Marshmallow is common throughout Europe and western Asia, naturalized in the Americas, and also cultivated for drug production. In most cases, the marshmallow root comes from cultures in the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Russia and Belgium.
Marshmallow: use as a medicine
It is mainly the roots of the perennial (Althaeae radix), but also the leaves (Althaeae folium) and the flowers (Althaeae flos) are used for drug extraction. Aqueous extracts for ingestion are prepared from the flowers.
Characteristics of marshmallow
The plant grows perennially in the form of a perennial. It grows up to 2 m tall and has soft hairs. The leaves show a three- to five-lobed shape with palmately aligned leaf veins and are velvety to the touch. The medium-sized flowers are white to pink and darken toward the center.
Marshmallow leaves have velvety hairs on the underside as well as the top. Mostly fragments are found, where the typical hand-shaped leaf veins are recognizable.
Parts of the leaf stalks, occasional fragments of the fruit stalks and seeds are always part of the drug. The root pieces must usually first be freed from the outer bark layers by peeling. They are bright and yellowish-white with dark scars on the outside.
With good magnification, such as with a magnifying glass, the concentric layering of the bark is easily seen. Marshmallow roots show a distinct yellowing after dabbing with ammonia solution, and they turn blue after dabbing with iodine solution.
Marshmallow: smell and taste
While the marshmallow leaves are odorless, the roots have a faint mealy smell. The taste of the leaves is mucilaginous, while the roots taste mucilaginous and slightly sweet.
