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
Officinalis from "facere" "do, perform". When Linnaeus invented the binomial system of nomenclature, he gave the specific name "officinalis", in the 1735 (1st Edition) of his Systema Naturae, to plants (and sometimes animals) with an established medicinal, culinary, or other use. Officinalis Officinalis, or officinale, is a Medieval Latin epithet denoting substances or organisms – mainly plants – with uses in medicine and herbalism. It commonly occurs as a specific epithet - the second term of a two-part botanical name. Officinalis is used to modify masculine and feminine nouns, while officinale is used for neuter nouns. The word "officinalis" literally means