The Mallow plant

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Here is your Daily Feng Shui Tip by Ellen Whitehurst for Tuesday, September 28

Puff the magic marshmallow is the theme of our post for this day. According to Eastern cultures and traditions the incredible edible mallow plant that grows in marshes is also the plant most associated with the month of September. Before we asked for 'smore' of this confection, parts of this plant were used medicinally in the East for everything from curing chronic sore throats to clearing urinary tract infections. The Chinese actually use this plant as home decor during September to bring luck and good fortune into the home. This friendly and non-toxic herb helped the Greeks with their grieving processes and so began that cultural tradition of planting mallow around gravesites. It's also believed that this particular plant can repel negativity along with that superstitious and ire provoking 'evil eye.' Adding the leaves of this plant to your bath is thought to soften your nature and any hard feelings you might be harboring towards someone else. Taking mallow in the form of a flower essence is said to unify heart and mind so that there's no imbalance in either direction; either a propensity to over emotional behavior or towards over intellectualization or over analysis. In fact, in the language of flowers, the mallow is translated as 'sweet disposition.' The Egyptians were the first culture to make this treat a sugary confection in efforts to let a spoonful of sugar help this medicine go down. So the next time you need to whisper sweet nothings because your throat or voice might be strained, reaching for some mallow instead. Ruled by Venus, the planet of love and beauty, those delicious Mallomars might actually make you feel better physically while making you more attractive to the opposite sex. Now, that's something saaweeet!