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Originally from Africa, temperate and tropical Asia and Europe. Cultivated in China and Europe.
Are present in the seaboard of Europe, in the Northwest of Africa and in the South of Asia; in the humid zones nearby the sea.
It is a perennial herb, slightly pubescent with erect *** stems between 60 and 120 cm tall.
It is pollinated by insects and flourishes from August to September.
The leaves can be shortly petioled ovate or slightly cordate, with a wide irregularly serrated margin.
The hermaphrodite flowers are pink, axillary, solitary or in fascicles and with peduncles.
The corolla consists of 5 petals.
The calyx consists of 5 sepals.
The *** part is composed of branched stamens and anthers purple soldiers, and 3 to 5 carpels soldiers.
The root is ligneous with brownish appearance, but white when is peeled.
It can have whitish and yellowish secondary roots of 30cm at most.
Used in decoration, food and medicine.
Its smell is light and aromatic, presenting a mucilaginous taste.
In the antiquity, Egyptian civilization used the root to made a sweet that nowadays is known as marshmallow.
The most used part in medicinal properties is the root, due to his high content in mucilages (10-20%).
The leaves are used in herbal tea beacause provides expectorant, diuretic, emollients, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and analgesic properties.
At present the use of the leaves is based in relieving the urethritis and the renal calques.
The root has the same properties and therefore is used in digestive problems, for bucal inflammations, as a laxative and for the annoyances of the irritable bowel syndrome.
The use of root infusions is helpful for irritations, digestive problems, buccal inflammations and as a laxative.