Marshmallow Root
the botanical origin of a popular campfire treat
Reclaim your botanical origin.
On Medicine Mondays, I will feature a new fun fact about plants. Explore the hidden botanical world behind modern society and learn how plants contribute to the things we enjoy in our daily lives.
This is valuable information if you’re someone who:
Finds value in holistic health and wellness
Reclaiming your ancestral heritage
Seeks to live a more sustainable lifestyle
Incorporates natural wisdom into your daily routine
Embraces the cultural history of plants
Marshmallow Root
Today’s fact features a key ingredient in s’mores, a popular campfire treat composed of marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers. Many of us have grown up roasting marshmallows by the fire and seen them as a candy on store shelves. This white fluffy snack is known to be comforting and delicious, but its ingredients have mostly remained a mystery.
Before they became commercialized, marshmallows were originally made from marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis), an herbal plant in the same family as hibiscus, okra and cotton.
In Ancient Egypt since 2000 BCE, this plant was cherished for its medicinal properties. Indigenous Africans from this region were the first to make marshmallows as a sweet treat. It was considered a delicacy reserved for the royal class and deities.
This herb is a mucilage that soothes inflamed tissues, supports digestion, protects the lungs and boosts immunity as an adaptogen. It’s one of the main active ingredients in many pharmaceutical cough medicines because it heals sore throat. You can buy the dried root from an herbal apothecary (or grow the plant in your garden), boil it into tea and craft it into herbal tonics.
To make marshmallows the original way, the root is soaked in water overnight to create a thick gel-like extract, and mixed with egg whites and honey.
This mixture is whipped until it expands, then left to sit at room temperature and cut into slices. The healing components are preserved through this method that allows it to be enjoyed as a medicinal food.
Marshmallow candy on the mainstream market is now made with artificial sugar, corn syrup, animal-derived gelatin from beef and pork bones, and vanilla extract.
Commodification has caused this ancient delicacy to become unhealthier than it used to be. Nowadays, corporations seek cheap materials and convenience for manufacturing their marshmallow products—but they don’t have your health in mind.
It’s empowering to know that everything we have comes from Mother Nature.
See you next Medicine Monday for another fun fact about plants!
Forage Future Book
Foraging is the future. This book calls for the return of ancient land-based knowledge. Honoring the timeless gift of plant whisperers and the sacred path of land stewards, this book serves as a valuable guide and inspiration to reclaim the wisdom of the wild.
It includes helpful information for harvesting and foraging, and a collection of profiles for edible wild and native plants in northern Florida:
Amaranth
Elderberry
Muscadine Grape
Beautyberry
Loquat
Izote
Mimosa
Butterfly Pea
Mulberry
Ancient wisdom lives within you,
Alexis Akua