Slippery Elm for Laryngitis

Ulmus fulva

Slippery elm is a medium-sized North American tree. It is also a traditional Native American remedy for inflammation. It can be used to make a topical salve for skin inflammation, including wounds and burns. Taken by mouth, it can relieve sore throats, coughs, and gastrointestinal problems. Slippery elm is also a very nutritious food that can be made into a gruel for people who recovering from an illness.

Using Slippery Elm for Laryngitis

Method

• Slippery elm is best made into a decoction by mixing one part of the powdered bark with eight parts of boiling water.
• Keep simmering the mixture for 10-15 minutes. Drink half a cup of the slippery elm decoction three times daily, or as needed.
• You can also make slippery elm tea, but it will not be as strong as a decoction.
• Some health food stores also sell slippery elm throat lozenges.

Why It Works

Slippery elm is mucilaginous, or slippery -- when it is mixed with water, it forms a slippery gel. The gel formed by slippery elm coats and lubricates the mouth, throat, stomach, and intestines, soothing and protecting irritated tissues. It also stimulates mucus-forming nerves in the digestive tract. Increased intestinal and stomach mucus is thought to help prevent ulcers and acid reflux.

Slippery elm also helps to collect and expel mucus that may be caught in the throat, contributing to laryngitis. For this reason, it also works well when made into a cough syrup.

Precautions

Slippery elm is a food herb and is generally regarded as safe for children and adults. In addition, the amount of slippery elm used to make a decoction is fairly small and extremely unlikely to lead to an overdose. Whenever taking an herb that you have not taken before, however, watch for possible allergic reactions. There have been no reports of slippery elm interacting with prescription medications, but it is thought that slippery elm could slow down the efficacy of other medications by slowing down the absorption of drugs and nutrients in the digestive tract (since drugs and nutrients must first cross the protective coating of slippery elm before they can be absorbed). This side effect may be avoided if slippery elm and prescription drugs are taken at different times of the day.

More Remedies

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