Althaea officinalis (Marshmallow)

One of my favourite pastimes is standing beside my Althaea officinalis (Marshmallow) plants, stroking their soft, velvety leaves and admiring their delicate pinkish/white flowers. It may look a little odd to anyone walking by, but I find it so calming — a kind of medicine in itself. Fittingly, Althaea comes from the Greek altho, meaning “to heal” or “to cure”.

The leaves and flowers are harvested throughout the summer, the roots in autumn. Althaea is a cooling, moistening, mucilaginous herb, traditionally used to soothe hot, inflamed and irritated tissues of the digestive and respiratory tracts, as well as the kidneys and urinary system. A cold infusion of the root is particularly lovely for dry coughs and sore throats.

After we’d all been struck down with a chest infection recently, I found myself reaching for the roots to soothe a lingering, tickly cough. I soaked them overnight, and by morning had a thick, naturally sweet, gloopy liquid that brought almost instant relief after drinking.

Traditionally, marshmallows were made from Althaea root, which is where the sweet gets its name, so with plenty left over, I decided to make some — a rather lovely way to avoid the paperwork that I should have been doing! The mucilaginous infusion is simply whipped with honey or maple syrup and gelatin before being left to set. You can make them pink with beetroot powder and add additional flavourings if you like. I opted to keep these ones plain so we could simply appreciate the healing effects and enjoy the traditional flavour.

I absolutely love this plant and I find myself turning to her again and again in my practice — a gentle, grounding healer, and just as wonderful to work with in the kitchen.