Common Mallow taking over our garden.

This year has been a robust year for Common Mallow (Malva neglecta) and it appears to be determined to take over our land. I have to say I am very impressed with how it is swallowing up our gardens. As I have mentioned before, some say that if a plant shows up, perhaps it is because you may need it. I have always been very fond of Marshmallow Root (Althea officinalis) for extinguishing acid reflux and since Common Mallow is related to it, I thought perhaps it was a good to time to experiment and learn about Common Mallow. I read that it is more frequently used as a skin-soother than for coughs or stomach upset because it is not as potent as Marshmallow.

tender leaves, flowers, and fruit that we add to our salads

All parts of the Common Mallow plant are edible. The fruits are rather nutritious; they contain 21% protein and 15.2% fat. Throughout the summer, I have been gathering the tender young leaves, flowers and fruits for our salads. They have a very mild taste, but are a nice addition to our salads nonetheless. Recently, I dug up and dried the roots to use later. This plant was so tenacious, that even though, I tried my best to dig up all the roots, within a week new young sprouts started to appear. So, I added the young sprouts to our salads as well, roots and all. Neglecta is Latin, and as you might expect, means “neglected” or “ignored.”  This year, Common Mallow was certainly not neglected on our land.

within a week, they were back

The day I dug up the Common Mallow, I started to experience its healing qualities. While I spent several hours, (yes there was a lot of Common Mallow in the garden) digging up the roots, I soaked the roots in water to make cleaning easier. While cleaning the soil off the roots in the tub of water, I found my hands getting soothed by the water. One of the fabulous properties of the Malva family is that they are mucilaginous which soothes and forms a protective layer while offering some pain relief. I experienced this first hand (no pun intended, well maybe).  This quality makes it an excellent herb to treat inflamed mucous membranes in the throat, respiratory, gastrointestinal and urinary tracts.

Common Mallow belongs to the Malvaceae (or mallow) family.  It is a very large family that contains over 200 genera with almost 2,300 species. It includes the Malva, Althea, Hoheria and Hibiscus; some commonly known members of this family include Cacao, Okra, Cotton, Rose of Sharon, Hollyhock, Marshmallow, and Jute.

Along with the Common Mallow, our Hollyhocks are quite impressive this year as well. Not only did two new colored blossoms appear this year, they are tremendous. They grow along our house with one that reaches up almost 20 feet towards the sky. Yes, I believe the Malva family certainly does not want to be neglected this year.

Our Hollyhock

All information is shared for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition.