What are slippery elm’s main benefits?

•Last Updated:

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.

References

1.^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)

2.^Hawrelak JA, Myers SPEffects of two natural medicine formulations on irritable bowel syndrome symptoms: a pilot study.J Altern Complement Med.(2010-Oct)

3.^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)