Slippery Elm
photos by Erin Barkkume
Slippery
Elm, Ulmus rubra, is a tree that grows in Texas, as well as
throughout much of the United States and Canada. In fact I have
a beauty in my garden. The inner bark of the tree is the part
used medicinally. Click to view the beautiful picture of the
bark on my website. One has to cut the bark and scrape out the
cambium layer to obtain the shredded bark which is formulated
into herbal teas, tinctures, and other herbal preparations. You
can imagine that this is very hard on the tree and the tree is
often sacrificed in order to harvest this inner bark material.
Therefore, to spare the destruction of this precious resource,
alternative herbs are often used in place of Slippery Elm such
as Marshmallow Root, Comfrey Root or Licorice Root.
Slippery Elm bark is considered an “At-Risk” plant and should be
used sparingly, only when needed. An “At-Risk” plant is an herb
that has been either over-harvested in the wild, or has lost its
natural habitat. The organization, United Plant Savers:
www.unitedplantsavers.org is a grass-roots group of herbalists
and lovers of the green that educate the public about which
plants are to be watched, and hopefully encourage plant lovers
to grow these herbs in our own gardens. The organization
provides additional information and suggestions as well. I
encourage all of you to join this group as it will help protect
many herbs for our future generations.
The potent remedy of the inner bark should be harvested from a
10 year old bark. We need to wait for Slippery Elm. Also known
as Indian Elm, Moose Elm, Sweet Elm, Soft Elm and more, Slippery
Elm is a soothing remedy for inflammation, particularly
gastro-intestinal irritation. I
also like it for respiratory issues, and use it as my demulcent
herb in my customized bronchial teas which I make during the
colder months. Please email me and request this customized tea.
During convalescence, Slippery Elm gruel was often used as a
nutritive food.. Its ability to allay nausea makes it palatable
during that time. In times of famine, early American settlers
used it as a survival food; George Washington and his troops
survived for several days on Slippery Elm gruel during the
bitter winter at Valley Forge. I mixed it with oatmeal and fed
it to my husband after an illness and it is really quite good
with honey, or maple syrup added.
In frontier days the bark was often chewed as a thirst quencher.
Slippery Elm is rich in mucilage which is beneficial when used
externally as a poultice for abscesses, sores and wounds. In
fact, I use Slippery Elm powder in my now famous, Lovely
Lubricant for a soothing lubrication for irritations in
sensitive areas.
A beautiful tree, with amazing properties, Slippery Elm
offers her benefits to be taken when needed. It would be fun to
grow your own, but if that’s not plausible, purchase the
organically cultivated herb.
Thank you Slippery Elm.
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