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Image of Rose Mallow herb: Northdays Image: Natural Light Photos
Horticultural Society leaders urge us not to transplant
plants from the woods, and it is especially unsafe to transplant those
plants which often live near water sources.
If a plant is used by animals
in the wild as an expectorant or for bronchial infections, disease could
be carried back to your garden, also leeches and crayfish eggs. Sometimes
minnow eggs get pulled right into plants, so that the herbal qualities of
your garden are not as well controlled.
I will never forget starting
my first herb garden next to the River Misssissippi and not having a water
hose outlet. Painstakingly, and with all my strength, I hauled five gallon
buckets of river water one by one , to water in my seeds and roots.
It is
not that good an idea, but my garden was exquisite, for what it was. Where
they had paved paradise and put up a parking lot, I degravelled and junked
what seemed to be an interminable junk heap full of car parts and broken
glass.
I found some exquisite White Mallow plants, which grew in the vacant lot next to my reclaimed parking lot. My plants did not come up th enext year (from their seed) and I have had trouble growing these, myself. However, Ontario gardens show thousands of stands, like the one above, in their gardens- and they are perennials.
Mallow enjoys the folk names mallards, mauls,and also Mortification root.It was historically grown or laid upon graves.
Mallow
is known by a few names, but is now more famous for its root qualities
which produce the "confectionary paste", "Pate de Guimauve", which was
used by French pharmacists and British sweet makers for soothing
chests and coughs. Marshmallows are manufactured of flour, egg,
egg-albumin and actually contain no Mallow.
Canadian Marshmallow packages
define the delicious sweets as "Guimauve".
Of Note: The illustration to the left reflects what we recognize as Marsh Mallow. To research the "Fluffernutters" a marshmallow sandwich craze which delighted all in the sixties, tour the addres below: Web design by Gayla Sanders:
http://www.marshmallowfluff.com/
I feel that my best Mallow name discovery is from an obscure reference I found, rather excitedly, as I researched the plant on the net.What is ma-ning nyi-dga'? And what could mo-lcam rgya dkar gnyis be? Respectively, the names are Tibetan for neuter Mallow and female Mallow (Malva verticillala / Althaea). Bet you didn't know that! In this delightful and gifted site, I found actual Thankas (formal meditation Mandalas painted in the Tibetan style)of medicinal herbs!!The site lists actual names and properties of the herbs,besides having many thanka images of Buddha, green Tara, what is your eastward-turning hearts' desire?
http://www.bremen.de/info/nepal/Inhalt-e.htm
Dharmapala Centre´s is proud to announce, that its web site has been selected by UNESCO to the CD-ROM entitled "Millennium Guide to Cultural Resources on the Web " attached to the World Culture Report 2000 published by UNESCO.
The true
Marsh Mallow is distinguished from other Mallows by numerous divisions of the
outer calyx, and by downy covering of stems and foliage, making it look as
comfortable as its reputation.
Mallow also has numerous pannicles of rosy
flowers, which are paler than Common Mallow.
The plant, particularly the
whitish-yellow root, contains a mild mucilage in a higher percentage than common
Mallow.
The name Althaea derives from altho (grk) to cure and malake(grk),or
soft.
Egyptians, Chinese, Romans,
Syrians,Greeks and Armenians used it as a vegetable, the Romans employing the
plant as a delicacy and the Syrians, Greeks and Armenians subsisting on it for
weeks.
This is the second herb mentioned in this website as a subsistence food in
history The other was mentioned in Plinys' writings as the primary food of
slaves, being the fig.
Mallow takes over in times of famine as a cropworthy
vegetable, and can be first boiled and then fried with onions and butter.
The
plant contains lecithin,sucrose and asparagin.Its seed is nicknamed cheeses, and
the plant makes a pleasant polysaccharide mucilage.
The thought of scrambling for Shirley poppies, mallows and figs does not tend to remind me of the gourmet dishes I have enjoyed, but anything is worth a shot in Lanark!
Arabic physicians made
poultices of Mallow leaves to suppress inflammation.Grow Comfrey and Mallow, and
also Boneset, and you will have temporary relief when your tendons are swollen,
or you have bruised your flesh.
Boneset is actually used as a poultice in much
the same way as Slippery Elm, to assist with fracture and bone breakage. I have
used Comfrey as a wrap for leg injuries, first crushing its ample leaves, and
bandaging the herb around the knee.
It works mildly, but it does help. The
salycilic acid in Mallow may be useful within the poultice.
In the wild,I
imagine, one could match Willow and Mallow for temporary
relief.
Spring shoots of Mallow are eaten raw in salads, and as a kidney stimulant, thier roots are made into a syrup. Orange flower water is added to the green stem made into a tea with honey or orange juice for coughs and rough chest, whereas gin is recommended for the tisane or syrup made for kidney "gravel" suffering. The gin is used when there is no inflammation of the kidneys present. Recommended is a cup of Mallow tea three times a day, to which is added a tablespoon of gin. I would consult my physician about the state of my kidneys, first,though, to make sure there is no kidney inflammation.
There are many recipe variations for the herbs qualities, also useful for the elderly, digestive problems,coughs and colds, and strangury.
strangury
(stran'gu-re)
slow and painful discharge of urine
To make a soothing mucilage: gently boil 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of dried root to 1 cup of water for 15 minutes. Drink up to 3 cups a day. For wounds and external application add water to dried ground root till you have a gel consistency to apply.
The plant is also used for a skin softener and to help cure leg or varicose ulcers
There are several varieties of
Mallow, Dwarf Mallow, having pale lilac flowers and Tree Sea Mallow, five or six
feet high, also Musk Mallow which has rosy flowers, sometimes purple spotted
foliage and a faint, musky odour.
Tree Sea Mallow is used for sprains.Its
qualities are milder in their medicinal value.
Blue Mallow has showy,bright
mauve-purple flowers with dark veins.This type is used for poultices. Its
flowers, which, in fading, turn blue, in tincture give a delicate test for
alkalis.
How lost hydraulicists win the pollution war on a budget!
On May Day, folk used to use the plant for strewing and weaving into garlands.
The words below are a tenth of the property values listed in address above.
"Mallow has astringent, demulcent, emollient, expectorant properties and is used for the digestive systems and lungs. It can also be taken for laryngitis, emphysema, and lung catarrh, and for catarrhal gastritis and enteritis."
"The leaves...minerals and vitamins (calcium, iron, vitamin C, copper traces and more) .. an abundant, free source of organic nutrition."
Magic herb game
http://www.quantal.demon.co.uk/saga/ooc/herbs.html
http://www.quantal.demon.co.uk/saga/index.html
Medicinal use:
all-heal Magic & beliefs:
Mallow was an important ingredient in love potions. In addition,
Pliny also reminds us that "those who carry mallow on their person are
protected from all kinds of scorpion stings."
http://galensgarden.freewebspace.com/index.htm Safe herbs for rabbits and Guinea pigs
Constituents:
Mucilage, essential oil and trace of tannin. Actions: Demulcent, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, astringent.
http://www.taoherbfarm.com/herbs/
Immune System: Recent studies showed the Mallows enhanced white blood
cells ability to devour disease microbes.
Blood Sugar: The root has been shown to reduce blood sugar which shows promise in helping those with diabetes.
neuter and Female Mallow paintings
http://www.bremen.de/info/nepal/Gallery-3/Medical/8-27/40.gif
http://www.bigtimer.com/home.htm
This is an excellent site, worth visiting. Though there are no medicinal virtues listed for Mallow, the cartoon marshmallow theme lends interest to other humour themes as well as job search!
Textual References:
p.84 The Natural Pharmacy Miriam Polunin and Christopher Robbins
Raincoast Books Vancouver.
The Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Herbalism , p. 150
A Modern Herbal
by Mrs Grieves .p.506.
