Slippery Elm / Sore Throat / IBS

The Herb Of The Week for this week is Slippery Elm (Ulmus Fulva).

The Slippery Elm tree grows in the Appalachians Mountains of North
America. American Indians beat the bark into a powder and added water
to create a "slippery" concoction ideal for soothing toothaches,
healing scrapes, and dispelling constipation. Because it soothes
mucous membranes, the tea is VERY GOOD for sore throats, irritated
bowel, and poultice for skin irritations. Native Americans (American
Indians) used it for colds or fevers (mainly sore throat) and to
soothe an irritated digestive system - one of its main uses today. It
not only soothes and heals all that it comes into contact with, but is
also highly nutritious. Slippery Elm is a wholesome food for the weak
and convalescent, from infants to the elderly.


The 'Slippery' part of Slippery Elm is its mucilage content. The tea
feels slippery to the touch. But the "slipperiness" is what makes it
so good as a 'demulcent' or an 'emollient' agent, which means it is a
soothing substance.


Slippery Elm is used externally as poultice for drawing out the toxins
in boils, spots or abscesses and even splinters. It can be applied to
cuts, any kind of burn or open sore. It can help to again, SOOTHE and
make the pain bearable. It may also reduce swelling.

If you take it as a capsule or drink it as a tea, it can soothe
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS),
Colitis and diverticulitis, ulcers, inflammation of the gut or colic
including gunshots to the stomach and even acid indigestion or what
they call "reflux". You can take it as a nutritional supplement when
dealing with problematic stomach conditions, baby food or elderly
care. And finally Slippery Elm is also reported to ease chest, lung
and bronchial congestion.


Slippery Elm is often used as a base to a variety of herbal mixtures
and formulas because it tends to soothe the stomach. There are
no-known contra-indications for Slippery Elm - it is a very safe herb.
In summary Slippery Elm is a very soothing herb, great for many
problems with digestion or elimination. As a personal testament, it
works really well for me when I have a sore throat. But I am about to
try it for some stomach problems that I have acquired as of late.


But..... Why take my word for it? IT'S YOUR HEALTH.


You can research anything mentioned on this site yourself. Some good
search engines are www.mamma.com or www.google.com. or www.dogpile.com
or www.askjeeves.com ...etc. Enter one or more keywords and do your
own research.

Until next time remember .... most illness (upwards of 80% according
to experts) can be attributed to FOUR important factors that can
weaken your immune system and your ability to fight off disease:

1. Anxiety, depression, anger, guilt and other STRESS factors
2. Improper and/or inadequate NUTRITION habits
3. A sedentary lifestyle that does not include enough EXERCISE
4. Not enough rest and quality SLEEP time

The United States Surgeon General warned Americans in a landmark 1988
report on Nutrition and Health that "diet related diseases account for
68% of U.S. deaths"

Remember, we ALWAYS recommend that you ALWAYS consult a professional
herbalist, naturopathologist or physician. We are just passing along
what we hope to be useful information.

Until next time,
Quinnten, Editor