Our local Mallow isn’t the Marshmallow of Northern hemisphere herbalists but is rather the Small Flowered Mallow, Malva parviflora.
It does have its appeals, though and, as with many of the Malvaceae, it has a good level of nutrition plus a soothing mucilage that is present in all parts of the plant. Try some for yourself – take a leaf, or better, a seed and chew it slowly for a while. You’ll find a slimy goo building up in your mouth as the polysaccharides in the plant combine with your saliva.
This is the mucilage and it can be used internally for soothing any part of your digestive tract. It works with your urinary tract too by reflex action. You can also use it externally by applying it directly to inflamed areas.
The mucilage in any mucilaginous herb (like Comfrey) can be a band aid for small wounds too because as the mucilage dries, it shrinks, pulling and holding the edges of the wound together.
The mucilage is common in the Malvaceae family which includes Hollyhocks, Rosella and Okra. If you’ve ever eaten Okra, you’ll know what I mean.
The best way to prepare Mallow herbally is by a room temperature infusion in water. That extracts the mucilage best. It is insoluble in alcohol, so doesn’t tincture and leaves a goo in your bottle.
Nutritionally, Mallows contain a lot of minerals, vitamins A and C, antioxidants (including phenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, tocopherols) and also ALA fatty acids. Mallows are low in protein but rich in polysaccharides.
In Europe, Mallow leaves are a common food but to use those grown here, use them very young because they get a rust disease as they age and go yucky.
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Other herb pages on Ligaya Garden
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