slippery elm

Anyone have experience with slippery elm for stomatitis?

 

Kathie, I do not remember anyone mentioning the use of it for stomatitis, only intestinal and upset tummy problems. Below is from Tanya's UK CRF site on SE and there is not mention of it for stomatitis.

Homeopathic remedies do not work the way regular medication does - you cannot take a remedy when you feel sick and expect it to work like an aspirin would. Usually you give a homeopathic remedy once, then maybe not again for days, weeks or even a month; although with some herbal remedies used for CRF, such as Slippery Elm Bark, more regular usage may be necessary. Ideally you should seek advice from a holistic homeopathic vet, though these are not always easy to find.

Herbal Remedies

If you are using herbal remedies, it is important not to overdose. Herbal remedies are just like any other drug and may have side effects - too much can actually end up causing the very thing you are trying to treat, for example if you give too much of a treatment for diarrhoea, it can actually make the diarrhoea worse. So only give the suggested dose and remember that, as with all medicines, more is not always better. Herbal remedies can be very potent, so I would not recommend giving herbs other than Slippery Elm Bark without input from a qualified professional; and do ask your vet about Slippery Elm Bark or any other products you plan to use.

Slippery Elm Bark

What is It?
Formulations Where to Buy

Dosage

(Includes Syrup Recipe)
Cautions General Information





What Is It?

The natural remedy most commonly used in the treatment of CRF is Slippery Elm Bark powder (ulmus rubra or ulmus fulva). Slippery Elm Bark is a herbal remedy used for most kinds of digestive or intestinal problems - it can be used for nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation. It soothes and coats the stomach lining and intestinal walls and reduces irritation. This can be extremely useful in combating the nausea and stomach acid which many CRF cats experience; as a side effect it can also improve coat dryness and dandruff.



You can use Slippery Elm Bark in addition to Pepcid AC if necessary (though with luck the Slippery Elm Bark alone will suffice), but do not give these treatments at the same time (see cautions).



Formulations



Loose Powder

Ideally, you want organic or wild-crafted Slippery Elm Bark powder from most good health food shops. See below for sources.



Capsules

If you cannot find loose Slippery Elm Bark, you can usually find capsules in a 350-400mg size, but try to make sure the capsules contain only pure Slippery Elm Bark, no fillers.



It is hard to find capsules that don't contain magnesium stearate because it is a glidant used in the manufacturing process (it helps the powder flow when the capsules are being filled). Magnesium stearate is not a problem, but I would try to avoid capsules containing other ingredients. You cannot always make the syrup recipe from capsules containing anything other than Slippery Elm Bark.



Tinctures

I would avoid tinctures because they often contain other ingredients, especially alcohol.



Where to Buy Slippery Elm Bark



UK

Green Life Direct sells loose slippery elm bark for £5.01 for 50g.

Applejacks in London sell slippery elm bark in the UK, it's not mentioned on their website but you can call them or e-mail them.

Holland and Barrett sells 100 370mg capsules for £6.99.

Capsules are also available at most health food stores, and the ones I bought (400mg size) cost £4.99 for eighty.



USA

San Francisco Herb Co sells loose Slippery Elm Bark powder at the best price I've found, US$14.90 per pound plus exact shipping cost, but their minimum order is for US$30. They will waive this on request and charge a US$7 small order fee instead; alternatively you could stock up on other products such as catnip.

Frontier Herb sells loose Slippery Elm Bark, in both organic and standard forms.

Affordable Natural Supplements sells the Now brand of slippery elm bark in both powder and capsule form - type in slippery elm in the search facility.

Glenbrook Farm sells slippery elm bark in various quantities online. It costs UA$20 for 1 lb plus $5.99 for shipping.

Whole Foods Market sells slippery elm bark in bulk in its stores in USA and Canada.

Drugstore sells 100 370mg Nature's Way slippery elm bark capsules for US$5.99.

Vitamin Shoppe sells two brands of slippery elm bark capsules.

Swanson Vitamins sells its own brand 400g slippery elm bark capsules for US$3.49 for 100.



Dosage

The usual dosage is:

1/8 to 1/4 (0.125 - 0.25) of a teaspoon of the organic or wild-crafted Slippery Elm Bark powder once or twice a day; or

one 350-400mg capsule a day. You can give these whole or open them and sprinkle on the cat's food once or twice a day.

I sprinkle opened capsules of Slippery Elm Bark into my cat's food and mix it up, but Slippery Elm Bark has a bittersweet flavour which some cats do not like. In that case, try giving it in a capsule, either the one it came in or, if you are using loose Slippery Elm Bark, purchase gelcaps separately for this purpose.



Some people have found their cat will eat Slippery Elm Bark if it is mixed in a little baby food (make sure the baby food does not contain any onion).



Syrup Recipe

You can also make Slippery Elm Bark into a syrup that is used for digestive problems or for mouth sores or ulcers. It has the same soothing and healing effects in the mouth - try dabbing in your cat's mouth ulcers if required. The syrup is weaker than the straight powder, so you can give a little more of it. Here is the recipe for the syrup:



Sprinkle 1 to 1.5 tsp of Slippery Elm Bark powder onto one cup of cold water. If you are using Slippery Elm Bark from capsules, you need pure Slippery Elm Bark with no fillers, otherwise the syrup will usually not thicken properly.



Let it sit until the powder is damp, then bring to the boil stirring constantly. Use a stainless steel or heat-proof glass pan, not an aluminium or non-stick one. Reduce the heat and simmer, still stirring constantly, until it thickens, about 3 minutes or so. It will be the consistency of watery egg whites. Allow to cool and give 0.25 to 0.5 teaspoon up to 4 times a day. This will keep at room temperature for a day or in the fridge for up to five days.



Some people have told me they find it hard to place the syrup on their cat's mouth ulcers if they are in hard-to-reach areas of the mouth. In such cases, you may wish to use a syringe to aim the syrup at the ulcers.



Slippery Elm Bark Cautions
Do not give Slippery Elm Bark at the same time as any other medications or supplements - it can inhibit the absorption of the medications. It is best to give it an hour before or after any other medications (especially antibiotics), and ideally on an empty stomach, although it is safe to sprinkle it on food if you wish.



Slippery Elm Bark also contains calcium, so it is probably safer not to use it if your cat has hypercalcaemia.



Information on Slippery Elm Bark

Southwest School of Botanical Medicine has a breakdown of the components of Slippery Elm Bark.

University of Maryland Medical Center also has information on Slippery Elm Bark.

Little Big Cat has an article about slippery elm bark by Jean Hofve DVM.

1001 Herbs has more information on slippery elm bark

 

Hope,

I suggested the slippery elm to Kathie since I read it was good for sore throats, and her cat's throat is very sore from stomatis, even after the dental work. I don't have any experience with the slippery elm myself though, but I figured someone else here does.

laur

 

I have used it for Maui when she had severe diarhea issues. That is the only way I've used the product.

 

These remedies don't sound like they are for cats! Coffee? Tea? Is this spam?

 

Kathie,
I have done a little research on this and have found some articles which refer to the use of Slippery Elm Bark to temporarily ease some of the discomfort associated with stomatitis. Be advised that SEB offers no curitave agents for the disease itself. One of the articles I found also refers to the use of Goldenseal specifically for Stomatitis, however, I am not familiar with this and would not know how to dose without the advice of a homeopathic vet.

That said, here are the links to the articles I found. These are more comprehensive articles on stomatitis itself, but do mention the use of SEB.

http://thrivingcats.com/html/stomatitis_in_cats.html

http://www.dr-addie.com/stomatitis.html
http://www.pets-haven.com/Plasmacyitic_Stomatitis.htm
Both of the links directly above reference making a syrup of honey and SEB to be applied directly to the mouth lesions

http://books.google.com/books?id=iLbZDz ... is&f=false
Hope this link works because it's quite long, but this is the one that references the use of Goldenseal.

I hope this helps a little.

 

Does anyone know the appropriate dosage of Goldenseal? We are battling stomatitis with Yoda and it has come back with a vengeance since his last dental.

 

Found this about goldenseal (and similarly elsewhere about Echinacea):

I would assume the caution about using with diabetic pets is if they are currently on insulin and not OTJ (Yoda has been OTJ for almost 3 months now)