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
Styrax officinalis spring to summer (May–June). "Styrax officinalis" subsp. "redidivus", "Styrax officinalis" subsp. "fulvescens" (both native to California) and "Styrax officinalis" subsp. "jaliscana" (native to Mexico), were included here, but recent molecular analysis has suggested that they may be diverged to the point of being separate species. This species is native to southern Europe and the Middle East. It prefers dry rocky slopes, woods and thickets at an elevation up to above sea level. This plant is the "official" source of styrax, an herbal medicine known from ancient times. Some believe its oleoresin to have been the stacte used together with frankincense,