08/21/2026
We would like to introduce you to our herb of the month, Sumac. Sumac, coming from the Arabic word Summãq, has a lineage of liberation.
The berries are a key spice in many dishes throughout North Afrika and West India. Musakhan, often considered the national dish of Palestine, consists of sumac, caramelized onions cooked in olive oil, spread on traditional Palestinian taboon bread, and topped with roasted chicken and pine nuts.
From sea to sea, we find Turtle Island’s very own varieties, such as staghorn sumac and shining sumac. Known as tarákwi in Kanien’kéha, a language belonging to the Mohawk people, Sumac is a known as a traditional medicine, drink, and beautiful red dye to many indigenous groups throughout the eastern and central regions of so called North America.
The whole of the plant is worked with-root, sprout, bark, leaf, and berry. It was likely southeastern indigenous groups like the Cherokee, and Muscogee nations, that shared sumac’s medicine in the 16th century with captive and self liberated Afrikans.
It’s through the ancestral memory of hibicus’s tart antioxidant rich nourishment that Afrikan diaspora found kinship with sumac, intiating them into the culture and celebratory collective known as “The Red Drink.”
Sumac has that sour tang that lets your body know it’s high in antioxidants, particularly vitamin C. Antioxidants prevent oxidative stress that can lead to tissue damage. They are also a refrigerant meaning they help cool the body on hot days or in the presence of a fever.
Some studies have shown that sumac is cardioprotective, lowering the risk of heart disease and the anti inflammatory properties benefit the whole body’s function. Whether as a red drink or traditional seasoning, sumac has a lot of love to give. They want to see you well as possible, in good health, and whole, for yourself first, and because we all need you. In Black August solidarity, Sumac.
Nos gustaría presentarles nuestra hierba del mes: el zumaque. El zumaque, cuyo nombre proviene de la palabra árabe «Summäq», tiene una tradición de liberación. Sus bayas son un ingrediente clave en muchos platillos de todo el norte de África y el oeste de la India. El
