How Slippery is your Elm?
If you are considering a HOListic approach to your dog’s health & nutrition, powdered Slippery Elm bark needs to be in your bag of tricks.
It is the inner bark of the Slippery Elm tree, and acts in all of the following ways:
**VOCABULARY WARNING**
- Demulcent — used internally to soothe and protect irritated and inflamed surfaces & tissues
- Emollient — used externally to soften, soothe, and protect skin surfaces
- Nutritive — provides nourishment
- Diuretic — promotes the production and secretion of urine
- Mucilaginous — has soothing effect on inflamed mucous membranes
You can mix the powder with warm water, juice, milk, or an herbal tea, and as a water-soluble fiber, it will nourish the body while relieving stomach issues. It is ideal for any pet recovering from an illness. You can also use it externally to soothe, say, a skin rash, for example.
It forms a jelly after you mix it with liquid, and is kind of slippery. (Get it? Slippery?)
I mixed it with warm water and added a couple of tablespoons to food to cure diarrhea. I mixed a thicker consistency to get more of a jelly to apply externally to relieve a little hind leg skin irritation on Pearl recently.
Give it a try!
pugs & kisses,
The HOL Dog 