Marsh Mallow – the Prodigal Weed
Wild, edible and medicinal, the mallow plant, after which the marshmallow sweet treat was named, comes from a large family of mallows.
Called Malvaceae, the perennial mallow plant is a flowering plant with small white flowers and is in the Mallow family. Mallows includes okra, cottons and hibiscus, and you can certainly see the resemblance in the mallow flowers. The mallow plant is native to Europe, Northern Africa and Western Asia, and was brought to North America
Every part of the marsh mallow plant, Althea officinalis, is edible and medicinal.
Like okra, the marsh and rose mallow plants are known for their mucilaginous properties. The mallow plant’s root, leaves and flowers, all contain mucilage, with the highest percentage (11%) available in the late fall and winter, and can be eaten raw, cooked or dried for tea.[1]https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/life-science/nutrition-research/learning-center/plant-profiler/althaea-officinalis.html
Marsh mallow plant… a prodigal weed that serves from root to seed!
The Marsh Mallow Plant – The latin word for marsh mallow, tells us what it’s about: Althea officinalis, is named after the Greek Althea, meaning to heal or cure.
From Medicinal Mallow to S’mores
Roasted marshmallow and s’mores are virtually as synonymous with summer as cookouts and swimming pools… hot dogs and baseball. When it comes to winter treats, few things add that crowning touch to a cup of hot chocolate like marshmallows floating on top.
The Devolution of the Marshmallow Plant
Far from today’s sugar-filled puff balls, marshmallows originated from medicinal use of the sap of the marsh mallow plant in the treatment of coughs, colds and irritated throats. Of course the marshmallow treats of today no longer contain any of the ingredients of their namesake.
So, how did we get from an edible, medicinal plant to a squishy, sugary marshmallows with not a hint of real mallow—or anything else medicinal—in it?
The same way most of us have lost touch with other powerful healing herbs: the convenience of modern medicine and the mass manufacturing of convenience.
Marshmallows originated from medicinal use of the sap of the mucilaginous root of the marsh mallow plant in the treatment of coughs, colds and sore throat.
Meet the Multi-Talented Mallow Family
We are finding differing information as to the exact numbers in the Malvaceae family, so including here two sources. If you know of more reliably exact information, please advise!
The Malvaceae, or the mallows, are a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 243 genera with 4225+ species.[2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malvaceae#cite_note-3
From Susun Weed on The Wise Woman Herbal Ezine:
The mallow family contains nearly 200 genera (a genus is a group of closely related plants within a family, along with more than 2000 species (specific plants within each genus).
The mallow family includes many beautiful, edible, medicinal, and useful plants.
Popular Mallow Family Plants
Beneficial Parts of the Marvelous Marsh Mallow Plant
All parts of the mallows have edible and/or medicinal value. Here are the parts and forms used.
- Leaves of Mallow
- fresh
- dried
- Roots of Mallow
- fresh
- dried
- Flowers or Mallow
- fresh
- dried
- Seeds of Mallow
- green
- ripe
While most mallows share beneficial properties, the marsh mallow, Althea officinalis, has far more of the mucilaginous properties that are beneficial in cooking and medicinally for colds and sore throats. The mucilaginous properties of the mallow plant provide a protective layer when used in herbal medicine remedies for skin, digestive tract and throat.
SOURCE: Susun Weed, herbalist, author- The Wise Woman Way
Mucilaginous Plant
If you’ve ever cooked okra, then you’ll understand the mucilage component. Mucilaginous simply means having a thick, sticky or gelatinous consistency.
Most mallows are completely edible with medicinal properties. Some are more mucilaginous than others, such as the marsh mallow and rose mallow. These unpretentiously prolific “wasteland” plants have many uses and benefits.
Uses for Mallows Plants
- Bark – used as a substitute for hemp and medicinally; can be made into teas and concoctions
- Leaves and flowers – edible and medicinal, harvest marsh