The charming hollyhock has been used since ancient times in medicine.

What exactly is this charming plant - Alcea?

It is a gentle medicinal plant and is one of the classic medicinal plants used in both official and folk medicine.

The flowers, leaves and roots of the plant are equally used for healing.

The roots contain mucilage, starch, pectin, betaine, asparagine, figasterin, simple oil, sugars and salts, and the flowers and leaves - mainly mucilage, essential oil, vitamin C, etc.

The complex of active medicinal substances is the reason why this plant is established as one of the most important in the treatment of coughs, colds, and catarrh of the respiratory tract.

People have used the root in herbal medicine for centuries.

The root of medicinal hollyhock looks like a brown fibrous husk.

The flowers, roots and leaves of the plant are all edible.

Growing hollyhock:

Medicinal hollyhock is a heat-loving and light-loving plant. It is demanding on humidity and nutrients.

It requires high soil moisture during all its phases during the growing season. It is necessary to fertilize abundantly with organic and mineral fertilizers.

Loose, water-permeable and weed-free soils are most suitable for these plants. They must have a good water, air and food regime.

Harvesting hollyhock:

Medicinal hollyhock plantations in the first year are used to obtain leaves and flowers, which are harvested by hand during the flowering phase.

In the second year, they are used to extract roots, leaves and flowers. The flowers are best dried in the shade, spread out in a thin layer.

The leaves are harvested without stems and branches.

The roots are collected in October of the second year or in the spring of the third year. The removed roots are cleaned from the stems, the woody part and the thin roots.

They are washed with running water. They are cut into 8-10 cm lengths, their skin is peeled and then split lengthwise into 2 to 4 parts. They are dried in dryers or in the oven at up to max 50C temperature.

Using hollyhock:

External application:

• For gargling with sore throat and hoarse voice
• For gargling with inflamed gums
• For applying paws for boils, wounds, eczema, edema
• For compresses for eye inflammation.

Internal application:

1 tbsp. of the herb is poured into 500 ml of warm water.

It soaks for 2 hours.

It is taken 150 ml sweetened with honey 15 minutes before meals, 4 times a day for a period no longer than 21 days.

If you haven't tried it yet, now you can add this useful herb to your herbal cupboards and use it when needed.

Shared with joy

A.A.

Stob, Bulgaria