MARSHMALLOW — Persian Manuscript Materials

MARSHMALLOW MUCILAGE (LOʿĀB-E ḴAṬMI, ḴAṬMI)

Info:

Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis L.) from the family of Malvaceae is a species of flowering plant indigenous to Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. It is an important Uniani medicinal plant known as ḵatmi which almost all its parts contain mucilage. It is reported that the root of Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis L.) contains relatively large amount of mucilage, which contains glucose, xylose, uronic acid, methyl pentose, and hexose. For this reason, the medicinal properties of marshmallow root come from the mucilage, or sap-like substance that the plant produces containing antioxidants. The root of this plant, especially, has a very long history in natural medicine dating back to ancient Iran (Persia) like Greece, where it was used to treat coughs and respiratory issues and is still used for treating cough and colds today.

Recipes:

Mucilage of marshmallow (Althaea officinalis L.) is mentioned for sizing paper. Resaleh-ye Joharrieh (837 AH/1433 A.D.) and Resāle dar Bayān-e Kāḡaḏ Morakkab va Ḥall-e Alvān (15th century) specify marshmallow seeds to be used as paper sizing whereas in Resāle dar Bayān-e Tariqe-ye Sāḵtan-e Morakkab va Kāḡaḏ-e Alvān (19th century) the author has not specified which parts of the plant should be used for sizing paper. It seems different parts of the marshmallow plant may have been used as sizing materials as in some research reported that marshmallow flower is used as sizing paper.

The recipes in Resaleh-ye Joharrieh (837 AH/1433 A.D.). and Resāle dar Bayān-e Kāḡaḏ Morakkab va Ḥall-e Alvān (15th century) read as follow:

دیگر تخمی خطمی شبانروزی در آب کند و بیالاید و کاغذ را بدان گونه دهد. و این بغایت مختار و پسندیده و کاغذ را نرم سازد و خط بر وی خوب آید

Keep marshmallow seeds in water for a night. Then dye the paper with the mucilage. This process is highly appreciated, it softens the paper, and the calligraphy stands out well on it.

In the last source, Resāle dar Bayān-e Tariqe-ye Sāḵtan-e Morakkab va Kāḡaḏ-e Alvā,n (19th century) the recipe reads as follows:

دیگر خطمی را یک شب و یک روز [نم کند و] کاغذ را بدان رنگ کند خط بروی خوب آید

Soak marshmallow (in some water) for a night and a day. Dye the paper with it. The calligraphy on it will be nice.

Experiment:

Take 10 grams of marshmallow seeds and add 100 ml water in a ratio of 1:10. Let it sit overnight and filter to extract the mucilage. Pour the mucilage into a tray or glass container. Dip the paper in for an hour. Take out the paper and hang it to dry. After it is completely dried, burnish it with a burnishing tool to obtain a smooth surface.