Ulmus pumilia
HELLO MY HERBIE FRIENDS! This week I’m talking about one of my more recently discovered herbs. Umlauts pumila, Siberian Elm, has quickly made itself a permanent home in my herb cabinet. Part of the Elm family, Siberian Elm can be found in nearly every state except Maine, South Carolina and Mississippi, according to the USDA. This shrubby tree happily grows in alleyways, open space and forests. When properly tended it can grow to be fifty to seventy feet tall, but will also present itself as a short neighborhood tree.
The best part is it grows pretty much everywhere! Once you learn to identify this tree you will always have a reliable mucilaginous herb. I was introduced to this plant during botany days at my school, CSCH. It is a great alternative to Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra) which is on the United Plant Savers at risk list. Slippery Elm has been decimated in many areas by Dutch Elm Disease (DED), a fungal infection spread by bark beetles. Native to Northern Asia, U. pumilawas first introduced to the U.S. around 1860 and has spread itself far and wide since. One really cool thing about U. pumila is that it’s resistant to DED! It’s so abundant, even to the point where it can be damaging. It’s classified as a noxious weed in New Mexico.
The most common use of Siberian Elm is for its mucilaginous properties. Mucilage is just a fancy word for, ‘slimy stuff that acts on mucus tissue.’ This sliminess will coat and soothe the throat, stomach and GI tract when taken internally which can help with conditions like heartburn and ulcers. I like to drink it as a simple infusion. Since moving back to Colorado this summer, it seems like every part of me is dry and itchy. I’ve found this herb to help maintain my hydration levels better than just water alone. I’ll just take some bark and throw it in my water bottle for the day. Externally it makes a soothing poultice for wounds and burns. Personally, I’ll just rub the goo wherever my skin feels dry.
To harvest this bark, find a healthy and abundant looking elm and cut off a couple small whips. I typically don't take anything thicker than a pencil and maintain respect and mindfulness for the life of the tree. Like in The Wizard of Oz, “How would you like it if someone came and picked something off of you?” Don’t cut a branch right in the middle. You want to cut the branch where it meets the next biggest branch on the tree. Think where one arm of the ‘Y’ meets the stem. This helps keep the tree healthy. Be sure to use a sharp tool so you can make as clean of a cut as possible. After finding your branches, take a small mallet or river rock and gently hammer the branches. The outer bark will naturally start to pull away from the meat of the branch. The outer bark is the part you want to collect and take home. Let it dry, then store it with your other herbs. As with any harvest, be sure not to harvest on private land without permission or in any protected open space. It is illegal to harvest plants on National Park and Forest land as well as from National monuments without a government permit.
I didn’t know this until early this fall but I really love working with tree medicine. There’s something about the age and wisdom these plants have that make me feel like I’m tapping into some ancient knowledge. It reminds me of Disney’s Pocahontas and Grandmother Willow. Pocahontas goes to Grandmother Willow for advice and gains wisdom and guidance. Trees provide shelter, shade and oxygen for both humans and other animals. They often are the most obvious sign of changing seasons; buds return in Spring and leaves fall in Autumn. Trees are an excellent example of how to ground yourself. They send their roots into the ground, and mirror that pattern above in their branches, simultaneously keeping firm footing while reaching for something bigger than themselves.
In mythology, the Ulmus genus is associated with Mercury and Saturn, the water element and is a symbol of communication and relationships. Elms are said to be found at crossroads that lead to the faery world, and is popular with elves. It was used as material for coffins in old England and planted in graveyards in Ancient Greece.
Another way I like to use this special plant is by making a highly concentrated infusion and adding the strained goo into warm almond milk with cinnamon and ginger.
