Marshmallow (Althea officinalis)

Paydirt for you, moon! Good advice to others. Everyone has to do her own research to ascertain for herself what might work.

Louise

I have heard of marshmallow and its benefits but haven't tried it yet. I've tried (and use) several herbs and have appreciated being able to settle symptoms with them. Some examples of things used regularly in my family are goldenseal (for bronchitis and in eyewash with myrrh), echinacea (for swollen lymph nodes and sinus infections), valerian (to help relax muscle soreness or tension), chamomile (in sleepy-time tea), fenugreek (to metabolise sugar), aloe vera (for inflammation), and the list goes on. We use some as needed and some regularly; but because there are so many, we work at keeping the usage down and try to figure out what works most efficiently and cut out the rest. I recently added red clover after reading about it here and have much improvement on the skin on my bottom.

I was wondering this morning how to post a recent experience with a new herb in a relevant topic and found your post. You probably (like myself) understand the potentially powerful effects of herbs and won't mind that, along with recommendations of things we've found useful, warnings are included to not take them lightly.

My metabolism to me seems slow, my blood pressure has always been low, my hands and feet are cold ... so in an effort to boost my metabolism, I started taking astragalus. After a couple of weeks without incident, I had a scary experience twice in the following week. The symptoms were breathlessness, pressure and aching in my chest, increasingly tense pain down my left arm, numbness and a tension like tetanus in my hands. I'm pretty sure that's an oncoming heart attack. I haven't taken another astragalus capsule since I associated the second episode with the herb.....and I haven't had any similar symptoms since not taking it. I've mowed, weeded, and plowed, mopped and carried buckets of water from my overflowing washer since then without symptoms. I am convinced the astragalus caused the symptoms in me. My husband takes it and hasn't noticed any problems.

I know this is a long way around giving a simple warning to stay aware when you're trying new herbs. My purpose isn't to discourage trying or using them.....just a reminder of their power. Thanks for your indulgence.

You're certainly more efficient with words than I am. You posted as I was writing. Have a good day.

Bebe

As modern people we often equate power with good, when it comes to remedies. We have also been 'educated' that anything that comes in a bottle is strong and good, and that anything that comes out of the garden is green and weak; that anything that has been clinically tested is more efficacious than something that has not been clinically tested (whatever we think that means!); or that a particular herb will have the same effect all year; or that herbs are not damaging like pharmaceuticals. How wrong can you get?

How do we cut through the bulls*** to find the truth? Seek the opinions of those who are at least trained in the area, and/or do your own research really thoroughly.

Bebe, Is it a case of 'great minds think alike', or more like we were both sitting at our computers at the same time, thinking rationally?

I think I can safely sign this post as:-

Bebe and Louise.

Yes, you may.

We've been collecting jewel weed in season, washing and cutting the stems into short sections, and freezing them for several years now. We know it works on poison ivy, but it will soothe other skin ailments....like insect bites (though perhaps not as effectively as onion). The main reason we keep it on hand is for cold sores (a type of oral herpes which is not related to genital herpes). My husband is subject to get these in conjunction with (not to say caused by) exposure to certain molds, lip trauma (dentist!), certain foods, and with sinus infections. At the first sign of the nerve tingle and/or the tiny bubble that signals the start of one, he washes with jewel weed soap and applies juice squeezed from a stem. The jewel weed stops is dead. He hasn't has one fully break out for years.

Hi Moon and thanks for starting this thread. I tend to rely on tea bags that I can buy at my regular stores and keep stashed in my desk at the office. So I wanted to report that Traditional Medicinals makes a couple of them which contain organic marshmallow root (Throat Coat with 60 mg, Herba Tussin with 35 mg). These teas both have a nice flavor and similar ingredient lists (marshmallow root, licorice root, slippery elm bark). - Surviving

Hello Surviving,
I was just thinking that you seem more like 'thriving' than surviving. Wanted to say thanks for your note here or Traditional Medicinals (April 28, 2013) on marshmallow root. Off to drink my tsp of honey before sleep.
Daphne II

I used this for several months when I was troubled by recurrent urine infections - it did appeal as it was "killing 2 birds with one stone" ie potentially good for gut and bladder. However I stopped when I read that it can compromise your liver - still not sure how much it helped? Worth a try but not for ever !

Years ago, an acupuncturist told me when I inquired, that my system was too delicate at the time to use Astragalus. A couple years later, I was seeking the care of a Chiro and he suggested Astragalus. I took it for a bit, according to dosage instructions. Then, one day at work, I started having Intense abdominal pain....it worsened quickly to a feeling of my abdomen being a concrete block and I was doubled over in pain.

I managed to drive myself over to the Urgent Care (slow trip, by having to pull over and try to breathe and then go again). 3-hr wait in an exam room; the doc appeared and tried to massage my abdomen; said I should have gone to ER instead.

Outcome of 6-hrs of testing/imaging .... ruled out no pancreatitis, nothing problematic , but my cecum "was on the wrong side??"; or some sort of super bug, or? DX, intense intestinal spasms. He wrote a script for a relaxer and I waited over an hour at their on sight pharmacy. I could not sit and had to lean against a wall and walk doubled over down the hallways. Less than a minute after swallowing the pill .... all my symptoms were gone.

I have a strong feeling it was the Astragalus. I have researched and read that Astragalus will help lift the uterus, etc., and it is a treatment for prolapse. But, my body probably would want me to stay away from it.

When I use herbs, I tend to cut the recommended dosage in half for me and I go very slowly in using it. My body appears to like contraindications.

I recently watched a Frontline on supplements, and it was kind of scary. Since they are not regulated, we don't know what they are actually putting into a lot of these nowadays. It's not like we are taking the actual root and herb, and using that. We have to trust that what the label says is true, and the dosage recommended is safe.

And, from what they were investigating, many were not either, and sometimes very detrimental.

Just something to check out and be aware of as a consumer.

It is no coincidence the marshmallow candy and the marshmallow plant share the same name. Marshmallows - the sticky candy everyone loves to add to hot chocolate, make s'mores and rice crispy treats was originally made from the root of the marshmallow plant (Althea officinalis) as a throat lozenge. It wasn't until modern times that the marsh mallow root was replaced by gelatin and corn syrup was used as the sweetener and it became strictly a candy with no medicinal value. This is the very original recipe of the throat lozenge which was also eaten as a candy

Marshmallow tea can get rid of kidney stones. What about kidney infection? https://authorityremedies.com/home-remedies-for-kidney-infection/
It is said that due to diuretic property which is able to improve urine flow, the tea effective at flushing out harmful products as well as toxins in your body.
In addition, this herb is capable of combating unfriendly organisms. And the antioxidant property can even help the cells at the urinary tract avoid free radical damage.
Is it true?