Remember that it may have been obtained illegally, and also may have killed trees illegally:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060810/ap_on_re_us/stripping_treesDANIEL BOONE NATIONAL FOREST, Ky. - The 20-foot tree stands half naked, much of the bark stripped from its trunk. It has only months to live. "It doesn't know it's dead," says U.S. Forest Service botanist David Taylor, pointing to the healthy leaves overhead.
This slippery elm has fallen victim to thieves who tore off its bark for profit in the lucrative and burgeoning herbal-remedy market.
The gummy lining of the bark has long been used in North America, and especially Appalachia, as a soothing agent for coughs, gastrointestinal ailments and skin irritations. But now, slippery elm and other herbal products that were once used seasonally by locals are in demand by millions.
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For those who know me, I am obviously not a tree-hugger. But, the activity in the article above is illegal, uncontrolled, with no regard whatsoever for any kind of sustainable market. It is damaging to not only the environment, but also the herbal pharmaceutical industry, the people who do use the bark in a conservative fashion for themselves, and the forest service/crime prevention systems that are now faced with yet-another form of criminal activity to monitor/arrest/convict.
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