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
Verbena officinalis plant" or "wild hyssop". The common name "blue vervain" is also sometimes used, but also refers to "V. hastata". And of course, being the only member of its genus in much of its range, it is also simply known as "the vervain" locally. The common names of "V. officinalis" in many Central and Eastern European languages often associate it with iron, for example: Common vervain was scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus his 1753 "Species Plantarum". The scientific name references the Ancient Roman term "verbena", used for any sacrificial herb considered very powerful (as described e.g. by Pliny the Elder). "Officinalis",