Marshmallow Leaves and Roots
Marshmallow is a perennial plant from the Eastern Hemisphere, not to be confused with the puffy sugary snack named after this plant. Getting the name from the french dessert pate de guimauve, which used a root extract from the plant mixed with an egg white meringue, and then flavoured with rose water. The leaves and roots have been used for folk remedies for millennia by the Romans, Chinese, Egyptians, and Syrians. The leaves and the roots both contain mucilage, a gummy substance that when mixed with water forms a slick gel. It has been used for many different remedies:
-Cough, cold, and flu symptoms
-Skin irritation and dry skin
-Ulcers of esophagus, and stomach
-I.B.S. and other inflammatory bowel diseases
-Indigestion and also aid digestion, helping with diarrhea, constipation, and swelling of stomach lining
-Pain and swelling of mucous membranes lining the respiratory tract
Few studies have been done exploring all the medicinal claims of marshmallow, the studies that have been done do show results with:
-Asthma relief
-Alleviating bronchitis symptoms
-Soothing the common cold and sore throat
-Inflammatory bowel diseases (such as Crohn's)
-Indigestion and stomach ulcers by helping repair gut lining
-Skin inflammation and irritation relief
Herbs can trigger side effects so always take with care, marshmallow root is considered pretty safe, with no reported side effects and is safe for pregnant and breast feeding mothers. Marshmallow root does coat the stomach lining which may interfere with the absorption of some medications. Another worry with it coating the stomach lining is the absorption of sugar into the blood stream, which may cause lower blood sugar in diabetics.
Here are our options for herbal teas containing marshmallow:
Nurse-Me Rhyme https://spiritoaktea.ca/products/nurse-me-rhyme?_pos=2&_sid=b94b89154&_ss=r
P.M.S. https://spiritoaktea.ca/products/pms?_pos=3&_sid=b94b89154&_ss=r
Forest https://spiritoaktea.ca/products/forest-loose-leaf?_pos=4&_sid=b94b89154&_ss=r
Cold & Flu https://spiritoaktea.ca/products/cold-flu-loose-leaf?_pos=5&_sid=b94b89154&_ss=r