World science researches substances to prevent cancer cells from sea purslane

Dr. Linh Nham from Bac Lieu University passionately told me about this promising research and development of sea purslane that grows wild on thousands of hectares in the coastal salt flats of Bac Lieu.

Nham said from her biotechnological point of view, sea purslane is very suitable for climate change when the area of saline soil increases. At the same time, aquaculture products affect the environment by having to treat waste. Only plants that can be grown on salty soils are environmentally friendly. Mr. Ky, Nham's husband, when he heard that I was learning about sea purslane, let his wife talk to him at the coffee shop while I went back to make some dishes from sea purslane and then guests to come and enjoy.

At that day's dining table, all five people were enjoying sea purslane in two forms: raw and fried with eggs. "I have tried many dishes such as fried garlic, mixed salad, chopped fried with eggs, only fried with eggs is the easiest to eat", Mr. Ky enthusiastically introduced.

The two companions first tried the strange vegetable in the form of raw food and nodded together: "It tastes quite good and strange," which made me curious, and I had to try again. Oh, it's not that bad of a taste, I thought. With the sophistication of a woman, Mrs. Nham analyzed it to have all kinds of salty, slightly sour, fatty, and fleshy flavors. After eating, it still lingers in the mouth with a slight fragrance.

Sea purslane is studied in the direction of a medicinal food, a functional food, or a supplement as a Chinese medicine conductor. It is also worth considering because it contains many saponins - a compound that enhances immune function and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It also contains antioxidants.

According to Dr. Nham, this purslane species has been used as food in India and some Southeast Asian countries because of its salty and fleshy taste. The nutritional value of sea buckthorn includes essential compounds such as protein 10.2%, fat 0.24%, total ash 33%, crude fiber 9.9%, carbohydrate 45.5%, and energy of 223 Kcalories.

With this nutritional composition, sea fern can be used as a supplement as a vegetable in coastal areas. In addition to these nutrients, purslane contains high antioxidant compounds and is also used as an herbal medicine. Not only that, extracts from purslane are also used as antifungal agents for plants, medicines, and cosmetics. Building a planting area in Hoa Binh district (Bac Lieu province) to provide clean vegetables and raw materials for other quality goods is possible from those preeminent characteristics.

Currently, China is also growing tissue to propagate salted vegetables, while in our country, it grows wild. “There are two reasons why I chose sea purslane for research. The first is that climate change causes more and more mangrove areas. We need to adapt to climate change without using genetically modified crops.

The genetic transformation of plants from sweet to salt tolerant is technologically complex and expensive. Why not study plants that already have salt tolerance properties? When sea purslane absorbs salt, mangrove areas can become sweet without salt washing. Its vitality is robust. In the coastal rock barriers, only a little soil can still grow; as long as it sticks to the burning body, it will spread.

Secondly, salted vegetables can create livelihoods for people in coastal areas. Now it's our job to learn how to eat sea purslane and what to use for tonic. My wife and I are planning our 1.3-ha coastal garden, with a mangrove forest and a growing area for salted vegetables collected from regions such as spinach in Nghe An, ground purslane in Ben Tre, and sea purslane in Bac Lieu. Hopefully, there will be the first results within the next two years", said Dr. Nham.

Mr. Ky and her husband Nham invited the whole group to eat hot pot, determined to try the sea purslane in the hot pot to see the results. Only vegetables grow in Vinh Thinh commune, Hoa Binh district this time. The results were not unexpected. It's so salty and bitter that it's hard to eat. If you try, it will numb the tip of the tongue.

After many years of studying in Australia, Mrs. Nham accessed the internet with fluent English. She quickly found many results online about sea purslane in foreign countries with the same appearance as in Bac Lieu. The price per kilogram of vegetables is several tens of dollars.

According to the scientific paper of Sathvika Chintalapani, Swathi, Manggamoori Lakshmi Narasu of the Center for Biotechnology, Institute of Science and Technology, the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University of India, the extract of sea purslane was against the proliferation of cancer cell. All that information made me feel like I had forgotten my numb tongue, eager to go down to the largest wild salted vegetable field in the West in Vinh Thinh commune, Hoa Binh district (Bac Lieu province) with Dr Nham the next day.