Benefits of Marshmallow Root for Horses

Soft, soothing, and full of fabulous mucilage - marshmallow root wraps the gut in gentle relief.

Please note this is a nutritional, functional horse food supplement and not veterinary medicine. For more on this, see Dr Kellon's Horse Sense - Nutrition is not 'Alternative' Therapy.

Tincture

Our human-grade, certified organic tinctures give you a ready-to-absorb potent source of phytonutrients at the highest-strength available, for immediate absorption straight into the bloodstream and to the body’s cells.

~ 100% certified organic pure tincture

Althea officinalis Radix (Marshmallow) Root, Cold Macerated 1:3 35%, Organic Cultivated

~ Feed Guide

• 6ml/100kg bodyweight, daily in feed.
• Always shake the bottle to disperse any sediment.
• 3-year shelf-life.

Dried Herb

Produced to ecological standards and free from agro-chemicals.

~ Certified organic dried herb

Althea officinalis (Marshmallow) Root , Cut, Wild Harvested , Origin Albania

~ Feed Guide

• 5g/100kg bodyweight per day, thus for an average 500kg horse add 25g daily to feed.
• 1-year shelf-life.

Functional Nutritional Value

Constituents: Mucilage, starch, pectin, flavonoids, phenolic acids, sucrose, asparagine, tannins.

NB. Our range of botanicals are all grown, harvested and dried without the use of agri-chemicals, non-irradiated and GMO free - see our Quality page for Quality Management & Certification Documents. Laboratory tested for identification and compliance to the British and European Pharmacopoeia standards, and are human grade. Please be aware that if you're purchasing our dried botanicals for human use, our dried range is cut to appropriate sizes for feeding to horses.

Marshmallow Root in History & Tradition

Soft, silky, and soothing, marshmallow root( Althaea officinalis ) is the plant that inspired the original marshmallow sweet. And it makes sense—this herb is all about softness. Its velvety leaves, delicate flowers, and gooey, mucilage-rich roots are nature’s answer to irritation and inflammation, wrapping everything they touch in a protective, cooling hug.

A long history of comfort

The ancients adored marshmallow. Egyptian healers, Greek physicians, Roman herbalists, and Middle Eastern traditions all celebrated its ability to calm sore throats, soothe coughs, and ease digestive upset. Pliny himself proclaimed that “whosoever shall take a spoonful of mallows shall that day be free from all diseases.” (A bold claim, but it shows how highly it was prized!)

Culpeper praised it in 1653 for helping with “all hot and sharp diseases,” while Dr. Ellingwood, writing in 1919, noted its soothing effect on the intestines and bladder. From cough syrups to gut tonics, marshmallow has always been a go-to herb of comfort.

Why herbalists still love it

The magic of marshmallow lies in its mucilage - a gel-like substance released when steeped in water. This makes it:

• Demulcent – coating and soothing sore throats, dry coughs, and irritated lungs.
• Gut-friendly – easing acid reflux, ulcers, IBS, and inflammation in the GI tract.
• Cooling + moistening – perfect for hot, dry, irritated conditions inside or out.
• Diuretic – gently supporting kidney and bladder health.

Interestingly, the root is richer in mucilage, making it more useful for gut health, while the leaf is often chosen for respiratory complaints.

From food to pharmacy

Marshmallow wasn’t always “just” a herb. For centuries it was eaten as food—high in calcium and rich in trace minerals like magnesium, selenium, and iron. Even today, some herbal traditions still treat it as both food and medicine.

And of course, it gave us the marshmallow sweet - though modern marshmallows are sadly more sugar than plant!

Growing marshmallow

This lovely perennial thrives in damp soil and is easy to grow in cottage gardens. With its soft leaves and silky flowers, it’s as beautiful as it is useful - and if you grow it yourself, you’ll never be short of its soothing medicine.

Safety

• In theory, marshmallow's high mucilage levels may inhibit absorption of drugs taken simultaneously.