@dedhambeth - Slippery elm inner bark works best for me with every meal. It can be in homemade food (bread, hot cereal, cocoa, etc.), added to suitable commercial food (instant oatmeal) or dissolved in hot water. I started taking it with my morning meal, then thought about it, and tried using it with every meal (4- or smaller meals a day).

It definitely works better with every meal. I have an incredibly sensitive gut, so 1/8 teaspoon with a meal. When I was taking it once a day in the morning, I took 1/2 teaspoon. If I can't add it to my food, I put in in a hot liquid.

For me, it seems to work by softening and providing slip best for the meal I take it with. So it does make a world of difference for me when I take it with each meal.

(I think there are slipperly elm bark "chunks" (outer and inner bark) that could be steeped normally like any tea. If so, that may be best for a meal in the work environment.)

Since school teachers are on holiday now or soon, it is a good time to experiment to find a dose that works.

Whether it creates an urgent need to toilet, that may depend on the dose. I find that with my optional dose of 1/8 with a meal.

I am currently checking to see if 1/8 a teaspoon with a meal, when it is a six-meal day, is still the right dose. Maybe taking it four or five times a day is my limit, with a sixth 1/8 teaspoon dose too much.