You’re undoubtedly familiar with marshmallows—the puffy, sweet confections that you might toast over a campfire in the summertime or drop into a mug of hot chocolate in winter. They’re sweet, above all else, with little nutritional value save for a few grams of protein that come from gelatin and egg white. It’s these two components that act as a carrier for the confection’s sugar, and that give the treat its characteristic bouncy texture. But long before marshmallows arrived in candy stores and baking aisles, apothecaries stocked them—in the same way as your local drugstore might stock cold and flu pills or cough medicine. Mothers bought them for children to help soothe sore throats or an irritated stomach. They were sweet, to be sure, but first and foremost, they were medicine. Ancient Roots Marshmallows take their name from the herb marshmallow (Althaea officinalis), which is native to North Africa, Southern Europe, …