Page 108 - Lost Book Remedies
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The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies

        Soothes Irritated Mucous Membranes: Mal-                for  UTIs  and
        low Tea is helpful for cases of irritated mucous mem-   other  infections.
        branes. It soothes the lining of the respiratory tract and   Mallow  relieves
        other mucus membranes for symptom relief of colds,      the  swelling  and
        coughs, bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. It is also   irritation  of  the
        anti-inflammatory.                                      urinary tract and
                                                                helps   promote
        Burns, Bruising, Swelling and Other Topi-               healing.
        cal Use: Mallow soothes inflamed tissue and works
                                           well  for  burns,    Teething:
                                           dermatitis,   and    Mallow Root Tea
                                           any type of swell-   is  safe  for  use   Nutlets or seeds, Qniemiec, CC by SA 3.0
                                           ing.  It  can  be    with children and
                                           added to a bath or   is a good antidote for teething pain and inflammation.
                                           used on the skin.    Rub the tea onto the gums as often as needed.
                                            Anti-bacterial      Nausea,  Stomach  and  Digestive  Upsets:
                                           and     Urinary      Mallow Leaf or Root Tea relieves nausea. It works well
                                           Tract      Infec-    for  stomach  flu,  ulcers,  and  other  stomach  upsets,
                                           tions:  Leaf  and    soothing inflammation and promoting normal bowel
                                           flower  tincture  is   function.
                                                 antibacterial  Recipes:  Mallow  Root  Tea.  1  tablespoon  of
                                           against  Staphylo-   shredded or powdered mallow root, 1-pint (500 ml) of
                                           coccus,  Strepto-    water. Bring the root and water to a boil and simmer
                                           coccus, and Enter-   for 5 to 10 minutes. Allow it to cool to drinking temper-
         High Mallow, KENPEI, CC by SA 3.0
                                           ococcus.      Best   ature  and  strain  out  the  root.  Drink 1  cup,  warm  or
        used in conjunction with stronger antibacterial herbs   cold.




        Marshmallow,                                            on both sides. The plant has many branchless stems
                                                                covered  in  soft  white  hairs.  The  stems  have  saw-
        Althaea officinalis                                     toothed projections. The flowers are somewhat trum-
                                                                pet-shaped, about 2 to 3 inches (5 cm to 7.5 cm) across
        The  common  marshmallow  plant  is  grown  commer-     and roughly 3 inches (7.5 cm) deep. The flowers pro-
        cially for medicinal use, but it can be found in many   duce seedpods that ripen in August to October, pop-
        places in the US growing wild. The roots were used to   ping open to release small, flat black seeds.
        make the original marshmallow candy, unlike today’s
        supermarket version, which are pure sugar. The plant
        grows in cool, moist places such as the grassy banks of
        lakes and streams and on the edges of marshes. I have
        seen it growing wild in many eastern and mid-western
        states. I grow it in my garden.  It is in the Malvaceae
        (Mallow) Family.

        Identification: Marshmallow is a green perennial
        with large white flowers that bloom from July to Sep-
        tember. The plants grow to be from 4 to 6 feet (1.2m to
        1.8m) tall and form clumps about 2 1/2 feet (0.8m) in
        diameter. The leaves vary in shape. Some are spear-
        head-shaped while others have three or five lobes or
        may be toothed. They are covered in a fine, velvety fuzz
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