Herb Profile: Marshmallow

Marshmallow, Althaea officinalis

Marshmallow, the sugary confection, has its roots in marshmallow the plant. In earlier times, people would cook the roots with honey or sugar, form it into soft balls, and give it to their children to suck on to soothe a sore throat.

As a medicinal plant, the roots and leaves of marshmallow contain large amounts of mucilage and pectins, sugars, flavonoids, tannins, salt and phenolic acids. Out of all the mallows, it has the most anti-inflammatory, moistening, soothing, and softening properties. While marshmallow is helpful for many areas of the body, it has a specific relationship with the kidneys, due in part to it’s salty mucilaginous properties.   

Marshmallow is soothing and healing to irritated and inflamed nerve endings. The mucilage in marshmallow has a gel like consistency that coats and protects the nerve endings. Marshmallow tea is helpful for treating sore throats, diarrhea, constipation, and bronchial inflammation. The root is best cold extracted in water and the mucilage extracts poorly in alcohol. It can be mixed into a paste with water and applied topically to soothe irritated skin.

 

Preparations

Marshmallow’s mucilagenous quality is soothing to all mucous membranes, therefore great for digestive upset. Try the following as a tea or a tincture:
1 part Marshmallow
1 part Catnip
1/2 part Meadowsweet
1/4 part Licorice

Marshmallow can also be used to sooth digestion with carminatives such as fennel, coriander, cumin, and orange peel to name a few.

 

Throat Soother Tea (from Rosemary Gladstar Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health)

This tea strengthens the voice and soothes throat irritation. Make a decoction of 2 parts licorice root, 1 part cinnamon, 1 part echinacea, 1 part marshmallow root and 1/8 part ginger. Drink several cups of tea a day.

 

Desert Bloom Infusion (from Rosemary Gladstar)

Desert Bloom is an excellent formula for dry hair. Make an infusion with 1 part calendula flower, 1 part marshmallow root and 1 part nettle leaf. Use as a hair rinse.
 
For more information on Marshmallow check out this website.

 

Cautions/Contraindication

None. Though if recipient is already excessively mucousy, marshmallow is not recommended at that time.

 

🌿 Grow, Harvest & Learn with Us This Season! 🌿

Whether you're looking to fill your apothecary with vibrant, fresh herbs, start your own garden with strong, healthy seedlings, or deepen your knowledge of herbal medicine, we've got you covered.

Join our Fresh Herb CSA to receive weekly bundles of medicinal and culinary herbs, plus guidance on how to use them. Pre-order seedlings to get a head start on your herb garden with our carefully grown plants. Explore our herbal education programs to learn hands-on medicine-making, plant connection, and more.

Looking for high-quality, certified organic herbs year-round? We also offer dried herbs and small-batch tea blends, thoughtfully grown and harvested to bring you the best in herbal wellness.

Be part of a community that values resilience, self-sufficiency, and deep connection to the land. 💚

Sign up for the CSA, pre-order seedlings, shop our dried herbs and tea blends, or explore our herbal education offerings today!

Disclaimer

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. For educational purposes only. We do not endorse the websites linked to in the resources and have not extensively reviewed all the information on external pages for accuracy. Everyone reacts differently to herbs and we do not attempt to be completely inclusive in the information and contraindications for each herb. Trust your intuition if something is not feeling right for you.

Shop our Apothecary and Nursery