Briar Patch Medicine

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The sap of smooth sumac, an important antiseptic on the frontier, was applied externally to wounds. As sumac bark tea, it also was used to treat internal bleeding. Squawbush, also called cramp bark, owes its common names to Indian women who infused its bark to counter cramps and other menstrual problems. Native Americans also mixed dried sumac leaves with their tobacco to break the smoking habit. Over time, as they increased the amount of sumac in their smoking mixture, they decreased the amount of tobacco, so nicotine levels would drop. Sumac’s acrid flavor would take over and, eventually, the need for the narcotic kick dropped off.

Dried, ground sumac berries from R. coriaria are a standard seasoning in the Middle East. In fact, the name “sumac” comes from the Arabic word for “tall”. Middle Eastern groceries often carry the tart red spice, which is particularly associated with a stale-bread salad called fattoush. Zattar, an all-purpose Arab seasoning, is made by mixing sumac with thyme and other herbs.

A fulsome foursome

Be on the lookout for the four Rs flourishing on the edges of the horticultural world. You might even con­sider using them to make a living fence or two. Your hedges will bring you great visual pleasure and, in the case of wild roses, aromatherapy as close as your windowsill. Additionally, they possess greater ecological value than chain-link or other nonliving fences. At the risk of making a bad pun, an investment in peripheral herbs is one that will pay off many times over in fringe benefits.

Robert K. Henderson combines his interest in herbs, history, folklore, and research in the articles he writes in Olympia, Washington.

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