Slippery Elm is a species of elm tree found throughout North America from Texas and Florida to North Dakota to the southern parts of Quebec. Also known as Red Elm, Grey Elm, and Moose Elm, this deciduous tree has been used as an herbal remedy for centuries.
The inner bark of the Slippery Elm can be ground into a nutrient-rich gruel. With a consistency like oatmeal or porridge, elm gruel is gentle on the digestive tract while still providing the essentials. You can actually survive on only elm gruel for a short period of time… useful knowledge if you’re ever lost in the forest, I guess.
Slippery Elm bark is better known as a sore throat remedy and stomach soother. Native Americans used Slippery Elm bark in making salves for healing skin problems, including ulcers, burns, inflammation, and even wounds. The mucilage — gummy secretions — of the bark was used in antiseptic poultices for infected wounds. The Cherokee people also used Slippery Elm in eye washes.
Slippery Elm is a safe and effective option for treating sore throats and coughs. It may also be useful in treating gastrointestinal issues like ulcers and diarrhea — Slippery Elm gruel is gentle enough to not irritate existing conditions and still provide nutrition. Recent research suggests that Slippery Elm is a demulcent, meaning it coats and soothes the digestive tract. It may be useful in treating inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn’s Disease and colitis. Herbalists also use Slippery Elm externally for diaper rash, burns, and other skin conditions.
If you are interested in using Slippery Elm at home, you have several options to choose from. The inner bark is usually available in tablet or capsule form, as lozenges, as a fine powder for use in drinks, and as a coarse powder for use in poultices.
Not sure if you have a Slippery Elm in your yard? Check the buds — Slippery Elm buds and twigs are hairier than American Elm buds. The flowers come in clusters of ten to twenty blossoms and have very short stalks.