 The mucilaginous inner bark of the Slippery Elm "Ulmus rubra" has long been used as a demulcent, and is still produced commercially for this purpose in the United States with approval for sale as a nutritional supplement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Elms also have a long history of cultivation for fodder, with the leafy branches cut to feed livestock.The practice continues today in the Himalaya, where it contributes to serious deforestation.