Slippery Elm

• Demulcent / mucilage coating: the inner bark produces a viscous mucilage when mixed with water. That gel can coat the stomach lining and provide a protective, soothing barrier that reduces irritation from acid or inflammation — a plausible symptomatic mechanism for gastritis. peacehealth.org
• Anti-inflammatory / antioxidant activities (preclinical): lab work and reviews note anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties for herbal formulations containing slippery elm; these actions could help reduce mucosal irritation, though they are not proof of clinical benefit for gastritis. Clinical Advisor ScienceDirect

Summary: mechanism is plausible (coating + soothing), but plausibility ≠ definitive proof for curing gastritis. The clinical trial evidence specifically in gastritis is sparse. efficacy.pro

These are the common, traditionally recommended approaches used in herbal medicine and described by medical information sites (note: formulations and strengths vary by product):

• Powder (inner bark) ‘mucilage’ (traditional): mix 1 teaspoon (≈2–4 g) of slippery elm powder into a small amount of cool water, stir and let it swell into a gel (a thick, slippery slurry). Drink that mixture. Repeat 1–3 times daily as needed for symptomatic relief. Some people take it as a warm drink (stir powder into warm water/tea) rather than cold. Dr. Axe thecalmgut.com
• Tea / infusion (commercial blends): proprietary teas (for example “Throat Coat”-type blends) contain slippery elm plus other demulcent herbs; these are sipped regularly (some studies instructed sipping every ~30 minutes while symptomatic). For gastritis, people typically sip 1–3 cups/day. ResearchGate The Botanical Institute
• Capsules / lozenges / tinctures: follow product labels. Capsules are convenient for regular dosing; lozenges are typically used for throat but can be helpful if reflux irritates the oropharynx. WebMD
• Timing with medications: because slippery elm forms a gel that can bind or slow absorption of other oral drugs, take slippery elm at least 1–2 hours before or after prescription medications (many sources recommend 2 hours when possible). WebMD Drugs.com

Important: there is no universal, standardized “medical” dose of slippery elm for gastritis — instructions come from traditional use and product labels. If you are treating medically significant gastritis (especially with bleeding, weight loss, or H. pylori suspected), see a clinician — slippery elm is symptomatic care, not a substitute for indicated medical treatment.

There are very few randomized, high-quality trials testing slippery elm alone for gastrointestinal inflammation; most human data come from:

• Randomized, placebo-controlled trial for acute pharyngitis using a commercial tea (“Throat Coat”) that contains slippery elm among other demulcents — the tea reduced throat pain versus placebo. This supports mucilage’s symptomatic effect in mucosal irritation, but it’s a throat study (not gastritis). ResearchGate
• Pilot clinical study in IBS: a small pilot study tested two natural medicine formulations for IBS; both formulas included slippery elm among other ingredients. Some symptom improvement was reported, but these were multi-ingredient formulas and an open/pilot design — not definitive evidence for slippery elm alone or for gastritis. FigshareResearch Portal
• In-vitro / preclinical work and reviews: antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity has been observed in laboratory studies of herbal therapies (some including slippery elm). These support biological plausibility but are not clinical proof. Clinical Advisor ScienceDirect