The Demulcent Diva
by Matthew Gaffney
A demulcent is a soothing agent that relieves pain and inflammation, ranging from digestion, respiratory, female organs to topical issues of the skin. So lets slip in an herb from Mother Nature’s medicine chest that has a bark bigger than its bite.
Slippery Elm is appropriately named after the soothing mucilage that is formed when water is mixed with the constituents from its inner bark. Mucilage is an agent that forms a soothing film over a mucous membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation of the membrane. As a gastrointestinal elixir, Slippery Elm is known to coat and sooth issues related to the stomach, intestines, and inflammatory bowel conditions.
Author Mrs. M. Grieve notes in her book A Modern Herbal
The astringent compounds in the herb, such as tannins and alkaloids help tighten and constrict tissues. These compounds, coupled with the mucilage and antioxidants in the elm, work wonders internally are the same reasons this herb is used in ointments and salves for coating wounds and burns.
In addition to mucilage, this herb gives you free options on complex sugars, calcium, iodine, bromine, amino acids and traces of manganese and zinc. While slippery elm is often recommended to aid in healing internal mucosal tissues, such as stomach, vagina, and esophagus; many people incorporate into the diet to generally soothe and nourish the body.
You will find Slippery Elm in various forms at the health food store. I prefer the free powdered form to which I add liquid, let set up, and then add to my smoothie mix. You will also find many recipes and concoctions online and in herb books. I look forward to trying a recipe that incorporates raw honey, that is used as a throat elixir. Although I will admit, with humility, that I have not had a sore throat in 7 years, around the time that I started eating for radiant health.
I leave you with my opinion that in the food and herb game, less is more, especially when talking herbs. I have learned that hard way with herbs to always start small and work bigger.
This month we are giving away one full-set of our Herbal Health Talks series with Jonathan Raymond. To secure yourself a copy, share with us in the comments below the meal, smoothie, juice, drink or supplement that is your first point of call when you are experiencing digestive troubles. In exchange for sharing your knowledge, one insightful Diva will walk away with a bank full of herbal knowledge to apply to all areas and stages of your life.
You can purchase the full-set, or the digestive component of this program “Herbs for Digestion”, as part of our herbal talks series with Jonathan Raymond (herbalist and specialist in Ayurvedic medicine) available in The Raw Divas store.
In Herbs for Digestion you’ll learn:
- The herb that handles acid reflux symptoms instantly
- Two seeds essential for dispersing digestive gases
- Why it’s important to know whether to consume bitter herbs before or after a meal
- Why eating foods for your liver will improve your overall digestive process
- A recipe for how to build a great digestive fire with herbs and spices
- How to eat according to your digestive type
It’s easy to purchase and you’ll receive it right away: herbal talks