Supplement · Gut & digestive health
Slippery elm
Also known as: Ulmus rubra
A soothing mucilage herb used for gut and throat comfort, on traditional grounds.
- Evidence
- Silver· human data
- Sources cited
- 1
- Last reviewed
- 22 July 2026
Slippery elm bark is rich in mucilage, a gel-forming fibre that coats and soothes mucous membranes, which underlies its traditional use for sore throats, reflux and irritable-bowel symptoms.
Direct clinical evidence is limited and largely traditional, though the demulcent mechanism is plausible and it appears in some IBS herbal formulas. Generally well tolerated; as a fibre it can affect absorption of medicines taken at the same time.