Other Common Names: Altea, Common Marshmallow, Ghasul, Hatmi,
Iviscus, Khatmah, Khitmi, Mallow, Malvavisco, Usubeni-Tati-Aoi, White
Mallow, Althaea officinalis
Range: Marsh Mallow is a native of most countries of Europe, from Denmark southward.
Habitat: The upper margins of salt and brackish marshes, sides of ditches and grassy banks near the sea.
The whole plant, particularly the root, abounds with a mild
mucilage, which is emollient to a much greater degree than the common
Mallow. The generic name, Althaea, is derived from the Greek, altho (to
cure), from its healing properties. The name of the order, Malvaceae,
is derived from the Greek, malake (soft), from the special qualities of
the Mallows in softening and healing.
Most of the Mallows have been used as food, and are mentioned by
early classic writers in this connexion. Mallow was an esculent
vegetable among the Romans, a dish of Marsh Mallow was one of their
delicacies.
The Chinese use some sort of Mallow in their food, and Prosper
Alpinus stated (in 1592) that a plant of the Mallow kind was eaten by
the Egyptians. Many of the poorer inhabitants of Syria, especially the
Fellahs, Greeks and Armenians, subsist for weeks on herbs, of which
Marsh Mallow is one of the most common. When boiled first and fried
with onions and butter, the roots are said to form a palatable dish,
and in times of scarcity consequent upon the failure of the crops, this
plant, which fortunately grows there in great abundance, is much
collected for food.
Horace and Martial mention the laxative properties of the Marsh
Mallow leaves and root, and Virgil tells us of the fondness of goats
for the foliage of the Mallow.
Dioscorides extols it as a remedy, and in ancient days it was not
only valued as a medicine, but was used, especially the Musk Mallow, to
decorate the graves of friends.
Pliny said: 'Whosoever shall take a spoonful of the Mallows shall
that day be free from all diseases that may come to him.' All Mallows
contain abundant mucilage, and the Arab physicians in early times used
the leaves as a poultice to suppress inflammation.
Marsh mallow is a very useful household medicinal herb. Its soothing
demulcent properties make it very effective in treating inflammations
and irritations of the mucous membranes such as the alimentary canal,
the urinary and the respiratory organs. The root counters excess
stomach acid, peptic ulceration and gastritis It is also applied
externally to bruises, sprains, aching muscles, insect bites, skin
inflammations and splinters.
The whole plant, but especially the root, is antitussive, demulcent,
diuretic, highly emollient, slightly laxative and odontalgic. An
infusion of the leaves is used to treat cystitis and frequent
urination. The leaves are harvested in August when the plant is just
coming into flower and can be dried for later use. The root can be used
in an ointment for treating boils and abcesses. The root is best
harvested in the autumn, preferably from 2 year old plants, and is
dried for later use.
Leaves - raw or cooked. They are used as a potherb or to thicken
soups. When used as a small proportion with other leaves, the taste and
texture is acceptable, but if a lot of the leaves are cooked together
their mucilaginous texture makes them unpalatable. The leaves can be
eaten raw but are rather fibrous and somewhat hairy, though the taste
is mild and pleasant. We have found them to be quite acceptable in
salads when chopped up finely.
Root - raw or cooked. When boiled and then fried with onions it is
said to make a palatable dish that is often used in times of shortage.
The root is used as a vegetable. The root contains about 37% starch,
11% mucilage, 11% pectin. The water left over from cooking any part of
the plant can be used as an egg-white substitute in making meringues
etc. The water from the root is the most effective, it is concentrated
by boiling until it has a similar consistency to egg white.
A tea is made from the flowers. A tea can also be made from the root.
The dried root is used as a toothbrush or is chewed by teething
children. It has a mechanical affect on the gums whilst also helping to
ease the pain. The root is also used as a cosmetic, helping to soften
the skin.
- Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
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