Althaea officinalis

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Althaea officinalis
Althaea officinalis - Kohler-s Medizinal-Pflanzen-008.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Althaea
Species:
A. officinalis
Binomial name
Althaea officinalis
Synonyms [1]
  • Althaea kragujevacensisPančić ex Diklić & Stevan.
  • Althaea micranthaWiesb. ex Borbás
  • Althaea sublobataStokes
  • Althaea taurinensisDC.
  • Althaea vulgarisBubani
  • Malva althaeaE.H.L.Krause
  • Malva maritimaSalisb.
  • Malva officinalis(L.) Schimp. & Spenn. ex Schimp. & Spenn.
Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) Althea officinalis flor.jpg
Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis)

Althaea officinalis, the marsh mallow [2] or marshmallow, [3] is a species of flowering plant indigenous to Europe, Western Asia and North Africa, which is used in herbalism and as an ornamental plant. A confection made from the root since ancient Egyptian times evolved into today's marshmallow treat, [4] but most modern marshmallow treats no longer contain any marsh-mallow root. [5]

Contents

Description

This herbaceous perennial (i.e. with stems which die down in the autumn) grows to 180 cm (6 ft) tall and puts out only a few lateral branches. The whole plant is softly stellate-hairy, especially the leaves, which are broadly triangular to oval, often with 3-5 shallow lobes, irregularly toothed, with cordate to cuneate bases. Leaf size varies considerably, up to 100 mm (4 in) long, and 75 mm (3 in) wide. The leaves are arranged alternately along the stem, with no stipules, on petioles up to 45 mm (1.75 in). [6] [7]

The inflorescences occur in the leaf axils and at the top of the stem and consist of panicles of 1-many flowers. The flowers are actinomorphic with 5 lilac/pink petals up to 2 cm long and 5 green sepals which are much shorter than the petals, and fused at the base. Below the petals is a cup-shaped epicalyx with 6-9 narrow, triangular lobes, half the length of the sepals. The purple stamens are united into a tube, the anthers kidney-shaped and one-celled. There is one style which protrudes above the stamen tube. [8] [9]

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 whole fruit is a schizocarp, about 1 cm in diameter, which splits into about 20 kidney-shaped mericarps (seeds) about 2 mm long. [8]

The common mallow is frequently called "marsh mallow" in colloquial terms, 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.

Phytochemicals

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. [10]

Uses

Ornamental

Marshmallows are used in gardening as ornamental plants.

Herbal medicine

Marshmallow roots Arrels malvi12.JPG
Marshmallow roots

The leaves, flowers and the root of A. officinalis (marshmallow) have been used in traditional herbal medicine. This use is reflected in the name of the genus, which comes from the Greek ἀλθαίνειν (althainein), meaning "to heal". [4] [11] [12] The Latin specific epithet officinalis indicates plants with some culinary or medicinal value. [13]

Marshmallow is traditionally used as relief for irritation of mucous membranes, [14] including use as a gargle for mouth and throat ulcers and gastric ulcers. [15]

Culinary

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. Prospero Alpini 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 marshmallow is one of the most common.[ citation needed ] When boiled first and fried with onions and butter, the roots are said to form a palatable dish, [16] 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.

The young leaves can be cooked. The flower buds can be pickled. [17] The roots can be peeled, sliced, boiled and sweetened to make candy. Water used to boil any part of the plant can be used as an egg white substitute. [17]

The root extract (halawa extract) is sometimes used as flavoring in the making of halva . The later French version of the recipe, called pâte de guimauve (or guimauve for short), included an egg white meringue and was often flavored with rose water. Pâte de guimauve more closely resembles contemporary commercially available marshmallows, which no longer contain Althaea officinalis.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshmallow</span> Sugar-based confection

Marshmallow is a confectionery made from sugar, water and gelatin whipped to a solid-but-soft consistency. It is used as a filling in baking or molded into shapes and coated with corn starch. This sugar confection is inspired by a medicinal confection made from Althaea officinalis, the marsh-mallow plant.

<i>Filipendula ulmaria</i> Species of plant

Filipendula ulmaria, commonly known as meadowsweet or mead wort, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Rosaceae that grows in damp meadows. It is native throughout most of Europe and Western Asia. It has been introduced and naturalised in North America.

<i>Polemonium reptans</i> Species of flowering plant

Polemonium reptans is a perennial herbaceous plant native to eastern North America. Common names include spreading Jacob's ladder, creeping Jacob's ladder, false Jacob's ladder, abscess root, American Greek valerian, blue bells, stairway to heaven, and sweatroot.

<i>Salvia officinalis</i> Species of plant

Salvia officinalis, the common sage or sage, is a perennial, evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae and native to the Mediterranean region, though it has been naturalized in many places throughout the world. It has a long history of medicinal and culinary use, and in modern times it has been used as an ornamental garden plant. The common name "sage" is also used for closely related species and cultivars.

<i>Althaea</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Althaea is a genus of herbaceous perennial plants native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia. It includes Althaea officinalis, also known as the marshmallow plant, whence the fluffy confection got its name. They are found on the banks of rivers and in salt marshes, preferring moist, sandy soils. The stems grow to 1–2 m tall, and flower in mid summer. The leaves are palmately lobed with 3–7 lobes. Althaea species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Bucculatrix quadrigemina.

<i>Aralia spinosa</i> Species of tree

Aralia spinosa, commonly known as devil's walking stick, is a woody species of plant in the genus Aralia, family Araliaceae, native to eastern North America. The various names refer to the viciously sharp, spiny stems, petioles, and even leaf midribs. It has also been known as Angelica-tree.

<i>Malva</i> Genus of flowering plants

Malva is a genus of herbaceous annual, biennial, and perennial plants in the family Malvaceae. It is one of several closely related genera in the family to bear the common English name mallow. The genus is widespread throughout the temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Europe.

<i>Saponaria officinalis</i> Species of plant

Saponaria officinalis is a common perennial plant from the family Caryophyllaceae. This plant has many common names, including common soapwort, bouncing-bet, crow soap, wild sweet William, and soapweed. There are about 20 species of soapworts altogether.

<i>Lavandula angustifolia</i> Species of plant

Lavandula angustifolia, formerly L. officinalis, is a flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean. Its common names include lavender, true lavender and English lavender ; also garden lavender, common lavender and narrow-leaved lavender.

<i>Caulophyllum thalictroides</i> Species of flowering plant

Caulophyllum thalictroides, the blue cohosh, a species of Caulophyllum is a flowering plant in the Berberidaceae (barberry) family. It is a medium-tall perennial with blue berry-like fruits and bluish-green foliage. The common name cohosh is probably from an Algonquian word meaning "rough". The Greek-derived genus name Caulophyllum signifies "stem-leaf", while the specific name thalictroides references the similarity between the large highly divided, multiple-compound leaves of meadow-rues and those of blue cohosh.

This page provides a glossary of plant morphology. Botanists and other biologists who study plant morphology use a number of different terms to classify and identify plant organs and parts that can be observed using no more than a handheld magnifying lens. This page provides help in understanding the numerous other pages describing plants by their various taxa. The accompanying page—Plant morphology—provides an overview of the science of the external form of plants. There is also an alphabetical list: Glossary of botanical terms. In contrast, this page deals with botanical terms in a systematic manner, with some illustrations, and organized by plant anatomy and function in plant physiology.

<i>Malva sylvestris</i> Species of flowering plant

Malva sylvestris is a species of the mallow genus Malva in the family of Malvaceae and is considered to be the type species for the genus. Known as common mallow to English-speaking Europeans, it acquired the common names of cheeses, high mallow and tall mallow as it migrated from its native home in Western Europe, North Africa and Asia through the English-speaking world.

<i>Malva multiflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Malva multiflora is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names Cornish mallow and Cretan hollyhock. It is native to western Europe, North Africa, and the Mediterranean Basin, and it is naturalized in areas with a Mediterranean climate, such as parts of Australia, South Africa, and California. This is an annual or biennial herb growing a tough, somewhat hairy stem to a maximum height between 1 and 3 meters. The leaves are multilobed with flat or wavy edges, slightly hairy, and up to 10 centimeters long. The plant bears small pink or light purple flowers with petals just over a centimeter long. The fruit is disc-shaped with 7 to 10 segments.

<i>Angelica atropurpurea</i> Species of flowering plant

Angelica atropurpurea, known commonly as purplestem angelica, great angelica, American angelica, high angelica, and masterwort, is a species of flowering plant that can be found in moist and swampy woodlands, mostly by riverbanks, in eastern North America.

<i>Malva nicaeensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Malva nicaeensis is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names bull mallow and French mallow.

<i>Styrax officinalis</i> Species of shrub

Styrax officinalis is a species of shrub in the family Styracaceae.

<i>Althaea cannabina</i> Species of flowering plant

Althaea cannabina, commonly called palm-leaf marshmallow or hemp-leaved hollyhock, is a perennial herb belonging to the genus Althaea of the family Malvaceae. The leaves resemble those of hemp, hence the specific epithet cannabina ("hemp-like").

<i>Malva punctata</i> Species of tree

Malva punctata, commonly called spotted-stalked tree-mallow or annual tree mallow, is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the genus Malva of the family Malvaceae.

<i>Asclepias lanceolata</i> Species of plant

Asclepias lanceolata, the fewflower milkweed, is a species of milkweed that is native to the coastal plain of the United States from New Jersey to Florida and Southeast Texas. A. lanceolata is an upright, perennial plant that can grow between 3 and 5 feet tall, with red-orange flowers blooming in the summer months. It can also be referred to as Cedar Hill milkweed, as it was first described by Dr. Eli Ives in the neighborhood of Cedar Hill in New Haven, Connecticut.

<i>Althaea hirsuta</i> Species of plant

Althaea hirsuta, the hairy marshmallow, is a species of annual herb in the family Malvaceae. They have a self-supporting growth form and simple, broad leaves. Individuals can grow to 28 cm (11 in).

References

  1. 1 2 "Althaea officinalis". Tropicos . Missouri Botanical Garden . Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  2. ↑ "Althaea officinalis". RHS. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  3. ↑ "Althaea officinalis". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
  4. 1 2 Simonetti, Gualtiero (1990). Stanley Schuler (ed.). Simon & Schuster's Guide to Herbs and Spices . Simon & Schuster, Inc. ISBN   0-671-73489-X.
  5. ↑ "Marshmallows". NCA. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  6. ↑ Harrap, Simon (2013). Harrap’s Wild Flowers. London: Bloomsbury Wildlife. ISBN   978-1-4729-6648-3.
  7. ↑ Poland, John; Clement, Eric (2009). The Vegetative Key to the British Flora. Southampton: John Poland. ISBN   978-0-9560144-0-5.
  8. 1 2 Stace, C.A. (2019). New Flora of the British Isles. Suffolk. ISBN   978-1-5272-2630-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. ↑ Martin Crawford, How to grow Perennial Vegetables, Green Books, 2012
  10. ↑ 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. S2CID   2114777.
  11. ↑ ἀλθαίνειν . Liddell, Henry George ; Scott, Robert ; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project.
  12. ↑ Harper, Douglas. "marshmallow". Online Etymology Dictionary .
  13. ↑ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN   978-1845337315.
  14. ↑ 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. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2014.10.003. PMID   25311273.
  15. ↑ "John S. Williamson & Christy M. Wyandt 1997. Herbal therapies: The facts and the fiction. Drug topics" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
  16. ↑ Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN   0-14-046-440-9
  17. 1 2 Elias, Thomas S.; Dykeman, Peter A. (2009) [1982]. Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods. New York: Sterling. p. 146. ISBN   978-1-4027-6715-9. OCLC   244766414.

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. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2014.10.003. PMID   25311273.

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