A lot of us have a cough now, right?

Maybe you were sick a couple of weeks ago and are better, but the coughing just won’t go away. You may be popping cough drops like it’s your job, or maybe you’ve just accepted that the symptom is your way of life for now. Maybe you’re googling at-home treatments in the middle of the night, ready to try just about anything.

There’s an option you probably haven’t tried or wouldn’t think to: marshmallows. (Well, sort of.) Ahead, doctors give more details about a helpful ingredient, what it does and other surprising options that may do the trick.

How A Marshmallow Product Can Ease A Cough

Here’s the deal. A store-bought marshmallow won’t fit the bill, unfortunately, because it’s not made with the key ingredient for relieving a cough: marshmallow root extract, or Althaea officinalis, an herb used as medicine for over 2,000 years.

“The natural marshmallow root or plant has been shown to decrease throat irritation and coughing,” explained Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell, a family medicine physician, nationally recognised health equity advocate and TED Talk speaker. “The soothing effect comes from the plant’s natural coating, called mucilaginous, which is a sticky gelatine substance that might help reduce a cough.”

Multiple studies back this up: For example, surveys published in Complementary Medicine Research in 2018 justified marshmallow root extract for the symptomatic treatment of a dry cough. And a 2020 review in the same publication said it could help with a cough, sore throat and other respiratory ailments.........

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