Description: a vigorous, hardy perennial with round, lobed leaves and purple, five-petalled flowers, appearing throughout the summer and autumn. The plant will grow to 120 cm.

Parts used: aerial parts collected during flowering Actions: anti-bacterial, anti-tussive, demulcent, possible immune stimulant, mild laxative

Common mallow with its lobed leaves and bright purple flowers is a not unattractive common garden “weed” and hedgerow plant: it will, however, self-seed enthusiastically, so needs treating with caution in the garden.The botanical name derives from both the Latin malva and the Greek malake, which mean “soft” — a reference to its medical properties rather than to any particular softness of its leaves.

Herbal BeautyIn the 16th century mallow was known as omnimorbia or cure-all and Gerard’s list of its uses is certainly comprehensive, ranging from wasp stings to digestive upsets, tumours and the rather unpleasant sounding “inward burstings”.

Mallow is closely related to both marshmallow and hollyhocks and all three have very similar medicinal properties: marshmallow is considered the strongest of the three and is the one normally chosen by medical herbalists, although common mallow makes a satisfactory alternative in an emergency.

The plant is rich in mucilage and is used as a soothing remedy for inflammations and irritation of the gastrointestinal tract and also for coughs and bronchitis. The leaves and flowers are generally used; the root has similar actions but large doses can have a purgative effect. A poultice of mallow leaves is ideal for skin sores and inflammations.

Butterbur Petasites hybridus

Description: a dramatic plant growing to 200 cm with leaves up to 90 cm across and generally found in damp, marshy places.The flowers appear in early spring — before the leaves — in dense reddish spikes of either male or female blooms; they may be bell- shaped or thread-like and vary from pinks to purple. Part used: roots collected in autumn

Actions: antispasmodic, astringent, diuretic, expectorant

Butterbur’s botanical name comes from the Greek word petatos, which was the term for a shepherd’s felt hat and is descriptive of the large, soft leaves: butterbur leaves and stems make a useful parasol for sunny days. In the past the leaves were used to wrap butter— hence the common name.

Butterbur is a popular medicinal herb in mainland Europe and extracts are found in many Swiss and German over-the-counter products, although there are some concerns about its toxicity as it contains traces of pyrrolizidine alkaloids.

The herb was traditionally used in European folk medicine as a cough remedy, while Gerard recommended it for the plague: “…because it provol<eth sweat and driveth from the harte all venome and ill heat” and suggested that it “killeth wormes”. He also urged the use of butterbur in ale for “pestilent and burning fevers”.

While these traditional applications of butterbur have largely fallen into disuse recent research has demonstrated that the plant has considerable antispasmodic and pain-relieving properties, making it suitable for tension headaches, migraine and period pain. Other researchers have shown that it can affect digestive function and is helpful for gastritis, gall bladder spasms and stomach upsets. The root, flowers and leaves have all been used medicinally in the past, although the root is generally regarded as the most efficacious and a decoction is ideal for home use.

It is best to collect butterbur from the wild rather than attempting to cultivate it in the garden: nothing will grow under its vast leaves and it can spread rapidly and prove very difficult to eradicate.

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