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 11⁄4 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 "ἄλθειν" (to cure), from its healing properties. The name of the family,

Malvaceae, is derived from the Greek "μαλακός" (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 ἄλθειν (althein),

meaning "to heal".[3]

In traditional Chinese medicine, Althaea officinalis is known as 藥蜀葵

(pinyin: yàoshǔkuí). 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 pâte de guimauve (or "guimauve" for short),

included an eggwhite meringue and was often flavoured with rose water. Pâte 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), 2β-

hydroxycalamene (altheacalamene) and altheacoumarin glucoside (5,6-dihydroxycoumarin-5-

dodecanoate-6β-D-glucopyranoside), along with the known phytoconstituents lauric acid, β-

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): 216–220.

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): 327–33.

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): 1358–1364.

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): 216–220.

Retrieved 22 April 2015.