Marshmallow can help you mellow out. Really! When looking for a soothing and healing plant to add to your arsenal of healing herbs, look no further than marshmallow, Althaea officinalis, Malvaceae family (Mallow family). The Arabs, Greeks, and Romans used marshmallow medicinally for centuries. Today, we find marshmallow in our food, tea, and herbal medicines. 

Marshmallow owes its wide acceptance and usage to its gentle nature and healing properties. Its genus name, Althaea, derives from the Greek altho (“to cure”), and the family name Malvaceae comes from the Greek word “malake”, which means “soft”. Both names reiterate marshmallow’s ability to heal and soothe. 

Mothering Marshmallow 

The plant is an easy-growing, tall perennial that blooms pale pink blossoms in late spring to early summer. The fresh young leaves and whole seed pods are edible. In countries where crop failures bring famine, marshmallow (and mallow plants in general) can be an important subsistence food. 

Both the leaves and roots serve as soothing agents in traditional herbalism. The leaves, flowers, and rest of the plant have milder properties, and can be used interchangeably. Most often, however, the plant’s roots provide the main source of medicine. Mallow roots contain 25%-40% mucilage (the active soothing agent) in the fall. Herbalists rely on marshmallow root for subduing inflammation and irritation of the esophagus, stomach and intestines, and urinary and respiratory organs. Drinking marshmallow coats the stomach lining with its mucilage, and has a relaxing effect on the body’s internal passages. 

Marshmallow Goodness

Marshmallow root was historically used in—you guessed it—the first marshmallows! The first marshmallow-like dessert originated in France. The sweet concoction mixed marshmallow root, rose water, and meringue. Today, French confectioners still make a paste, pâté de guimauve, from the roots of the marshmallow.

Our Teas with Marshmallow

We love to blend with marshmallow root; it offers both a smooth, unobtrusive taste, and wonderful health benefits. Our Sun-Kissed Huckleberry, Sweet Rhapsody, Follow Your Bliss, No Thyme for Cold & Flu, and finally Zen Cleanse feature this soothing root. Marshmallow brings a malty sweetness, making it well suited for our herbal concoctions. Truly, nothing says “mellow” like marshmallow. 

Written by: Greta de la Montagne, Edited by: Heather Kreilick and Boo Curry

References:

Herbal Medicine by Rudolf Fritz Weiss, MD; Culpeper’s Color Herbal ed. Sterling; Textbook of Modern Herbology by Terry Willard, PhD; The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics by H.W.Felter, MD; Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth by Sharol Tilgner, ND; Health Secrets of Medicinal Herbs by Michelle Mairesse; Herbs; Partners in Life by Adele G. Dawson