Marshmallow Root

Althea root is another name for marshmallow root, a plant known for mucilage that is traditionally used to coat and soothe the digestive lining.

Marshmallow root is the dried root of Althaea officinalis, a plant long used in herbal remedies. It has nothing to do with marshmallow candy. We found no FDA or Merck guidance that addresses marshmallow root in cat food, and published research in cats is lacking. If your cat has a medical condition, ask your veterinarian before choosing a food with herbal ingredients like this one.

Marshmallow root is added mainly for its traditional use as a soother of the stomach and intestines. The root contains mucilage, a sticky substance that forms a gel when wet. The Pettings page notes this use rests on tradition rather than on studies in cats. The amount in a dry food is usually small.

No, marshmallow root is a plant ingredient and marshmallow candy is a sugar confection. Early marshmallow sweets were made with the sap of the marsh mallow plant, which is how the candy got its name. Modern candy uses sugar and gelatin instead. In cat food, the name refers only to the dried root of the plant.

Mucilage is a gel-forming plant fiber that swells and turns slippery in water. Herbal tradition credits it with coating the lining of the digestive tract, which is why marshmallow root shows up in some recipes. Controlled studies in cats are lacking, so any effect at the small amounts used in dry food is unproven.

Pettings gives marshmallow root 2 out of 5 and lists it as an herb or plant extract. It appears on 4 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. Labels sometimes call it althea root, and both names point to the same ingredient. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.