By Mary Harvey
Editor’s note: The author extols health benefits derived from a variety of herbs. Got a question? Email: MaryAndRichard31@gmail.com.
Grab your hot cocoa and drop in a Marshmallow. Or, poke one onto a branch and sit around a campfire to roast – eating the char-coaled goo off your branch. Then, of course, there are S’mores!! These are memories almost everyone has enjoyed.
Here’s a true North Carolina tale to go with this perennial treat:
Over 20 years ago a farmer from Mooresville, NC invited a journalist to his farm to show his harvesters picking Marshmallows off trees. It was an April Fool’s prank that continues to this day. For years after, grown-ups (not just children) would come to see the marshmallow harvest. This prank became a global phenomenon. These days people call and ask questions before coming. However, here’s the truth: MARSHMALLOWS DON’T GROW ON TREES!
The actual Marshmallow plant, is a perennial herb from the Malvaceae plant family, used for centuries as an herbal remedy. The root and leaves of the marshmallow plant contain mucilage, a gummy substance that forms a gel when mixed with water. This gel can help with a variety of conditions, including:
- Respiratory and digestive issues: Marshmallow root’s mucilage can coat the throat and stomach to soothe irritation and promote healing. It can help with coughs, sore throats, indigestion, and inflammatory bowel diseases.
- Skin health: Marshmallow root’s antioxidants and plant compounds can reduce irritation and inflammation, and help with wound healing.
- Dry mouth: Marshmallow root can help improve dry mouth.
- Leaky gut: Some research suggests that yogurt formulated with marshmallow root may help treat leaky gut.
Today’s marshmallow candy originated in ancient Egypt more than 2000 years BC and was made from the herb’s roots and leaves, adding honey and nuts. The Egyptians discovered the plant in the “marsh.” They tasted the slightly sweet but earthy root and created a treat reserved for Nobles, Pharoahs, and the Gods.
The plant itself grows in North Africa, Asia and Europe and in Western N.C. (for the Asheville Tea Company.) The plant is a continuous bloomer throughout the summer until fall. It grows about 4 feet tall and 2 1/2 feet wide. It likes wet soil and lots of sun. It can grow in sandy soil but should have mulch around it to keep it damp. It will die back in winter and come back the next year.
In the early to mid 19th Century, the French whipped the mucilage of marshmallow with egg whites and sugar, shaped it into a bar and dried it for two days before selling it both as a candy and a medicine to soothe sore throats.
At the turn of the 20th Century, corn starch, gelatin, and sugar replaced the original plant to make the marshmallows we buy today. Unfortunately, today’s delicious candy treat has absolutely no nutritional or medicinal value.
- However, Marshmallow root is used in skin creams and hair masks. You can also purchase it in teas, powders, capsules and tinctures for its medicinal value.
- You can buy seeds or small plants online and give your green thumb a try. They won’t survive lots of rain and their size precludes them growing in doors. However, they can be grown in North Carolina
- You can buy the powdered root, tincture or capsules online.
Marshmallow root is generally considered safe to use, but you should still talk with your doctor before taking or using it. It can interact with other drugs, such as diuretics and diabetes medications, so you should be cautious when taking it with these medications.
