Althea rosa
Hollyhock
Malvacea
I tend to think that the poor Hollyhock has been forgotten
in the world of herbal medicine. As an herb we
substitute hollyhock for it's cousin marshmallow.
The
properties are so similar but it has the advantage to the
gardener of not requiring anywhere near the same amount of
water to keep it robust and effective.
Sow seed where you
want it to grow as it does not like being moved.
In the same
way that Verbascum and Evening Primrose require you to think
ahead, you must remember that these plants are not annuals
and you will need to have them in position for several
seasons before they burst into glorious flower.
Packet of 100+ seeds $3.50
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The mucilage bearing roots are the greatest feature
(medicinally) of these plants.
We use it, cold infused, (to
extract the mucilage but not the starch) for stomach ache
or to loosen tight, raspy coughs.
Pounding the dry root to powder and
blending it into an ointment base is a great soothing hand
and foot cream.
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