Partly Serrated

The Multiple Advantages of Slippery Elm Bark

Elm trees are native to eastern North America from Canada to Georgia, from Texas to Minnesota, but especially in the Appalachian Mountain region. The slippery elm is less susceptible to the Dutch elm disease that ravaged so many of the other species. It is also called red elm, Indian elm, moose elm, and sweet elm.

The Slippery Elm grows to a height of 30 to 60 feet. The leaves are about 6 inches long, growing alternately on the branch, and have a rough texture and coarsely double-serrated edges. The flowers appear before the leaves in early spring in clusters of ten to twenty. The fruit is half an inch long containing a single central seed. Slippery Elm may be distinguished from American Elm by the hairiness of the buds and twigs and by the very short-stalked flowers.

Because of the $23 billion dollar herb industry in the United States, slippery elms have been the object of poachers. The bark is slippery and easy to peel from mid June to early July so thieves destroy the trees by removing the bark to sell for its medicinal value.

One illegal and immoral use of the bark is as an abortafaciant. Longer pieces of the bark are moistened with water, then inserted into a pregnant woman’s uterus. Drugs from the bark are said to induce an abortion. This practice resulted in so called “Elm Stick Laws” in many states limiting the size of the bark sold. Because of this possible effect, pregnant or lactating women should avoid using slippery elm. There are no other documented hazards in taking the herb.

Elm was used by colonists to make pudding, to thicken jelly, to preserve grease, and as a survival food on long trips. It was used medicinally to treat toothaches, skin injuries, gout, arthritis, stomachaches, coughs, and intestinal worms.

The inner bark was also used to waterproof canoes, baskets, and dwellings. It can be made into a gruel. In times of famine, early American settlers used it as a survival food; George Washington and his troops survived for several days on slippery elm gruel during their bitter winter at Valley Forge.

The fibrous inner bark is a strong and durable fiber, which can be spun into thread, twine or rope. Once cured, the wood is ideal for making matchless fires with the bow drill method; the wood grinds into a very fine, flammable powder under friction. Slippery elm bark can also be used for jewelry, bowstrings, ropes, snowshoe bindings, clothing, woven mats, and can be used to make some musical instruments. The interlocking grain of the wood made it a natural shock absorber when used for the hubs of wagon wheels, for it acted as a natural shock absorber.

Taken externally, slippery elm bark is a bulk dried herb that has been used to treat vaginitis, skin conditions, and hemorrhoids, or to give softer, smoother skin. Internally, many benefit from its use as a cough medicine or to relieve gastrointestinal conditions, sore throats, ulcers, and respiratory irritations.

The recommended dosage for a 150 pound adult is three 500 mg capsules daily. To make a poultice, add coarse powdered bark to boiling water until the desired consistency is reached. Then, when cool, apply it where needed. The proportion for making slippery elm tea is one part powder to eight parts water. One can also sprinkle the powder on oatmeal or in juice. Children’s dosage should be determined proportional to their weight.

So, get bulk herbs for sale and enjoy their health boosting properties.

G6079 GERBER GATOR CLIP POINT PARTLY SERRATED