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Ingredient file // Other

Althea Root

A botanical flourish with unproven digestive benefits

Althea root is the dried root of the marshmallow plant, added to kibble as a botanical ingredient. Its mucilage gives manufacturers a digestive comfort story, but the evidence comes from tissue tests and medicinal preparations, not dogs eating kibble.

Role in the food Mostly filler
What it is
Dried marshmallow plant root, usually cut or ground, containing starch and water-binding mucilage.
Made from
Roots of the marshmallow plant
Main job
Botanical digestive appeal
Typical amount
Not published
Watch for
Separate root supplements from oral medicines
Not the same as
Candy marshmallows

Straight answer

Is Althea Root safe for dogs?

Read past the root to the recipe

If Althea root sits near the end of the list, treat it as a small botanical addition. Check the named proteins, starch sources, fat and nutritional adequacy statement above it. Do not choose a food to treat stomach trouble or coughing because it names this root.

Why it is in the food
Botanical digestive appeal

Our read // In our catalog

In 1 of every 123 foods we track

Share of foods that list it

<1%

26 of the 3,205 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 2 brands. All dry dog food.

Each square is 1% of the catalog

Where it sits on the label

Median position 45.5. In the top five of 0 foods, so it is usually a minor ingredient.

Top five List position, heaviest first

Above the salt

0%

Usually listed after the salt, which caps it at roughly 1% of the recipe in 100% of foods.

Price per lb

Foods with it $4.04
All foods $3.25

Median of the cheapest bag price across 26 priced foods, 24% above the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.

Who leans on it

54%

of the foods that list it are from Acana. 2 brands use it in total.

What it is

How it is made

Althea root comes from plants grown for the herbal trade. Growers dig the roots, wash and dry them, then cut or grind them. The dried root is the ingredient a food maker buys.2,4

  1. 01 // Source Marshmallow roots Growers harvest the fleshy underground roots of the marshmallow plant.
  2. 02 // Process Washed and sliced Soil is washed off, and the roots are sliced to help them dry.
  3. 03 // Process Dried and cut The root pieces are dried thoroughly, then kept cut or ground for mixing.
  4. 04 // Output Dried root Cut root or powder reaches the food maker as a dry botanical ingredient.

What is in it

Composition, dry matter

25-35

% starch

The reported range for dried root. Starch is a larger share than mucilage, though the small amount used in kibble contributes little nutrition.

Starch 25-35%2
Pectin 11%2
Mucilage 5-11.6%2

These figures describe dried herbal root and approximate a dry matter basis; the report gives no paired moisture measurement. Mucilage content changes with the plant's growth stage.2

Why it is in the bag

A label botanical, used in amounts too small to matter

  1. Main nutrition
  2. Supporting nutrient
  3. Does a job
  4. Mostly filler

Makers likely add it for its digestive comfort appeal on the label. Ingredients are listed by weight, and in one published recipe the root comes after salt and after pollock oil disclosed at 0.5%. The dried root does carry starch and mucilage, but at that amount it is likely too little to change the food's nutrition or digestion.2,3,5

  1. 01

    Signals digestive comfort

    Root polysaccharides adhered moderately to pig mouth tissue in a laboratory assay. That gives formulators a plausible soothing story, but the assay did not test digestion in dogs.2,6

  2. 02

    Adds a specialty botanical

    Harvesting, washing and drying take work. In a published recipe the root sits after a small oil addition, so its role as a label accent rather than bulk fiber is an economic inference.3,4,5

How much One published dog food lists the root after pollock oil disclosed at 0.5%, so the root makes up at most 0.5% of that recipe.3,5

Our read // The claims

What the evidence supports

Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.

  1. Brands say

    Soothes a dog's irritated stomach

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    The European medicines review found no clinical data for relief of mild gut discomfort. Root polysaccharides adhered moderately in a pig mouth tissue assay, which does not show that kibble settles a dog's stomach.2,6

  2. Owners say

    Stops a dog's dry cough

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    A medicines review describes less induced coughing in cats given 50 to 100 mg/kg of root extract or isolated polysaccharide. Neither that test nor the human studies tested dried root in dog food.2

  3. Brands say

    Reduces inflammation throughout a dog's body

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    Root extract reduced an inflammatory signal after 24 hours of pretreatment in human cells. The medicine maker funded the study and had employees among its authors. Cell results do not show a bodywide effect in dogs.1,7

Straight answers

What owners ask

  1. Q01

    Is it just filler?

    Mostly symbolic

    The root contains starch and mucilage, so it is a real plant ingredient. In a published recipe it is listed after an ingredient disclosed at 0.5%, so it makes up at most 0.5%, too little for a meaningful fiber or nutrient contribution.2,3,5

  2. Q02

    Will it settle an upset stomach?

    No proof

    The soothing idea rests on traditional use and a tissue test. The evidence cited here does not test dogs eating the root in kibble. Judge the food by your dog's response to the whole recipe.2

  3. Q03

    Is this the marshmallow in candy?

    No

    This label refers to dried plant root. Modern candy marshmallows are made as confections with ingredients such as gelatin and corn syrup; the name does not mean those sweets are in the kibble.4

Who uses it

Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps

Top brands, by foods that list it

  1. Acana 14 / 23
  2. Orijen 12 / 25

Foods that list it / all the brand's recipes we track.

Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it

  1. Chicken 62%
  2. Turkey 54%
  3. Whole Herring 38%
  4. Oat Groats 35%
  5. Chicken Liver 35%
  6. Red Lentils 35%
  7. Salmon 31%
  8. Chicken Meal 31%
  9. Dehydrated Chicken 23%
  10. Whole Sorghum 23%
  11. Whole Millet 23%
  12. Chicken Fat 23%

On the shelf

Foods that list Althea Root

26 foods in our catalog list it, highest on the label first.

Acana Freshwater Fish Blend Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodAcanaAcana Freshwater Fish Blend Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 35 on the labelAcana Light & Fit Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodAcanaAcana Light & Fit Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 39 on the labelOrijen Regional Red Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodOrijenOrijen Regional Red Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 45 on the labelOrijen Amazing Grains, Fit & Trim Dry Dog FoodOrijenOrijen Amazing Grains, Fit & Trim Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 46 on the label
Show 22 more
Acana Wholesome Grains, Large Breed Puppy Recipe Dry Dog FoodAcanaAcana Wholesome Grains, Large Breed Puppy Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 40 on the labelAcana Wholesome Grains, Small Breed Recipe Dry Dog FoodAcanaAcana Wholesome Grains, Small Breed Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 40 on the labelAcana Free-Run Poultry Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodAcanaAcana Free-Run Poultry Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 40 on the labelAcana Puppy Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodAcanaAcana Puppy Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 40 on the labelAcana Wholesome Grains Sea to Farm Puppy Recipe Dry Dog FoodAcanaAcana Wholesome Grains Sea to Farm Puppy Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 41 on the labelAcana Wholesome Grains Healthy Grains Puppy Recipe Dry Dog FoodAcanaAcana Wholesome Grains Healthy Grains Puppy Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 41 on the labelAcana Highest Protein Wild Atlantic Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodAcanaAcana Highest Protein Wild Atlantic Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 41 on the labelAcana Wholesome Grains Red Meat & Grains Recipe Dry Dog FoodAcanaAcana Wholesome Grains Red Meat & Grains Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 41 on the labelAcana Wholesome Grains Free-Run Poultry & Grains Recipe Dry Dog FoodAcanaAcana Wholesome Grains Free-Run Poultry & Grains Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 41 on the labelAcana Red Meat Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodAcanaAcana Red Meat Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 43 on the labelOrijen Puppy Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodOrijenOrijen Puppy Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 47 on the labelOrijen Senior Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodOrijenOrijen Senior Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 48 on the labelOrijen Small Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodOrijenOrijen Small Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 48 on the labelAcana Highest Protein Meadowland Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodAcanaAcana Highest Protein Meadowland Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 48 on the labelOrijen Fit & Trim Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodOrijenOrijen Fit & Trim Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 49 on the labelOrijen Puppy Large Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodOrijenOrijen Puppy Large Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 49 on the labelOrijen Wild Reserve, Wild-Caught Fish Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodOrijenOrijen Wild Reserve, Wild-Caught Fish Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 50 on the labelOrijen Tundra Dry Dog FoodOrijenOrijen Tundra Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 50 on the labelOrijen Amazing Grains, Puppy Large Dry Dog FoodOrijenOrijen Amazing Grains, Puppy Large Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 51 on the labelOrijen Original Small Breed Puppy With WholePrey Nutrition Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodOrijenOrijen Original Small Breed Puppy With WholePrey Nutrition Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 53 on the labelAcana Highest Protein Appalachian Ranch Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodAcanaAcana Highest Protein Appalachian Ranch Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 53 on the labelOrijen Amazing Grains, Regional Red Dry Dog FoodOrijenOrijen Amazing Grains, Regional Red Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 55 on the label

Sources

What we read

Checked October 1, 2026.

  1. 1 Phytohustil® and root extract of Althaea officinalis L. exert anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties and improve the migratory capacity of endothelial cells in vitro Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2022 // Journal
  2. 2 Assessment report on Althaea officinalis L., radix European Medicines Agency, 2016 // Regulator
  3. 3 Reading Labels AAFCO, n.d. // Regulator
  4. 4 Medicinal Herbs & Food College of Menominee Nation Extension, 2026 // University
  5. 5 Small Breed ORIJEN, n.d. // Industry
  6. 6 Marshmallow Root Watts Pet, 2026 // Industry
  7. 7 Marshmallow Root Wilde K9, n.d. // Industry
An ingredient on its own tells you very little. What matters is how much of it there is and where it sits in the list. That is why we weigh the top five rather than reacting to any single name further down. Back to the wiki

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