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Althea officinalis
Latin Binomial
Althea Officinalis
Common Names
Marshmallow, cheese plant, mortification root
French: Guimauve
Spanish: Malvaisco
Greek: Iviscus
Peruvian: Altea
Turkish: Hatmi
Species Used
Family
Malvaceae
Habitat
Native to Europe, naturalized in the U.S. Prefers moist meadows and marshes
Botanical Description
Perennial plant with woolly stem that grows 2-4 feet tall. Leaves are chordate, ovate with irregularly serrated margins. There is a soft downy covering of small hairs on the both sides of the leaves. Pale pink flowers consisting of five notched petals appear July - September on the upper leaf axils.
Root is tapering 6-12 inches long, brown with longitudinal furrows on the outside but white and creamy on the inside.
Parts Used
Roots, leaves
Historical Uses
The name Althea comes from the Greek word altha, meaning, "to cure" and suggests its long use in traditional herbal medicine. The French developed the original marshmallow confection as soft confections called "pate de guimauve," made from the root for throat infections and coughs. Today the popular candy bears the name marshmallow but does not contain any Althea, just corn syrup and gelatin.
Constituents
Root - mucilage (18-35%), pectin, asparagine, tannins. Leaves - mucilage, flavonoids, coumarin (scopoletin), polyphenolic acids, and minerals
Medicinal Actions
Demulcent, emollient, expectorant, vulnerary, diuretic, nutritive
Medicinal Uses
Althea is considered to be one of the safest herbal demulcents, due to the high amount of mucilage found in it. The body systems affected by althea are the gastrointestinal system, the respiratory system and the urinary system. Inflammations of the GI tract are relieved by althea because of its ability to soothe and coat inflamed mucosa and promote the healing of ulcerations and mouth sores. Althea is a main ingredient in a classic naturopathic herbal formula used for GI complaints, called Robert's formula. The roots work most strongly on the GI tract, while the leaves have a more powerful action by way of a reflex action on the respiratory and urinary systems. In the respiratory system Althea reduces a spasmodic and irritating cough and promotes expectoration. Althea is indicated in urinary infections because the mucilage is mildly antibacterial and soothing.
Please Note: The information contained in this section of the web site is directed toward people with technical knowledge in the botanical medicine field. We provide this information as a service to naturopathic physicians, pharmacognocists, pharmacists, midwives, plant chemists and medical herbalists and we encourage health professionals to obtain a more general education in the area before applying treatments to themselves or their patients. Bastyr University assumes no responsibility for the results obtained from using this information. If you have a serious or lingering health concern, it is important to discuss it with a health care provider.
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