My property has many, many wild growing plants that are medicinally valuable. I absolutely love foraging and gathering in the woods, but often you don’t have to look past your own yard to find valuable plants. I don’t spray weeds on my property so we’ve started to learn what grows naturally and how we can use it.
Late summer/ early fall is the perfect time to identify plants in their mature state. Berries, seeds, flowers are visible at this time and it makes identifying new plants easier.
Mallow is super easy to identify and grows abundantly in western Montana. It loves a dryer climate and can be found in open lots, fields, the cracks in driveways, even alleys. It’s a ground crawling plant with distinct palmate, scalloped-shaped dark green leaf, a long narrow taproot, tiny wheel-shaped seed pods and soft pink to white flowers with heart shaped petals.
How is it beneficial: it’s a demulcent herb that aids the body in restoring moisture. Montana climate is very dry and by the end summer (and winter) our bodies can feel and look like a raisin . Mallow will help to rehydrate dry eyes, lips, itchy skin, sore throats and dry coughs. (3)
Use Mallow to support healing of infections and inflammation of the urinary tract, gastrointestinal tract and lungs. (3)
How to prepare: The flowers, seed pods, roots and leaves can be used fresh or dried.
When to harvest: Harvest throughout spring and summer.
How to use: Add fresh leaves to salads. It has a sweet, mild taste.
Teas: Cold Infusion - add 1 ounce fresh or dried leaves, roots, flowers for seed pods to 1 quart of water and drink as needed. Decoction (The act of boiling in water, in order to extract the peculiar properties or virtues. (1)) - 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh or dried root to 1 quart boiling water. Drink throughout the day.
Try this — you can use the root from the Mallow plant to make homemade marshmallows. The entire plant is mucilaginous which means when blended, cooked or crushed it creates a healthy gelatin like substance. (2)
When collecting be sure to leave several seedpods behind to allow for reseeding for next year!
I don’t just know all of this!! I love studying plants and use many, many books for reference. I highly recommend “Mountain States Medicinal Plants” by Brianna Wiles. For photos, recipes and general plant information, easy to read and it’s organized by the common name.
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Sources
1 - Century Dictionary
2 - 437 edible wild plants of the Rocky Mountain West by Caleb Warnock
3 - Mountain States Medicinal Plants by Brianna Wiles.
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