Botanical Names
- Family Ulmaceae
- Ulmus rubra
- Ulmus fulva
Common Names
- Red Elm, Sweet Elm, American Elm, Indian Elm, Moose Elm, Oohooskah, Ulmenrinde, Ecorce d’Orme
Cautions
- None listed.
Description
Native to North America, slippery elm is one of thirty-four species of elm tree growing in the US, particularly in the Appalachians and throughout the central and northern states. The herb is obtained from a large, deciduous tree, growing to about sixty feet and thriving on high ground and dry soil. It has a brown trunk and rough, gray-white bark on the branches. The reddish-brown fruits grow in clusters, with each consisting of a single seed visible in the center of the fruit. The medicinal part is the inner rind separated from the outer bark. It is collected in the spring.
Key Actions
Key Components
- mucilage
- starch
- steroids
- tannins
Medicinal Parts
- Inner rind of the bark
Remedies
- Infusions are used for diarrhea, constipation, or irritable bowel syndrome.
- Capsules are conveniently taken for internal problems.
- Powder is used for digestive problems.
- Tablets are taken for diarrhea.
- Poultice or paste are used for for wounds, boils, and burns.
- Lozenges are the common over-the-counter remedy for sore throats.
Traditional Uses
Although modern research is lacking, the action of the herb has been well understood for centuries. When the herb comes in direct contact with such inflamed surfaces as those of the skin or the intestinal mucous membranes, it soothes and coats the irritated tissue, protecting it from further injury while drawing out any offending toxins and irritants.
Taken regularly, the herb is a nutritious food and quite suitable for the convalescent and debilitated, especially if the digestion is weak or overly sensitive. It also is good for babies in quietening colicky symptoms.
The herb is excellent during irritable bowel or Crohn’s-like attacks. It will relieve the pain almost immediately and severe pain within a day if taken three times a day during an acute attack. The powder can also be made into a type of gruel or thick drink to relieve heartburn and indigestion, soothe ulcers, and other inflammatory conditions.
It will bring instant relief from acidity, diarrhea, and such inflammation of the gut as ulcers. It also relieves constipation, hemorrhoids, and diverticulitis.
Slippery elm has been used to treat all manner of chest conditions, and has a soothing effect on everything from coughs and bronchitis to pleurisy and tuberculosis.
Applied externally, the herb softens and protects the skin, as well as having a “drawing” effect for boils, splinters, and toxins. Powdered bark is used to make a soothing poultice that not only eases pain and itchiness, but also promotes the healing of cuts, bruises, insect stings and bites, minor burns, and skin inflammations.
When the bark itself is moistened, it forms a flexible, spongy tissue that can be molded and applied to the anal area to ease the discomfort of hemorrhoids.
« Back to Glossary Index