Slippery Elm
Slippery elm is a species of tree found in the United States and Canada. Its inner bark is ingested (often as a tea) to treat symptoms like sore throat, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome, although it’s difficult to say whether it’s actually helpful for these conditions.
Slippery Elm is most often used for
Last Updated:April 10, 2023
Slippery elm (Ulmus rubra) is a species of tree found primarily in the eastern and central United States. It gets its name from its inner bark, which forms a slick gel when wet due to a high abundance of mucilaginous polysaccharides.
Slippery elm bark has a history of use as a treatment for pharyngitis (sore throat) and various gastrointestinal (GI) ailments, although there is very little research to support its benefits for these conditions.
Slippery elm bark is claimed to help soothe sore throats when consumed as a tea. One randomized controlled trial found that people with sore throats who drank tea made with a small amount of slippery elm bark experienced a rapid reduction in throat pain.[1] The tea contained mostly licorice root as well as several other herbs, making it difficult to attribute the effect to slippery elm.
Slippery elm is said to help with GI issues. In 2 single-arm (i.e., without a control group) trials, people who took supplements containing slippery elm, along with a number of other herbs and compounds, reported improvements in some GI symptoms like abdominal pain and constipation.[2][3] Given the noncontrolled nature of these studies, it’s quite possible the benefits seen were not actually related to slippery elm.
There are very few human studies on slippery elm, so its potential drawbacks are an area of uncertainty, although clinical trials that tested slippery elm in combination with other compounds suggest that it is relatively safe.[3][1][2] It is sometimes recommended that slippery elm be avoided during pregnancy, based on unconfirmed reports of miscarriage associated with its use.
The polysaccharides in slippery elm might be able to form a barrier over mucosal surfaces, thus reducing throat irritation when drank as a tea. Additionally, slippery elm contains a variety of phytochemicals that may inhibit bacterial growth and inflammation of epithelial cells.[4][5] Slippery elm also appears to increase the abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria in the gut microbiota.[6]
- Ulmus fulva
- Red elm
- Gray elm
- Soft elm
- Moose elm
- Indian elm
- Winged elm
- Pine bark extract (the source of pycnogenol)
Slippery elm bark can be taken as a tea or in capsules. For sore throats, the tea is likely preferable.
- ^Brinckmann J, Sigwart H, van Houten Taylor LSafety and efficacy of a traditional herbal medicine (Throat Coat) in symptomatic temporary relief of pain in patients with acute pharyngitis: a multicenter, prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study.J Altern Complement Med.(2003-Apr)
- ^Hawrelak JA, Myers SPEffects of two natural medicine formulations on irritable bowel syndrome symptoms: a pilot study.J Altern Complement Med.(2010-Oct)
- ^Ried K, Travica N, Dorairaj R, Sali AHerbal formula improves upper and lower gastrointestinal symptoms and gut health in Australian adults with digestive disorders.Nutr Res.(2020-Apr)
- ^Wijesundara NM, Rupasinghe HPVHerbal Tea for the Management of Pharyngitis: Inhibition of Growth and Biofilm Formation by Herbal Infusions.Biomedicines.(2019-Aug-24)
- ^Wijesundara NM, Sekhon-Loodu S, Rupasinghe HVPhytochemical-rich medicinal plant extracts suppress bacterial antigens-induced inflammation in human tonsil epithelial cells.PeerJ.(2017)
- ^Peterson CT, Sharma V, Uchitel S, Denniston K, Chopra D, Mills PJ, Peterson SNPrebiotic Potential of Herbal Medicines Used in Digestive Health and Disease.J Altern Complement Med.(2018-Jul)