Slippery Elm 400 mg | Red Elm | 100 Capsules | NOW Foods

Slippery Elm 400 mg by NOW Foods

Are you looking for slippery elm in capsule form? This NOW Foods formula contains 400 mg of Ulmus rubra bark powder, or slippery elm, per vegetable capsule. This is the entire plant material in powder form, not a standardized extract. One pot contains 100 capsules.

What is slippery elm?

Slippery elm is the common name for the red elm, whose botanical name is Ulmus rubra. It is a tree native to the forests of eastern North America. The part used is the inner bark: the soft layer just beneath the rough outer bark. Native North Americans have used this inner bark for centuries, and in the North American herbal tradition, slippery elm has since held its own special place. The name "slippery" refers to what happens when the ground bark comes into contact with water: it becomes soft and takes on a gelatinous texture. The red elm gets its name from the reddish-brown color of its inner wood and bark. It is a medium-sized deciduous tree that grows wild in the forests of the eastern United States and Canada. For dietary supplements, only the inner bark is used, the thin layer between the outer bark and the wood, which is the richest in characteristic substances.

Fibers and mucilage in the bark

This slippery property has a natural origin. The bark of the red elm naturally contains a lot of mucilage, a kind of gelling plant substance, as well as plant fibers. Mucilage is a substance that retains water and thus forms a soft, gelatinous mass as soon as it becomes wet. This is exactly what makes slippery elm so recognizable and also explains its name. This is a property of the plant material itself, and not an additive. Fibers and mucilage are both indigestible plant components; they are part of the natural structure of the bark and are lost as soon as the plant is processed into a highly concentrated extract. It is precisely for this reason that NOW Foods chooses whole bark powder here rather than an extract. As the powder absorbs a lot of moisture, it is advisable to drink a sufficient amount of water when using it, which you can find on the label and in the FAQ.

Bark powder rather than extract

NOW Foods uses whole bark powder here, not a concentrated or standardized extract. You therefore receive the ground inner bark as is, with the naturally present fibers and mucilage intact. The composition is remarkably short: only slippery elm bark powder and a vegetable hypromellose capsule. No additional fillers, no magnesium stearate, no dyes or preservatives have been added. This makes it one of the most purified herbal products in the range, suitable for those who deliberately seek a simple, plant-based formula.

Who this slippery elm is suitable for

This slippery elm is for those who want to use this traditional herb alone, in the form of pure bark powder rather than an extract, and without additives. You receive the inner bark of the slippery elm in a vegetable capsule, nothing more. In summary: a vegan and purified herbal formula from a brand known for its clear labels and short, transparent ingredient list.