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All the singers drink slippery elm tea, but I got tired of it and I got into a bunch of different teas, like Earl Grey and rooibos tea, which is really popular in South Africa.

Whether or not they actually suggested it, the “black ball” recipe contains dried raisins and figs, olive oil, charcoal, glycerin, senna and slippery elm.

“That was my first taste of slippery elm,” Mr. Perry recalled.

But for the most part, these traces were obliterated, with the hedges running wild and native trees—slippery elm and tamarack—outnumbering the quince and Japanese maple.

“Honey. If you can get hold of any slippery elm powder, add a bit of that as well. But a spoonful of honey should help on its own,” I say.