Does slippery elm cause yeast infections? What the research does and doesn't show

No evidence connects oral slippery elm to causing a yeast infection, a kidney infection, or any other infection. The only slippery-elm-specific research on infection at all is a single lab-dish test against one strain of bacteria — not yeast, and not a test in a person.

What the evidence doesn't support

It doesn't support the idea that slippery elm causes a yeast infection (candida) — no case report, toxicology study or proposed mechanism identified for this page connects oral slippery elm to one. It doesn't support using slippery elm to treat a yeast infection either, or a kidney infection: no trial has tested slippery elm, in any form, against either. The "does slippery elm cause yeast infections" search appears to trace to general curiosity about herbal supplements and yeast overgrowth rather than any specific reported case or study.

What the trials found

A 2019 laboratory study tested ethanol extracts of 14 medicinal plants against Streptococcus pyogenes — the bacterium behind strep throat — grown in a dish. Slippery elm inner bark extract was among the five most effective at inhibiting bacterial growth (at a concentration of 62.5–125 micrograms per milliliter) and at disrupting the bacteria's biofilm. The study's authors singled out sage leaf and purple coneflower (echinacea) as the most promising candidates for further research, not slippery elm specifically. This was a concentrated ethanol extract tested against bacteria in a dish — not a capsule, powder or tea, not tested in a person, and not a test against yeast (candida) or against any kidney infection.

A yeast infection happens when candida, a fungus normally present in small amounts on the body, overgrows — commonly triggered by antibiotics, hormonal shifts, high blood sugar, or a weakened immune system. None of those triggers involve fiber or mucilage, which is what slippery elm mostly consists of, and no published research connects the two mechanistically or in a reported case.

Questions people ask

Does slippery elm cause yeast infections?

No evidence found for this page supports that. There's no case report, safety review or proposed mechanism linking oral slippery elm to a yeast infection.

Can slippery elm bark cause a yeast infection?

No — the same answer applies regardless of the form (capsule, powder, lozenge or tea).

Does slippery elm help with a kidney infection?

No trial has tested that. A kidney infection is a bacterial infection of the urinary tract that needs prompt medical care, not a supplement.

When to talk to a doctor

Slippery elm is not a treatment for a yeast infection, a kidney infection, or any other infection. See a doctor for burning, itching or unusual discharge, or for fever, flank pain or blood in the urine, which can signal a kidney infection needing prompt care. See who should not take slippery elm and slippery elm side effects for more.