit… well, less blah. You know that general afternoon slump? It didn’t seem to hit me as hard. My digestion also felt a bit smoother, if you catch my drift. Nothing dramatic, just a subtle shift.
It’s not like it cured all my life’s problems. It’s a plant. But for those little annoying things, like that itchy bite, it was a real winner. And adding it to food? Felt like I was doing something good for myself without much fuss. It’s just there, free, in the yard.
So yeah, that’s my story with purslane. Went from “annoying weed” to “hey, this stuff is actually pretty neat.” Funny how things turn out sometimes. I still see it popping up everywhere, but now I just nod at it, like an old friend.
