Marshmallow

Althaea officinalis

Malvaceae

A velvety marsh mallow whose root and leaf soothe raw mucosa.

Traditional demulcent. The candy no longer contains the root.

Parts used: Root · Leaf · Flower
Traditional notes: Raw dry cough · Sore throat · Gastric irritation · Dry, scratchy bladder folklore
Grow · USDA 6b: Perennial, USDA 3–9 Stratify seed or buy plants. In work: Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
Harvest: Leaf in summer; roots in autumn of year 2.

A wet corner or rain garden. It is a marsh plant with a pretty name.
Leaf in year one; root in the second autumn.
Cold infusion pulls the mucilage better than a rolling boil.

Safety

None common at food-like dose

Lore

The original marshmallow was a mucilage candy from Althaea root, not a petroleum puff. Marsh mallows grew in salt ditches. The slippery tea is the plant remembering its confectionery past.

The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.