Althaea officinalis times of scarcity consequent upon the failure of the crops, this plant, which grows there in great abundance, is collected heavily as a foodstuff. The leaves, flowers and the root of "A. officinalis" (marshmallow) have been used in traditional herbal medicine. This use is reflected in the name of the genus, which comes from the Greek (""), meaning "to heal." Marshmallow was traditionally used as relief for irritation of mucous membranes, including use as a gargle for mouth and throat ulcers and gastric ulcers. The flowers and young leaves can be eaten, and are often added to salads or are
Sugar substitute rebaudioside A and erythritol (developed by Cargill and The Coca-Cola Company), as well as PureVia (developed by PepsiCo and the Whole Earth Sweetener Company, a subsidiary of Merisant), both of which use rebaudioside A derived from the stevia plant. In Australia, the brand Vitarium uses Natvia, a natural stevia sweetener, in a range of sugar-free children's milk mixes. The world's most commonly used artificial sweetener, sucralose is a chlorinated sugar that is about 600 times as sweet as sugar. It is produced from sucrose when three chlorine atoms replace three hydroxyl groups. It is used in beverages, frozen desserts, chewing