Ulmus
Made from the slippery elm — the mucilaginous inner bark famous across American folk medicine, a genuine demulcent still on the modern shelf, and the classical remedy of the irritated throat.
The whole picture, in one breath
Think of a throat soothed by its own medicine: the irritated, inflamed throat of the books, the cough and the hoarseness the slippery bark demulcently coats, and the inner bark famous across American folk medicine. The demulcent-elm remedy: that is Ulmus.
The substance, in plain words
The slippery elm is the American tree whose inner bark peels into the famous demulcent — the mucilaginous slime that coats and soothes, a genuine folk medicine of real standing, still on the modern herbal shelf as lozenges and teas. The proving gave the elm the irritated-throat portrait.
The traditional picture Classical sources
The inner state
- Anxiety about health. Worry over the throat, the cough, the irritation, worse at night.
- Irritability. Cross from the constant soreness.
- Dullness. Heavy mind with the catarrhal drag.
The body
- Irritated, inflamed throat. The keynote: the irritated, inflamed throat the demulcent bark coats — the books' great use of the elm.
- Cough and hoarseness. The books' second use — the cough and the hoarse voice of the same chapter.
- Catarrhal states. The chronic catarrhs the demulcent slime soothes.
- Worse cold damp and night. Wet weather and night deepen the irritation.
- Better for the demulcent and rest. The demulcent bark and rest ease the elm state.
Modalities (worse and better factors)
| Worse from ⬇ | Better from ⬇ |
|---|---|
| cold damp weather; night; talking; cold air. | the demulcent bark; rest; warmth. |
Where it acts (organ affinities)
Throat and larynx, respiratory mucosa, general vitality.
Where the classical picture comes from
The folk-demulcent's proving gave the irritated-throat portrait; Ulmus became the classical remedy of the throat the elm coats — the famous inner bark serving the irritation it was chewed for.
The substance in real medicine Pharmacology
What this section is: the pharmacology and toxicology of the source substance. It is not clinical evidence that a homeopathic preparation of it treats any condition. What controlled trials do and do not show is set out on the Evidence page.
Slippery elm is genuinely one of American folk medicine's most respected demulcents — the mucilaginous inner bark still on the modern herbal shelf as lozenges and teas, its soothing chemistry real and its safety unquestioned. The irritated throat it portrayed is now examined and treated; the bark's modern career as a lozenge continues the folk use honestly.
Look-alikes (how the classical authors told it apart)
| Remedy | Looks similar because… | Tells it apart because… |
|---|---|---|
| Capsicum annuum | Throat chapter | Capsicum's burns raw with the homesickness; Ulmus' is the demulcent, soothing one. |
| Causticum | Hoarseness | Causticum is morning-hoarse with the injustice weeping; Ulmus' the demulcent cough and throat. |
| Stannum metallicum | Hoarseness and cough | Stannum's is the sweet-phlegmed weak chest; Ulmus' the soothing demulcent one. |
| Althea | Demulcent family | Marshmallow is the European demulcent of the same soothing chemistry. |
| Hepar sulphuris | Throat | Hepar's is touchy and abscess-bound; Ulmus' is the soothing, coating one. |