Slippery elm and ginger tea: what's in it and what's studied

Slippery elm and ginger tea combines ground bark and ground root, usually steeped or simmered together in hot water. It's a real, commonly sold combination, but the two ingredients have very different amounts of research behind them, and no trial has tested the tea, or the pairing, directly.

Two very different research bases

Slippery elm's defining property, described in a 1950 chemical analysis of the bark, is mucilage — a polysaccharide that thickens into a gel on contact with hot water, which is why it's brewed as a tea in the first place. No published human trial has tested slippery elm by itself at any dose; the small amount of relevant human research combined it with several other active ingredients in short, uncontrolled formula studies.

Ginger's evidence is a different scale. A 2019 systematic review of clinical trials on ginger and digestive disorders found its clearest, best-supported effect was for nausea, generally using a divided daily dose around 1,500 mg; the same review noted too few trials existed on other digestive uses to draw a real conclusion, and called for more dose-finding research. Ginger has been tested far more often, and at defined doses, than slippery elm has.

What the combination hasn't been tested for

No trial has given people slippery elm and ginger together, in tea or any other form, to measure an effect. Each ingredient's research was done separately, using capsule- or powder-based formulas rather than tea — so neither ingredient's own evidence transfers directly to a brewed tea version, and combining them doesn't add a tested effect beyond what either has shown on its own.

Checking a store-bought blend

A commercial "slippery elm and ginger tea" can be just those two ingredients, or it can add licorice root, marshmallow root, peppermint or other botanicals — recipes vary by brand. Check the specific product's ingredient list rather than assuming from the name on the box, especially if you're trying to avoid or confirm a specific ingredient, since neither slippery elm's nor ginger's research covers what a third or fourth added botanical might do.

Questions people ask

What does slippery elm and ginger tea do?

No trial has tested this specific tea. Slippery elm's mucilage forms a coating gel when steeped in hot water; ginger's clearest human evidence, from other forms and doses, is for nausea — but neither ingredient's research was done using a brewed tea.

How do you make slippery elm and ginger tea?

Most recipes steep or simmer slippery elm bark powder and fresh or dried ginger together in hot water, similar to how slippery elm tea is made on its own, with ginger added for flavor and its own separate research profile.

Can you drink slippery elm and ginger tea every day?

No dose has been established for slippery elm in any form, tea included, and no trial has tested daily use of this specific combination. See is slippery elm safe daily? for what's known about slippery elm on its own.

Related reading: slippery elm tea, slippery elm benefits: what the research does and doesn't show, and slippery elm dosage.