Everyday there are new ways of helping our bodies deal with infections and other problems. Herbal remedies for various conditions are constantly being discovered.

The slippery elm herb comes from the bark of elm trees which grow throughout North America. The tree has been utilized in a number of ways, including canoe making, as a food preservative, as a source of survival food during the Revolutionary War and as a medicine. The inner bark of the slippery elm tree is a strong and durable fiber, which can be spun into thread, twine or rope. It was once used for bowstrings, ropes, jewelry, clothing, snowshoe bindings, woven mats, and even in some musical instruments.

For centuries, the bark has been used as an herbal remedy for a number of conditions. Other common names for Ulmus rubra, or slippery elm bark, include slippery elm herb, red elm, moose elm, gray elm, soft elm and Indian elm. The part of the Ulmus rubra tree used in making slippery elm bark extract is the inner heartwood of the tree itself. Red in color, the inner slippery elm bark heartwood is ground into a fine powder. This powder or extract is most often how it is sold. It is also common to find the powder sold in slippery elm capsules, as well.

Slippery elm bark extract contains high mucilage content and becomes a slick gel when mixed with water.

While Slippery elm herb has many uses, it is perhaps most well known by herbal practitioners for its use as a healing tea, which becomes mucilaginous in texture. It also is not uncommon to see slippery elm powder or extract used for its expectorant qualities.