Althaea (plant) often added to salads or are boiled and fried. The roots and stem also secrete mucilage, which is used to soften the skin, and is used in cosmetic treatments. The Roman poet Horace refers to his own diet in his Odes, which he describes as very simple: "As for me, olives, endives, and smooth mallows provide sustenance." The root has been used since Egyptian antiquity in a honey-sweetened confection useful in the treatment of sore throat. The later French version of the recipe, called "pâte de guimauve" (or "guimauve" for short), included an eggwhite meringue and was often flavored with
Laricifomes officinalis Laricifomes officinalis Laricifomes officinalis is a wood-decay fungus in the order Polyporales. It causes brown heart rot on conifers, and is found in Europe, Asia, and North America, as well as Morocco. It is commonly known as agarikon, as well as the quinine conk because of its extremely bitter taste. DNA analysis supports "L. officinalis" as distinct from the genus "Fomitopsis". The conks were once collected extensively for production of medicinal quinine, which they were thought to contain, because of the bitter taste of the powdered conk. However, they do not contain quinine, and have no anti-malarial properties. The distinctive