Slippery Elm

Ulmus rubra

Slippery elm is a nutritive and mucilaginous botanical that’s commonly used to soothe and lubricate tissues in the digestive tract, and support throat health.

HERBAL BENEFITS

Common Name Gray Elm, Moose Elm, Red Elm, Soft Elm

Family Name Ulmaceae

Parts Used Inner bark

Herbal Actions Demulcent, Astringent, Nutritive Tonic

Health Benefits Digestion, Seasonal Care, Throat Health

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This soothing, silky bark is known as every singer’s best friend.

The name elm or ulm derives from Teutonic (Germanic) and nearly all Celtic dialectics. In Teutonic mythology, the tree formed the very first woman, named Elma, while the ash tree formed the first man, Aske. In the United States, Ulmus was first named botanically by a colonial plant collector and Scottish botanist named William Aiton.

However, this specific elm was (and still is) used and well-loved by First Nations People in North America long before the United States ever existed. Depending on the tribal nation, the inner bark was used in many different ways. For instance, a decoction was traditionally drunk for digestive support by the Menominee who live near the state now called Wisconsin. They also used the plant topically to cleanse the skin. Other tribal nations consumed slippery elm tea during the last two months of pregnancy to support labor.

American herbalists of European descent primarily used this plant as a nutritive tonic and demulcent. The American Eclectics, for instance, commonly recommended this drink to soothe dry tissues in the lining of the stomach and GI tract. When food was scarce, early American settlers mixed slippery elm with meal to create a bread-like food. In more recent history, slippery elm became more widely known through the popularization of commercially-available lozenges in the 19th Century.

Slippery elm’s native habitat is the eastern United States and Canada, from southern Quebec to Florida. It’s a medium-sized tree that generally grows to about 60-70 feet tall and thrives in moist uplands but can sometimes be found in dry limestone soils. This elm is also a very shade tolerant understory tree and can be found growing in floodplains and rocky slopes. Some healthy trees can live to be as old as 200 years.

In the wild you may be able to identify this plant by its leaves. The leaves are wide, large, and broadly elliptical to ovate. They are sandpaper-like on both sizes and often very green. When the inner bark is harvested sustainably, the tree can easily live on. Traditional wild collectors steward the lands and do not cut down the trees, they simply leave a vertical strip of bark—a foot or wider—so that the tree can thrive and be harvested again in future years.

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Important Precautions

Consult your healthcare practitioner prior to use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Legal Disclaimer

The information and other content in this article are designed to provide a general overview of the botany, cultural history, and traditional uses of this herb. It is not intended and should not be construed as health advice. Every person is unique and you should consult with your health care provider before using any herbal product or supplement.

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