{"id":125629,"date":"2025-03-11T04:47:13","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T04:47:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/alternative-medicine\/the-essential-herbal-blog-about-sumac\/"},"modified":"2025-03-11T04:47:13","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T04:47:13","slug":"the-essential-herbal-blog-about-sumac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629","title":{"rendered":"The Essential Herbal Blog: About Sumac"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sumac<\/span><\/b>
The Essential Herbal Magazine
\u00a0from the Nov\/Dec 2014 issue<\/p>\n

As I write this all of the leaves are off the trees and the
\nbeautiful flowers of the handsome native sumacs really catch your eye along our
\nPennsylvania roadsides.\u00a0 <\/span>Sumac is
\npronounced Shoomak or Sumach according to Mr Webster.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>This stately tree ornamented with huge
\nvelvety and showy wildflowers can be enjoyed in a variety of ways indoors and
\nout.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

Native plants that have been growing here for thousands of
\nyears are tough.\u00a0 <\/span>They have built in
\ndurability, disease and insect resistance.\u00a0
\n<\/span>Sumacs also have the ability to survive roadside dust and air
\npollution.\u00a0 <\/span>Grown in even moderately good
\nconditions they will be even more beautiful than in the wild.\u00a0 <\/span>Not often recommended for gardens anymore, I
\nhad to go back as far as the 1972 US Dept Agriculture \u201cLandscape for Living\u201d
\nYearbook to find it written as a landscape feature for poor soil with a wide
\nrange of adaptability.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Appropriate for
\nzones 5-9.\u00a0 <\/span>I have to warn you to beware
\nas it can become a bit of a weed tree. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Plant of poor dry soil, sandy waste places, rocky hillsides,
\non the fringes of weeds and clearings, it is easily grown by seed, popping up
\nin sunny spots along every new cut in the roads.\u00a0 <\/span>It is particularly valuable as a nurse tree,
\nappearing soon after fires.\u00a0 <\/span>Fast growing
\nSumac rebuilds the soil and protects other seedling forests trees, which will
\nfollow and eventually take over.<\/p>\n

I have noticed many of the books in my library shy away from
\ntalking about sumac.\u00a0 <\/span>Why?\u00a0 <\/span>Most authors seem to avoid sumac automatically
\nassuming it is \u201cpoison sumac\u201d and dreadful mistakes will be made.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

Although only the white berried forms Rhus radicans
\nor poison ivy, and \u00a0<\/span>Rhus vernix, which
\ngrows in swampy situations, are poisonous, all sumacs are maligned by this
\nreputation.\u00a0 <\/span>This one unattractive cousin
\nof the family with droopy white berries is usually found in inaccessible places
\nand it is virtually impossible to confuse the good plant with the bad.\u00a0 <\/span>Regardless both seem to be addressed as \u201cpoisonsumac\u201d
\nas if it were only one word and one species.<\/p>\n

There are many species of Rhus and every one of the red
\nberried spires whether it is hot pink or maroon is edible and usable in
\nbouquets both fresh and dried! Gather it to create wreaths, dried bouquets or
\nboil the berries to make a tart pink lemonade or to use as a dye bath for
\nwoolens or linens.\u00a0 <\/span>Use it as a home
\nremedy or season Indian and Middle Eastern Foods with the crushed red berries. <\/p>\n

The genus Rhus (family Anacardiaceae) is a rugged one with
\nshrubs and trees scattered over the world, growing everywhere but the Polar
\nRegions.\u00a0 <\/span>Rhus, the Greek word for Sumac,
\nincludes poison ivy, the noxious vine as well as Rhus Cotinus, our lovely smoke
\ntree with showy pink-gray clouds of \u201csmoke\u201d appearing in the old fashioned
\ngarden in the fall.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

It all includes all
\nof the red-berried sumacs which are guaranteed safe to pick and eat.\u00a0 <\/span>The two dominant varities are the satiny
\nsmooth Rhus glabra and the staghorn or hairy Rhus typhinum, both grow to 18-20
\nfeet in height.\u00a0 <\/span>The soft wooly texture of
\nthe flowers is due to the miniscule hairs covering each berry.\u00a0 <\/span>Break off the flowers early in the season for
\nthe best color and flavor.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Our American Indians valued this plant using it as a gargle
\nfor sore throats, as an antiseptic poultice for sounds, as a tonic and as an
\nastringent \u2013 it\u2019s most valuable property. It is recorded that they chewed the
\nroot for mouth sores and a dressing of fresh leaves and berries relieves the
\nitch of its cousin poison ivy.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

To make the pretty pink Lemonade, wash then pound several
\nheads of red sumac berries in a large enamel pot of water.\u00a0 <\/span>Boil for 10 minutes, then strain through a
\ncloth to remove the hairs.\u00a0 <\/span>Dilute and
\nsweeten to taste and serve at once as it doesn\u2019t keep well.\u00a0 <\/span>If you collect and dry the berries while
\nstill velvety, this pleasant citrusy drink can be made at any time all winter
\nlong.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Additionally it was
\nused as a dye plant for fibers, hair and skin.\u00a0
\n<\/span>Used as an ingredient in Za\u2019tar Spice, this amazing plant has a long
\ninternational history of uses. \u00a0<\/span>And no,
\nit\u2019s not poisonous.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Susanna Reppert Brill of The Rosemary House<\/a>, Mechanicsburg,
\nPA enjoys talking about herbs and riding a good zip line, but not necessarily
\nat the same time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 SumacThe Essential Herbal Magazine\u00a0from the Nov\/Dec 2014 issue As I write this all of the leaves are off the trees and the beautiful flowers of the handsome native sumacs really catch your eye along our Pennsylvania roadsides.\u00a0 Sumac is pronounced Shoomak or Sumach according to Mr Webster.\u00a0\u00a0 This stately tree ornamented with huge velvety […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":125630,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11764],"tags":[3767,1780,18626,55018],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-125629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alternative-medicine","tag-blog","tag-essential","tag-herbal","tag-sumac"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Essential Herbal Blog: About Sumac - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Essential Herbal Blog: About Sumac - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0 SumacThe Essential Herbal Magazine\u00a0from the Nov\/Dec 2014 issue As I write this all of the leaves are off the trees and the beautiful flowers of the handsome native sumacs really catch your eye along our Pennsylvania roadsides.\u00a0 Sumac is pronounced Shoomak or Sumach according to Mr Webster.\u00a0\u00a0 This stately tree ornamented with huge velvety […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-11T04:47:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/leaves-7521884_960_720.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371\"},\"headline\":\"The Essential Herbal Blog: About Sumac\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-11T04:47:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629\"},\"wordCount\":765,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/leaves-7521884_960_720.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Blog\",\"Essential\",\"Herbal\",\"Sumac\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Alternative Medicine\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629\",\"name\":\"The Essential Herbal Blog: About Sumac - Som2ny Network\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/leaves-7521884_960_720.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-11T04:47:13+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/leaves-7521884_960_720.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/leaves-7521884_960_720.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?bp_activities=1\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Essential Herbal Blog: About Sumac\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"description\":\"Daily Deals\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":86,\"caption\":\"Som2ny Network\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Essential Herbal Blog: About Sumac - Som2ny Network","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Essential Herbal Blog: About Sumac - Som2ny Network","og_description":"\u00a0 SumacThe Essential Herbal Magazine\u00a0from the Nov\/Dec 2014 issue As I write this all of the leaves are off the trees and the beautiful flowers of the handsome native sumacs really catch your eye along our Pennsylvania roadsides.\u00a0 Sumac is pronounced Shoomak or Sumach according to Mr Webster.\u00a0\u00a0 This stately tree ornamented with huge velvety […]","og_url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629","og_site_name":"Som2ny Network","article_published_time":"2025-03-11T04:47:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/leaves-7521884_960_720.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371"},"headline":"The Essential Herbal Blog: About Sumac","datePublished":"2025-03-11T04:47:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629"},"wordCount":765,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/leaves-7521884_960_720.jpg","keywords":["Blog","Essential","Herbal","Sumac"],"articleSection":["Alternative Medicine"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629","name":"The Essential Herbal Blog: About Sumac - Som2ny Network","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/leaves-7521884_960_720.jpg","datePublished":"2025-03-11T04:47:13+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/leaves-7521884_960_720.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/leaves-7521884_960_720.jpg","width":960,"height":630},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=125629#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?bp_activities=1"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Essential Herbal Blog: About Sumac"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/","name":"Som2ny Network","description":"Daily Deals","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization","name":"Som2ny Network","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","width":300,"height":86,"caption":"Som2ny Network"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/fivemor.com"],"url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=125629"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125629\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/125630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=125629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=125629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=125629"},{"taxonomy":"dealstore","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fdealstore&post=125629"},{"taxonomy":"offerexpiration","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fofferexpiration&post=125629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}