Marshmallow Medicine
Mallow Flowers
When you are hot, dry, and irritated, it’s time for Marshmallow! Not the puffy white confections we toast over a fire, but the plant whose roots and leaves are full of soothing medicine.
To get a good feeling for Marshmallow, let’s think about another soothing plant: Aloe. The gel of Aloe is thick, cool, and soothing for sunburns and digestive irritation. Marshmallow has a similar thick cool gel that it makes when soaked in cold water. We call this gel mucilage and it is made of polysaccharides (large carbohydrate molecules).
In addition to copious amounts of mucilage, Marshmallow also contains starches that are nourishing, pectin, saccharose, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and coumarins. (1) The root is higher in mucilage and the other starches while the leaves are higher in flavonoids, phenolic acids, and coumarins, but both plant parts contain all the same constituents. We will focus on the root for this article, but if you have leaves and no root, you can still get good soothing medicine from them as well.
All of this adds up to a plant that is sweet, moistening, soothing, and nourishing. Given the year we all have had, this sounds like some much needed medicine right now! Let’s dive in and get a bit more specific.
Marshmallow and Digestion
Marshmallow root infusion has long been a fantastic remedy for burning, dry digestive issues. Constipated? Give Marshmallow root a try. Heartburn? While looking to treat the underlying reasons, Marshmallow root is a great soother. Stomach ulcers? Not only will Marshmallow root soothe the tissues, it can also neutralize stomach acid and aid your body in healing. Traditionally, marshmallows as a confectionary treat were created by the French. These original sweet treats were a combination of Marshmallow root juice, sugar, and eggs whipped up into a light airy confection that was given to children for upset stomachs and dry coughs. (2) I don’t know about you, but I think it’s high time to try making some homemade marshmallows!
Marshmallow and the Respiratory Tract
Another area where Marshmallow shines is in treating coughs and irritation in the respiratory tract. While the Marshmallow will not be in direct contact with your lungs or your trachea, the act of drinking a Marshmallow infusion creates a moistening and soothing reflex in the lungs. For direct contact, Marshmallow infusion can be added to a neti pot for nasal rinses which is particularly soothing when allergies are flared or after breathing in smoke or dust.
For wet, productive coughs, Marshmallow isn’t really the best fit. Marshmallow shines in dry irritated coughs where nothing is coming up.
Marshmallow and the Urinary Tract
Just like the lungs, Marshmallow has a specific affinity to the kidneys and bladder. Marshmallow root is soothing and pain relieving for the urinary tract and is often included in urinary tract teas. Marshmallow does not have antimicrobial activity, so please do not use it alone when treating a urinary tract infection. It also shines in conditions like interstitial cystitis where the pain and irritation in the urinary tract isn’t from an infection. There are also reports of Marshmallow root being used to help rid the urinary tract of gravel stopping stone formation. Marshmallow is mildly diuretic, so it will help you flush your urinary tract while soothing it.
Marshmallow and Mucous Membranes
Each of the systems outlined above share one thing in common, they are lined by mucous membranes. Think of the “skin” in your mouth, it is thin, wet, and slippery - this is a mucous membrane. Because of the mucilage in Marshmallow, it is very helpful in soothing dry mucous membranes. Because of the flavonoids in Marshmallow, it is also strengthening and tonifying to these same tissues. This is exactly what we want in these protective linings, moist surface and tight toned connections between the cells and the underlying tissue.
Marshmallow also makes a great eye rinse (after careful filtration) and can be added to an eyeglass or a shot glass and used as an eye rinse.
Making Medicine from Marshmallow
Marshmallow Root
You wouldn’t think there would be much controversy surrounding a root, but there is a bit when it comes to Marshmallow and making good medicine from it. For years, I had heard that the only way to make a good Marshmallow root infusion was to put it in cold water and leave it overnight. However, the lovely herbalist Julie James of Green Wisdom Herbal Studies teaches to first decoct your Marshmallow root by boiling it for 10 minutes and then letting the combination cool and infuse overnight. This breaks down the cellulose structure allowing the mucilage to extract into the water as it cools.
Marshmallow root is often combined with other herbs to make tea blends and made as a hot infusion. If you let that tea sit until it cools without straining it, you will get more of the soothing mucilage in your cup.
Tinctures of Marshmallow don’t work quite well as alcohol and mucilage don’t mix well. To try this out, you can mix a bit of rubbing alcohol into your Marshmallow infusion and see the globs of denatured polysaccharides that form. I recently learned this lesson the hard way when I tried making hand sanitizer from Aloe gel and isopropyl alcohol - it didn’t work! I did make a nice hand sanitizer substituting glycerine for the Aloe which worked quite well.
Marshmallow root powder can also be used to make a slurry or paste for ingestion or to use as a poultice. Simply add water, wait, and probably add a bit more water as the mucilage soaks up the water and forms a gel. This makes a great alternative to slippery elm gruel for the treatment of ulcers. Slippery elm has become less ethical to harvest due to Dutch elm disease. Marshmallow grows abundantly and regenerates quickly making it a much more sustainable source of mucilage.
For sore throats, Marshmallow root powder mixed with honey and formed into a pill makes a great soothing throat lozenge to tuck in your cheek and continuously swallow as it dissolves.
I hope you have enjoyed learning a bit about Marshmallow. Next week we will look a bit more closely at the Urinary Tract to better understand its normal function and how to care for this part of our bodies.
To our Health!
References
Tilgner, S.M., Herbal ABC’s: The Foundation of Herbal Medicine, 2018, Wise Acres LLC, Pleasant Hill, OR
Gladstar, R, Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide, Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA 2012
