Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra) · Herb Profile

At a glance

Botanical name: Ulmus rubra
Family: Ulmaceae
Part used: Inner Bark
Taste: Sweet, Bland
Temperature: Neutral
Moisture: Moist

No pre-1900 source found for this exact plant. The old books describe the European elm, not the American slippery elm this entry is about.

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Generally safe

While breastfeeding

Excellent safety; traditional pediatric and lactation use. Compatible with breastfeeding.

For children

Safe for all ages; excellent children's food-medicine

Cautions

Take 2h away from medications (reduces absorption); sustainability concerns (overharvested)

General contraindications

Generally safe; highly nutritive

Stewardship

Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra) is an ENDANGERED species in the wild due to Dutch Elm Disease + over-harvest. USE ONLY CULTIVATED or certified-sustainable inner bark. Stewardship: Ulmus rubra is a stewardship test case — the slippery elm supply chain must become fully cultivated.

In the traditional record

Slippery Elm — Ulmus documented by Native American tribes as emergency food and medicine; referenced in early colonial American medical texts

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.