Ulmi Cortex. Elm Bark.
Related entry: Slippery elm
Elm bark is obtained from the common elm, Ulmus campestris, Linn. (N.O. Urticaceae), freed from the dark, outer portion. It occurs in rather thick, flattened pieces, usually 10 to 15 centimetres long and 2.5 to 5 centimetres wide, consisting of secondary bast. The outer surface is pale, yellowish-brown, marked with patches of the dark brown, outer portion; inner surface longitudinally striated. Fracture, rather tough and short, but not very fibrous. The bark is odourless, but has a slightly mucilaginous and astringent taste.
Constituents.—The chief constituent of elm bark is tannin; it also contains starch and a little mucilage.
Action and Uses.—Elm bark is a bitter and astringent. The decoction is administered in intestinal catarrh and diarrhoea, and has been used as an injection in leucorrhoea.
PREPARATION.
- Decoctum Ulmi, B.P.C.—DECOCTION OF ELM BARK. 1 in 8.
- Used as a bitter and astringent. Dose.—60 to 120 mils (2 to 4 fluid ounces).
