Althaea officinalis

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Althaea officinalis

Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Rosids
Order:
Malvales
Family:
Malvaceae
Genus:
Althaea
Species:
A. officinalis
Binomial name
Althaea officinalis
L.

Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis)

Althaea officinalis (marsh-mallow,[1] marsh mallow, or common marshmallow) is a perennial

species indigenous to Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa, which is used as a medicinal
plant and ornamental plant. A confection made from the root since ancient Egyptian time
evolved into today's marshmallow treat.[2]

Contents

1 Description
2 Traditional uses
3 Chemistry
4 See also
5 References
6 Further reading
7 External links

Description
The stems, which die down in the autumn, are erect, 3 to 4 ft (0.91 to 1.22 m), simple, or putting
out only a few lateral branches. The leaves, shortly petioled, are roundish, ovate-cordate, 2 to
3 in (51 to 76 mm) long, and about 114 inch broad, entire or three to five lobed, irregularly
toothed at the margin, and thick. They are soft and velvety on both sides, due to a dense covering
of stellate hairs. The flowers are shaped like those of the common mallow, but are smaller and of
a pale colour, and are either axillary, or in panicles, more often the latter.
The stamens are united into a tube, the anthers, kidney-shaped and one-celled. The flowers are in
bloom during August and September, and are followed, as in other species of this order, by the
flat, round fruit which are popularly called "cheeses".
The common mallow is frequently called "marsh mallow" by country people, but the true marsh
mallow is distinguished from all the other mallows growing in Great Britain by the numerous
divisions of the outer calyx (six to nine cleft), by the hoary down which thickly clothes the stems
and foliage, and by the numerous panicles of blush-coloured flowers, paler than the common
mallow. The roots are perennial, thick, long and tapering, very tough and pliant, whitish yellow
outside, white and fibrous within.
The entire plant, particularly the root, abounds with a mild mucilage, which is emollient to a
much greater degree than the common mallow.[citation needed] The generic name, Althaea, is derived
from the Greek "" (to cure), from its healing properties. The name of the family,
Malvaceae, is derived from the Greek "" (soft; Latin "mollis"), 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 with this
connection. Mallow was an edible vegetable among the Romans; a dish of marsh mallow was
one of their delicacies. Prosper Alpinus stated in 1592 that a plant of the mallow kind was eaten
by the Egyptians. Many of the poorer inhabitants of Syria subsisted 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[citation needed] , and in times of scarcity consequent upon
the failure of the crops, this plant, which grows there in great abundance, is collected heavily as a
foodstuff.

Traditional uses

Marshmallow roots
The leaves, flowers and the root of A. officinalis (marshmallow) all have medicinal properties.
These are reflected in the name of the genus, which comes from the Greek (althein),
meaning "to heal".[3] In traditional Chinese medicine, Althaea officinalis is known as
(pinyin: yoshku). It is claimed to increase the flow of breast milk and soothe the bronchial
tubes.[4]
Marshmallow is traditionally used as a treatment for the irritation of mucous membranes,[5]
including use as a gargle for mouth and throat ulcers, and gastric ulcers.[6] A study on rats
concluded that an extract from the flowers has potential benefits for hyperlipidemia, gastric
ulcers and platelet aggregation.[7] The root has been used since the Middle Ages in the treatment
of sore throat.[2]
The root extract (halawa extract) is sometimes used as flavouring in the making of a Middle
Eastern snack called halva. The flowers and young leaves can be eaten, and are often added to
salads or are boiled and fried.
The later French version of the recipe, called pte de guimauve (or "guimauve" for short),
included an eggwhite meringue and was often flavoured with rose water. Pte de guimauve more
closely resembles contemporary commercially available marshmallows, which no longer contain
any actual marshmallow.

Chemistry
Chemical constituents include altheahexacosanyl lactone (n-hexacos-2-enyl-1,5-olide), 2hydroxycalamene (altheacalamene) and altheacoumarin glucoside (5,6-dihydroxycoumarin-5dodecanoate-6-D-glucopyranoside), along with the known phytoconstituents lauric acid, sitosterol and lanosterol.[8]

See also

Famine food

References
1.
"BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on
2015-02-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
Petkewich, Rachel (2006). "What's that stuff? Marshmallow". Chemical & Engineering
News 84 (16): 41. doi:10.1021/cen-v084n011.p041. Retrieved 2008-02-10. Cite error: Invalid
<ref> tag; name "C.26EN" defined multiple times with different content (see the help
page).
Gualtiero Simonetti (1990). Stanley Schuler, ed. Simon & Schuster's Guide to Herbs and
Spices. Simon & Schuster, Inc. ISBN 0-671-73489-X.
"Marshmallow Remedies | Gaia Garden Herbals". Gaiagarden.com. Archived from the
original on 11 December 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
Cavero, R (2 December 2014). "Medicinal plants used for respiratory affections in Navarra
and their pharmacological validation". Journal of Ethnopharmacology 158 (Part A): 216220.
John S. Williamson & Christy M. Wyandt 1997. Herbal therapies: The facts and the fiction.
Drug topics
Hage-Sleiman, R; Mroueh, M; Daher, CF (2011). "Pharmacological evaluation of aqueous
extract of Althaea officinalis flower grown in Lebanon". Pharmaceutical biology 49 (3): 32733.
doi:10.3109/13880209.2010.516754. PMID 21281251.
8. Rani, S.; Khan, S.A.; Ali, M. (2010). "Phytochemical investigation of the seeds of
Althea officinalis L". Natural Product Research 24 (14): 13581364.
doi:10.1080/14786411003650777. PMID 20803381.

Further reading
Cavero, R (December 2, 2014). "Medicinal plants used for respiratory affections in Navarra and
their pharmacological validation". Journal of Ethnopharmacology 158 (Part A): 216220.
Retrieved 22 April 2015.