The garden weed we know as portulaca has a dual identity.
Purslane, as it is commonly known elsewhere in the world, has been used
for its medicinal properties for thousands of years by the ancient
Greeks, Persians, Indians and Africans.
Elsie Belcheff and her husband have been grain farming at Margo, Sask.,
for almost 40 years. They also operated an agricultural chemical and
fertilizer company until they both began to suffer health problems and
turned to natural health remedies.
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To learn more, Elsie took a correspondence course in herbology, spent
two years in Texas studying nutraceuticals and began selling natural
food supplements.
“But everything was imported from the United States or Europe, and was
very expensive. So I started to look for products that could be
produced locally, and was particularly intrigued by the purslane in my
garden. I’d been trying without success to get rid of it. I’d pull it
and, even two weeks later, it would grow again if it rained.”
Her research showed that older civilizations used purslane as a salad
or stir-fry. She tried juicing it – it has a “pickled spinach” taste –
and found that she and her clients had more energy and many experienced
a reduction in arthritic symptoms.
Thus encouraged, she had the juice tested in a laboratory but found it
lost much of its nutrient value after 24 hours.
Undaunted, she contacted POS Pilot Plant in Saskatoon, which processed
and analyzed the raw weed to produce a powdered form that is stable,
concentrated and retains 80 to 90 percent of its value. This powder was
encapsulated and on the market as Natural Plantations Super D-Master in
January 2001.
Recent scientific journals often describe purslane as a rich source of
polyunsaturated essential fatty acids, compounds of great importance in
human health and considered a new treatment for a multitude of
diseases, including those of the cardiovascular system.
It is also rich in vitamins C and E, which are efficiently absorbed
from purslane and are known for their antioxidant activities.
It is high in potassium and possesses muscle-relaxant properties as
well.
“My customers report great results when they’ve taken it to relieve
stress, sleep disorders, arthritic pain, skin diseases, Crohn’s
disease, low energy and high blood pressure,” said Belcheff.
“It’s also good for parasites and knocking out yeast infections. We get
testimonials from all over.”
At this point, she has no shortage of the raw product, which she
processes at home, and no dearth of customers in drug stores and health
food stores across Canada. Most sales are due to word of mouth, but she
has attended trade shows in Saskatchewan and British Columbia and is
hoping to attend an international trade show in California this year.
A member of the Saskatchewan Herb and Spice Association for the last
three years, Belcheff recently was awarded the association’s
Certificate of Excellence for Outstanding Performance and Lasting
Contribution.
