This gruel is filling to the belly, a good complete source of nutrition during healing, and well tolerated by sensitive digestions.

2 1/2 qts hot, lemon balm, chamomile tea
2 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 can (13 oz.) light coconut milk
1/3 cup slippery elm bark powder
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
your favorite sweetener
five sticks of astragalus

In a slow cooker put the dry oatmeal and slippery elm bark powder and stir them together.

Add the coconut milk, butter and hot tea and stir well for a few minutes to distribute the dry mix in the liquids.

The stirring will thicken the mix as the bark powder starts to gel. Stirring well at this stage avoids clumping in the final product.

Add several root slices of astragalus tied together on a string so that they can be easily removed when the gruel is done.

Set the slow cooker on low for several hours then shut off the heat and cover the cooker well over night.

Store in quart jars in the refrigerator. If bowels are sluggish top with crushed pineapple. If bowels are loose top with applesauce.

If recovering from surgery this mix by itself provides good and complete nutrition, is well tolerated and builds a soothing coating on irritated digestive linings.

Herbs can be purchased at www.starwest-botanicals.com.