Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris)
In short
Summary of findings for quick reference
Common mallow is a familiar garden and wayside plant with lilac-pink flowers. Its flowers and leaves are used for tea. Mallows appear in ancient texts, Hildegard’s Physica and later English herbals. The recorded parts and uses differ, so these texts do not demonstrate an unchanged cough treatment across the centuries.
The EMA lists mallow flowers and leaves for traditional relief of oral or throat irritation and associated dry cough from age twelve. Traditional use means long-standing use and plausible efficacy, not confirmation by sufficiently good trials. Related marshmallow root also has traditional-use status at the EMA; its preparations are not simply interchangeable with mallow tea.
Flowers and leaves have different tea doses and are infused with boiling water. The EMA does not recommend medicinal use below age twelve or during pregnancy and breastfeeding because data are insufficient. The mallow monographs report no interactions with other medicines. Cough or throat irritation lasting more than one week warrants medical advice.
Clinical evidence ↔ Historical significanceWe display two separate evidence categories: clinical evidence from modern trials and historical significance from documented healing tradition. Both are valuable, but they answer different questions.Read more
In every encyclopedia entry we evaluate two distinct categories of evidence. Clinical evidence as used in trials meets a narrower but scientifically essential bar. At the same time, the hundreds of thousands of plant species worldwide have only partially been captured and tested in modern studies.
Alongside the trial picture our researchers compile a comprehensive overview of where and since when a plant has been used across different traditions of natural medicine. When a plant has been used as a medicinal plant in many cultures across many generations, that historical significance deserves to be visible too.
Our position: a truly informative overview emerges only when both categories sit side by side. We communicate transparently what counts as what.
Overview
Common mallow (Malva sylvestris), also called Käsepappel in Austria, grows along paths and in gardens. Its lilac-pink flowers have dark veins and its leaves are rounded and lobed. Dried flowers or leaves are traditionally prepared as tea for irritation of the mouth or throat and associated dry cough. Their mucilage forms a gel-like liquid in water.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) recognises these traditional uses for adults and adolescents aged twelve and over. This assessment rests on long-standing use, rather than robust clinical evidence that pure mallow tea provides meaningful relief. The EMA also lists mild gastrointestinal discomfort as a traditional indication.
History
Mallows have been recorded as food and medicinal plants since antiquity. They appear in Dioscorides’ materia medica, while Pliny describes several wild and cultivated mallows. These old names do not always identify a single modern species or plant part. In the twelfth century, Hildegard of Bingen’s Physica describes cooked young mallow for a weak stomach. This documents historical use, not present-day efficacy.
Later English herbals also discuss mallow. Culpeper treats mallows and marshmallow together; Grieve’s 1931 herbal has a separate section on Malva sylvestris and records an infusion for coughs and colds. The Austrian name Käsepappel refers to the round, cheese-like fruits. Today, EMA monographs describe flower and leaf preparations for oral or throat irritation and associated dry cough, with medicinal use restricted to ages twelve and over.
Mechanism
Mucilage consists of long carbohydrate chains that bind water and swell. It can form a thin layer over the lining of the mouth and throat, providing a rationale for traditional demulcent use. The EMA specifies hot infusions or decoctions for mallow flowers and leaves; it does not establish a general advantage of cold extraction.
The flowers also contain anthocyanin pigments, including malvin, which contribute to their violet colour and change colour with acidity. Other constituents have been studied in the laboratory: an alcoholic mallow extract reduced the release of certain inflammatory mediators in cultured cells. This does not establish symptom relief from a cup of tea.
The EMA classifies mallow flowers and leaves as traditional herbal medicinal products. This requires sufficiently long documented medicinal use and plausible efficacy, rather than convincing clinical trial evidence. The monographs concern specified flower or leaf preparations; the leaf monograph includes Malva neglecta as well as Malva sylvestris.
Adequately informative human trials of pure mallow tea for dry cough or ordinary throat irritation remain lacking. Studies of other indications or combination products do not fill that gap. Laboratory experiments with mallow extracts offer mechanistic clues but do not establish the size or reliability of symptom relief from tea.
Evidence
| Outcome | Class | Grade | Effect | Studies | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry cough associated with oral or throat irritationThe EMA lists flower and leaf preparations for traditional relief of oral or throat irritation and associated dry cough. Efficacy is considered plausible from long-standing use; robust clinical evidence for pure mallow tea is lacking.Adults and adolescents aged twelve and over | TraditionalTraditional use. Long-standing folk practice or EMA HMPC traditional-use monograph. | DEvidence quality grade D. Preliminary signal. A single small trial, pilot result, or laboratory or animal model. Clinical relevance unclear. This is an evidence rating, not a product endorsement. | Traditional Use | [1][2] | |
| Mild irritation of the oral and pharyngeal mucosaTraditional use concerns irritated membranes in the mouth and throat. Mucilage offers a plausible demulcent mechanism, but clinical studies do not adequately establish how reliably pure mallow tea relieves ordinary throat irritation.Adults and adolescents aged twelve and over | TraditionalTraditional use. Long-standing folk practice or EMA HMPC traditional-use monograph. | DEvidence quality grade D. Preliminary signal. A single small trial, pilot result, or laboratory or animal model. Clinical relevance unclear. This is an evidence rating, not a product endorsement. | Traditional Use | [1][2] | |
| Preparation of mallow teaThe EMA lists hot infusions or decoctions for flowers and leaves. This does not establish a general advantage of cold extraction. The row provides preparation guidance, not evidence of a stronger clinical effect.Preparation guidance, not a measured clinical benefit | TraditionalTraditional use. Long-standing folk practice or EMA HMPC traditional-use monograph. | IEvidence quality grade I (Insufficient). Not enough evidence to draw a conclusion. More research needed. This is an evidence rating, not a product endorsement. | Preparation guidance | [1][2] | |
| Inflammatory mediators in cell experimentsMartins and colleagues tested an alcoholic mallow extract in cultured human cells in 2014. It reduced the release of certain inflammatory mediators. This does not demonstrate an anti-inflammatory effect of mallow tea in people.Cultured human cells | TraditionalTraditional use. Long-standing folk practice or EMA HMPC traditional-use monograph. | DEvidence quality grade D. Preliminary signal. A single small trial, pilot result, or laboratory or animal model. Clinical relevance unclear. This is an evidence rating, not a product endorsement. | Laboratory findings only | [3] |
Usage
Forms and preparation
Pour vigorously boiling water over the weighed flowers or leaves. Steep according to the package instructions for at least five minutes, then strain. Drink freshly prepared, after cooling to a comfortable temperature. Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment recommends boiling water because dried herbs can carry microorganisms. The EMA also lists decoctions. A prolonged cold or lukewarm soak is not inherently more effective and is not recommended here for dried herbs. Young mallow leaves are also used as a vegetable. Food use should be distinguished from medicinal use; homemade syrup likewise has no dose equivalent to the tea.
Dosage
For adults and adolescents aged twelve and over, the EMA specifies 1 to 2 g of dried, comminuted flowers in 250 ml boiling water two or three times daily, with an average daily dose of 5 g flowers. For dried, comminuted leaves, the dose is 1.8 g in 150 ml boiling water three times daily. These amounts refer separately to pure flower or leaf preparations; follow the medicinal tea’s package leaflet. Seek medical advice if cough or throat irritation persists for more than one week during use, or mild gastrointestinal discomfort for more than two weeks. Worsening symptoms require earlier advice. These tea doses cannot be transferred to syrups or concentrated extracts.
Safety
Look-alikes
Similar plants and look-alikes
Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis)
Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) belongs to the same family. Its leaves are densely soft-haired and its flowers are generally paler than common mallow’s. It has its own medicinal specifications for plant part, preparation, dose and age, so it is not an interchangeable substitute.
Read the entry: Marshmallow Root (Althaea officinalis)Hollyhock (Alcea rosea)
Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) is a common cottage-garden ornamental in the same family, usually with a tall flowering stem and large flowers. It is not covered by the EMA mallow flower or leaf monographs and is not an equivalent substitute.
FAQs
How do I prepare mallow tea?
The EMA lists 1 to 2 g dried flowers in 250 ml boiling water, or 1.8 g dried leaves in 150 ml. Follow the package instructions, steep for at least five minutes, strain and drink freshly prepared once comfortably cooled. An overnight cold or lukewarm soak is not a suitable general recommendation for dried herbs.
How is mallow different from marshmallow (Eibisch)?
Common mallow (Malva sylvestris) and marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) belong to the same plant family. Mallow tea uses flowers or leaves, while marshmallow root is a well-known medicinal plant part. Both contain mucilage and have traditional uses for throat irritation and dry cough, but their preparations, doses and age limits differ. Mucilage content alone does not establish a reliably stronger effect of marshmallow.
Is mallow tea safe for children?
The EMA recommends medicinal mallow flower and leaf tea only from age twelve. Data on use and safety are insufficient for younger children. Making a weaker infusion does not resolve that uncertainty; seek advice on suitable treatment for younger children.
Do I need to separate mallow tea from other medicines?
The EMA monographs for mallow flowers and leaves report no interactions and do not require a general dosing interval. Advice for other mucilage-rich plants does not automatically apply to mallow. Follow any spacing instruction in your product’s leaflet, and ask a pharmacist about your medicines if needed.
3 sources.
- European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC). European Union herbal monograph on Malva sylvestris L., flos. 2018. Source
- European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC). European Union herbal monograph on Malva sylvestris L. and/or Malva neglecta Wallr., folium. 2018. Source
- Cleverson Antonio Ferreira Martins; Almeriane Maria Weffort-Santos; João Cleverson Gasparetto; Angela Cristina Leal Badaró Trindade; Michel Fleith Otuki; Roberto Pontarolo. Malva sylvestris L. extract suppresses desferrioxamine-induced PGE₂ and PGD₂ release in differentiated U937 cells: the development and validation of an LC-MS/MS method for prostaglandin quantification. 2014. doi:10.1002/bmc.3106
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