Hollyhock
Scientific names: Alcea rosea, Althaea rosea, Althaea ficifolia
Family: Malvaceae
Alternate names: Alcée Rose, Althea Rose, Common Hollyhock, Hollyhock Flower, Malva, Malva Flower, Malvae Arboreae Flos, Passerose, Rose Mallow, Rose de Mer, Rose Papale, Rose Trémière
Background
Hollyhock is a plant. The seed, root, stem, leaf, and flower are used as medicine.
Hollyhock is used for pain, stomach ulcers, wound healing, diabetes, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
Hollyhock is used for pain, stomach ulcers, wound healing, diabetes, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
Safety Safety definitions
When taken by mouth: There isn't enough reliable information to know if hollyhock is safe or what the side effects might be.
When applied to the skin: There isn't enough reliable information to know if hollyhock is safe or what the side effects might be.
Diabetes: Hollyhock might lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. Watch for signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and monitor your blood sugar carefully if you have diabetes and use hollyhock.
Surgery: Hollyhock might lower blood sugar and might interfere with blood sugar control during and after surgery. Stop taking hollyhock at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.
When applied to the skin: There isn't enough reliable information to know if hollyhock is safe or what the side effects might be.
Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if hollyhock is safe to use when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.Diabetes: Hollyhock might lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. Watch for signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and monitor your blood sugar carefully if you have diabetes and use hollyhock.
Surgery: Hollyhock might lower blood sugar and might interfere with blood sugar control during and after surgery. Stop taking hollyhock at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.
Effectiveness
NatMed Pro rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate.
Insufficient evidence Effectiveness definitions
- A mild form of gum disease (gingivitis).
- Bed sores (pressure ulcers).
- Bleeding in the stomach or intestines.
- Cancer.
- Diabetes.
- Eczema (atopic dermatitis).
- Foot sores in people with diabetes.
- High levels of cholesterol or other fats (lipids) in the blood (hyperlipidemia).
- Kidney stones.
- Leg sores caused by weak blood circulation (venous leg ulcer).
- Minor bleeding.
- Pain.
- Stomach ulcers.
- Swelling (inflammation) of the stomach (gastritis).
- Wound healing.
- Other conditions.
Dosing & administration
The appropriate dose of hollyhock depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for hollyhock. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
Interactions with pharmaceuticals
Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs)
Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Hollyhock might lower blood sugar levels. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking hollyhock along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed.
Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, metformin (Glucophage), pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.
Interactions with herbs & supplements
Herbs and supplements that might lower blood sugar: Hollyhock might lower blood sugar levels. Taking it along with other herbs and supplements that might lower blood sugar could lower blood sugar too much in some people. Some herbs and supplements that might lower blood sugar include alpha-lipoic acid, bitter melon, chromium, devil's claw, fenugreek, garlic, guar gum, horse chestnut, Panax ginseng, psyllium, Siberian ginseng, and others.
Interactions with foods
There are no known interactions with foods.
Action
There isn't enough information to know how hollyhock might work.
vital.ly has licensed monographs from TRC Healthcare.
This monograph was last reviewed on 12/09/2024 10:00:00. Monographs are reviewed and/or updated multiple times per month and at least once per year.
Natural Medicines disclaims any responsibility related to medical consequences of using any medical product. Effort is made to ensure that the information contained in this monograph is accurate at the time it was published. Consumers and medical professionals who consult this monograph are cautioned that any medical or product related decision is the sole responsibility of the consumer and/or the health care professional. A legal License Agreement sets limitations on downloading, storing, or printing content from this Database. No reproduction of this monograph or any content from this Database is permitted without written permission from the publisher. It is unlawful to download, store, or distribute content from this site.
Natural Medicines rates safety based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Likely Safe, Possibly Safe, Possibly Unsafe, Likely Unsafe, Unsafe, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate. For more information about Natural Medicines’ Safety Rating System, click here.
The Natural Medicines Effectiveness Ratings are assigned for specific indications. A product might be rated "Possibly Effective" for one condition, but be rated "Likely Ineffective" for another condition, depending on the evidence. For more info click here.
