Terza Luna Erbe Officinali | Fiori Eduli E Garnish^malva essiccata

DRIED MALVA
Malva Herbal Tea Flowers

Malva sylvestris L. 

Origin: Serbia

Format: Dried Whole Flowers

Harvest 2023

Dried Malva Flowers

The dried malva flowers for sale on Terza Luna are obtained from the Malva Sylvestris plant, belonging to the Malvaceae family, native to North Africa. It is a plant with numerous beneficial properties, and for this reason, its dried, edible flowers are used to prepare malva herbal teas with a very sweet and delicate flavor, given their content of numerous active principles. The name "malva" comes from Latin and means "soft," precisely due to the emollient properties attributed to the plant. Generally, in cooking and herbal teas, dried flowers and leaves of organic malva are used, but in some cases, the whole fresh plant is used. Malva flowers have a protruding pistil and five violet-colored petals, and have been used as food in cooking for time immemorial and in folk medicine.

Malva Flowers: Properties and Benefits

Many are familiar with the malva flowers for the properties and benefits they provide through consumption, especially through infusion in herbal tea. Malva and its flowers have important chemical constituents, such as mucilages, which make it an extremely beneficial plant for the body. In particular, they contain:

• Anthocyanins
• Mucilages
• Flavonoids

These substances give numerous properties to malva and its flowers, whose consumption allows the absorption of important active principles and nutrients. Malva flowers indeed have properties:

• Anti-inflammatory
• Emollient
• Gastroprotective
• Healing
• Soothing
• Sedative

The anthocyanins contained in malva flowers have important antioxidant and anti-aging properties, but the most important benefits come from the high content of malva mucilages, making it rich in anti-inflammatory, emollient, protective, and soothing properties.

Mucilage is a polar glycoprotein, very sticky, produced by plants and microorganisms. It helps plants retain water, making them resistant to drought. Generally found in plants in low percentages, in malva, as in a few other plant species like aloe vera, there is a high concentration of mucilages, demonstrating the ability to relieve irritations and inflammations of the mucous membranes they interact with and protect them by coating them with a sort of protective mossy layer. For this reason, the intake of infusions and herbal teas with malva flowers is considered beneficial for relieving inflammatory conditions in the gastrointestinal mucosa and oropharyngeal cavity, as well as for coughs, bronchitis, and heartburn. Malva flowers are also used in emollient preparations and functional anti-inflammatory to soothe irritations even in the urinary tract, cystitis, and gastroenteritis.

Mallow also has expectorant and anti-inflammatory properties, helping to relieve coughs (often recommended as an excellent cough infusion), creating a protective and soothing layer in the throat. It also has slightly laxative properties, and furthermore, mallow flowers are an exceptional natural remedy for promoting sleep, so much so that they are mentioned in the article on herbs for better sleep at night on our blog.

Due to its soothing properties, mallow flowers are often used in the formulas of cosmetics for dry and sensitive skin, as well as in shower gels and body creams.

Nutritional Values Table

As we have seen, consuming mallow provides various benefits, leading to an increasing demand for mallow flowers for making herbal tea. Therefore, we aim to provide the many who ask us for the nutritional values for a cup of herbal tea with mallow flowers. The table you will find below is related to 100ml of infusion, although a cup contains about 200ml.

How to Use Dried Mallow Flowers

Many wonder what mallow is used for. Dried mallow, especially mallow flowers, can be used for various culinary purposes, to decorate cakes and desserts, to prepare cocktails and drinks (check out our section on edible flowers and cocktail garnishes), and in infusion to make an excellent and beneficial mallow herbal tea, as they are edible flowers and can be used safely. They are also added to salads, soups, omelets, and doughs, such as those for plum cakes and cookies.

Mallow flowers can be used both internally to enjoy their benefits, and externally: folk medicine uses mallow flowers to prepare mallow poultices used to treat wounds, while in cosmetics they are widely used in creams and products for face and body. Mallow decoction can also be used for gargling to soothe throat irritation.

Preparation of Mallow Flower Herbal Tea

The dried flowers of mallow are mainly used for the preparation of a decoction with beneficial properties. To prepare a mallow flower herbal tea, which you can purchase on the Terza Luna online shop, we recommend boiling water in a saucepan or kettle and once it reaches a temperature of 100°C, add 3g of dried mallow flowers for infusion and let it steep for 8 minutes. After the necessary time has passed, it can be strained and enjoyed as a great cup of mallow flower infusion with many beneficial properties.
The mallow decoction can also be consumed cold. You can also prepare a mallow herbal tea by cold extraction, letting the flowers soak in cold water for about 5 hours. Cold extraction allows for the best extraction of mucilage, and it is excellent for summer, to remedy bloating and improve intestinal activity.

Taste and Properties of Mallow Herbal Tea

The infusion with mallow flowers will have a sweet and delicate taste, and it does not require sugar, but if desired, it can be sweetened with honey. It can be used to relieve coughs and sore throats, colitis, heartburn, and other intestinal disorders. In particular, we recommend a mallow herbal tea mixed with lime, for gastroesophageal reflux.

How to Store Dried Mallow Flowers

Dried mallow flowers should be stored in a glass container or jar, in a dark place, away from light. They can be stored like this for a year.

Mallow Flowers: Contraindications

The intake of mallow flowers and its derivatives like mallow herbal tea do not have particular contraindications or side effects. However, allergic reactions to various components of mallow may occur. Therefore, its use is not recommended for allergic individuals and those undergoing drug therapies due to the possibility of mallow flowers reducing the absorption of orally taken medications.

Mallow Flowers: Where to Buy

If you are looking for high-quality mallow flowers for the preparation of an infusion with many benefits for your body, the Terza Luna online shop is the answer for you. You can purchase mallow flowers from high-quality organic farming.

Prices and Sizes

In the Terza Luna online store, you can buy different sizes of mallow flowers to meet every need, at a very affordable price.

• 50g pack priced at: 5.50€
• 100g pack priced at: 10.40€

If you enjoyed Mallow Terza Luna, explore our selection of Edible Flowers