Marsh Mallow


In traditional medicine marsh mallow flowers have been used in Europe for over 2000 years. Marshmallow(Althaea Officinalis) comes from the Greek word "altho" which means to cure.
 
Treatment

From marshmallow only the leaves, flowers and roots are used for curative purposes. These are harvested between the months of March through November.

In cases of inflammations of mucous membranes, gastritis, and gastro-intestinal inflammations it is recommended for marshmallow to be used under the forms of tea or soup made out of marshmallow leaves mixed with barley. After the barley is boiled and after it has cooled down, marshmallow leaves are added.

Marshmallow is used for bronchitis, cough, hoarseness and tonsillitis. For treating these illnesses a tea is prepared from marshmallow which is left over night in cold water. The mixture is then consumed in 2-3 cups a day. It has alleviating effects even in cases of emphysema, an illness considered incurable which causes serious breathing disorders. In this case minimum 3 cups of tea are consumed daily, and the crushed leaves and flowers are sieved and placed as poultices on the chest.

A decoct is used in cases of laryngitis and tracheitis as gargle, eye poultices and vaginal washings. Boiled marshmallow flowers are used as emollient poultices for calming furunculous. It is associated with horse gowan and poppy and used for gargling and dental abscesses used for enemas is effective against hemorrhoids.

Eye poultices are made from warm marshmallow tea and are especially effective.

For dry or wrinkly facial skin, poultices are used and kept on the face for about 10 to 15 minutes. The poultices are made from 30g of root boiled in half a liter of water which is left to sit for a half an hour and is then passed through a sieve. To obtain a cosmetic product a spoon of honey is added in a glass containing the mixture. It can then be used on any type of facial skin.

Due to their dark color, marshmallow flowers are used in coloring the aromatic oil, wines and syrups.