Drink Slippery Elm Tea And Enjoy The Many Health Benefits Of This Herbal Tea

Slippery elm tea is made from the inner bark of the slippery elm tree found throughout North America.

Traditionally, this herb has been used for medicinal and culinary purposes by the Native American tribes. It has a long history of being a known cure for pain, inflammation and irritation both internally and externally.

Grounding the bark and leaves of the slippery elm tree into powder form produces slippery elm tea. This dried powder can be added to boiling water to create a nice cup of herbal tea. Slippery elm powder, or ready-made tea mixtures, can be found in many natural health shops.

The following health benefits are some of the reasons why you should try this product.

Benefits to sore throat and flu

Slippery elm tea is a great herbal tea to enjoy if you are suffering from the common cold or sore throat. The inner bark of the slippery elm tree consists of large quantities of mucilage cells. When the mucilage comes into contact with water, it produces a slick gel type of substance that provides many health benefits.

According to teabenefits.com, these mucilage cells are behind slippery elm’s anti-inflammation qualities during colds and throat problems. The way the mucilage in slippery elm tea works is, after consumption, the gel like substance forms this protective layer in your respiratory tract that will ease the inflammation and also help with the irritation. It thus has multiple benefits for any respiratory problems and it is great in controlling cough.

Benefits to gastrointestinal problems

The mucilage layer is also produced in your stomach after consuming slippery elm tea. Thus, it also helps with multiple gastrointestinal problems. For example, it is a great herbal tea for indigestive issues, like bloating or general constipation.

Doctor Cathy Wong also writes in 2012 that it is a great help during heartburn as well. The way this work is that after consuming slippery elm tea, the protective layer is formed on top of the esophagus lining and nerves are also stimulated to increase their own mucous production, both of which will end up protecting the stomach from harmful acids formed during for example heartburn. If you suffer from heartburn, you can get quick relief from the symptoms by using slippery elm, and you can also consume foods again more freely because of the protective layer.

Benefits to inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease is a condition that is really irritating and hard to control. Examples of inflammatory bowel diseases include Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Slippery elm tea has been found beneficial in treating these conditions.

A study published in 2002 in the Journal of Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics found that slippery elm tea greatly reduces the symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases. It contains powerful antioxidants that will help alleviate the inflammation and greatly help irritation. It was also found to help reduce the symptoms of diarrhea and cramping that are all present in many inflammatory diseases. The mucilage also helps to heal the intestinal walls quicker, and this will alleviate the symptoms as well.

Slippery elm tea has been found to have lots of health benefits and it is also a very safe herb to use. Because of its wide availability, you can easily add this herb to your kitchen cabinet and brew yourself a nice cup of herbal tea when the flu or upset stomach is knocking down your door. You can safely drink it a few times a day and it will provide a great tool against inflammation and irritation.