Althaea officinalis boiled and fried. The root extract (halawa extract) is sometimes used as flavoring in the making of a Middle Eastern snack called "halva". The later French version of the recipe, called ' (or ' for short), included an egg white meringue and was often flavored with rose water. "" more closely resembles contemporary commercially available marshmallows, which no longer contain "Althaea officinalis". Chemical constituents include altheahexacosanyl lactone ("n"-hexacos-2-enyl-1,5-olide), 2β-hydroxycalamene (altheacalamene) and altheacoumarin glucoside (5,6-dihydroxycoumarin-5-dodecanoate-6β--glucopyranoside), along with the known phytoconstituents lauric acid, β-sitosterol and lanosterol. Althaea officinalis Althaea officinalis, or marsh-mallow, is a perennial species indigenous to Europe, Western Asia, and
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,