Malva sylvestris L.

Malva sylvestris L. is a widespread plant and is known to be an invasive plant in cultivated food crops. M. sylvestris, an edible plant, is widely used in folk medicine due to its important therapeutic properties. Traditionally, due to its high content of mucilage, it has been used to treat colds, coughs, tonsillitis, bronchitis, burns, and eczema as well as in the treatment of constipation, abdominal pain, and gastrointestinal diseases due to its mildly laxative effect. This species is usually consumed as a medicinal tea in the form of infusion and decoction or as a mouthwash. It is applied on the skin as a poultice in the treatment of cuts, inflamed wounds, and skin burns. According to their phytochemical analysis, different parts of the plant contain flavonoids, phenolic compounds, coumarins, mucilage, polysaccharides, essential oils and terpenoids, fatty acids, sterols, numerous amino acids, organic acids, vitamins (E, C, B), and major and minor minerals elements.