Herb library · Herb · Althaea officinalis
Marshmallow
A soft, downy European plant whose root is rich in mucilage, a slippery gel. It is taken for an irritated mouth or throat and dry cough, and EU regulators accept that use on the basis of long use and some supportive studies.
Traditional use
The root has been used for centuries as a soothing, slippery preparation for the throat, cough, the stomach and the bladder, and as a poultice on the skin. In the EU it is registered as a traditional herbal medicine for irritation of the mouth or throat with dry cough (from age 3) and for mild stomach and gut discomfort (from age 12).
Traditional energetics
Galenic (hot or cold, dry or moist)
Hot and dry in the first degree. Culpeper's Complete Herbal (1814), pp. 261–262 (opens in a new tab)
What studies show
- Limited
Irritated throat and dry cough: two uncontrolled studies of marshmallow syrup in about 900 children, and a placebo-controlled trial in 63 adults with dry cough from blood-pressure drugs, suggested less coughing. The EMA says firm conclusions cannot be drawn and bases its acceptance on traditional use.
- Insufficient
Mild stomach and gut discomfort: accepted in the EU on the basis of traditional use only; there are no clinical data.
- Insufficient
On the skin and as a vaginal cream: one pilot trial in 22 children with eczema compared a marshmallow ointment with hydrocortisone, and one trial in 100 women added marshmallow extract to clotrimazole cream for yeast infection. Both reported benefits, but they are small, single studies.
Be careful of
Cautions
- InteractionIt may delay the absorption of other medicines taken at the same time; take it half an hour to an hour apart from other medicines.
- NoteNo side effects had been reported when the EMA assessed it. See a doctor if a cough lasts more than a week or comes with shortness of breath, fever or colored phlegm, or if stomach discomfort lasts more than two weeks.
- ConditionNot recommended for children under 3; alcohol-based extracts are for adults only.
- PregnancySafety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established, and use then is not recommended.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
From the old books
What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.
“It should be chosen plump, and little fibrous; with a very white surface, well cleared of its yellowish epidermis, downy from the mode of dressing it with files; and possessing no moldy, acid, nor musty odor, and no acid taste.”
Sources
- Marshmallow root: summary for the public (EMA/570566/2016) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
- Assessment report on Althaea officinalis L., radix (EMA/HMPC/436680/2015) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
- Effect of topical marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) on atopic dermatitis in children: a pilot double-blind active-controlled clinical trial (Phytother Res, 2021) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- The efficacy of complementary treatment with marshmallow (Althaea officinalis L.) on vulvovaginal candidiasis (Explore, 2023) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.