Anyone Ever Smoked Sumac?

[anotherbob]

did smoke some tobacco that had that and some other stuff and it frankly seemed more of a taste thing then anything else. Found it not bad but not good either. It was a blend that was supposedly mainly sold for ritual and ceremonial reasons. Did seem to have a bit of a deer tongue effect of soothing tongue bite, which makes sense in a situation where the pipe is shared around with many people. I'll put it this way wouldn't throw it out if someone got me some, but I am not nor have I ever sought it out again.

 

[anotherbob]

The red berried Staghorn Sumac is not poisonous and has many uses. I am smoking some right now in fact. On its own it can be harsh and burn hot, but a pinch of crushed dried red LEAVES added to any tobacco lends a mild citrus/berry flavour. The BERRIES of the staghorn cones can be used to make a "Lemonade" as noted above by soaking in water or boiling for tea. They have a tart citrus/rasperry flavour that is refreshing on its own but ideally needs a bit of sugar. The BRANCHES can even be hollowed to make a pipe stem. You should avoid any other variety - fortunately only Staghorn seems to grow where I live in Ontario.

that stuff is all over the place here and yeah the lemonade is not bad, but more work then it's worth.

 

[glitchmodule]

There are a ton of sumac species that aren't full of urushiol, the stuff that makes poison ivy, oak, or sumac poison. If you live West of the Mississippi you won't even find poison sumac, and in the east you'll only find it in a swamp or wetland. It's also known as "swamp sumac" because it needs a high water table to survive. I believe it also blooms I'm the spring, while the others in summer but I've never come across poison sumac in the part of PA I'm from. You can find Staghorn, Winged, and Smooth sumac here, and they are prolific. Poison sumac produces white drupes, and the three safe varieties produce red ones. I believe they bear fruit in the summer, around July or August. The white flowers of some sumac can cause misidentification as T. vernix (poison sumac), however Shining or Winged sumac has yellow flowers, so you could go after that if you're not sure. Sumac gets a bad rap because there's that whole "poison" variety but it's usually not that one unless you're in Massachusetts...it's everywhere there.

 

[monty55]

Nope. I put some on my hummus last night, but never thought about smoking it. Yuk

 

[UB 40]

Interesting. But at certain times of its growth its oil can lead to blisters and an itchy rash called Poison Sumac, like Poison ivy, or poison Oak. Before handling its best to know when that time is and what parts of the plant to avoid. I did have Sumac Ice Tea (made from the berries) as a child at a country fair ... its an acquired taste ... of course when its hot and you're thirsty .... It grows like a weed in the 'newer' England (). The indians also used to smoke the dried leaves of the mullein plant. You have to shave the silica off the leaves first though before drying ... its a natural bronchial dialater and has some other medicinal benefits and uses as well. Its a beneficial weed.
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Rhus Glabra, what is mentioned in the post is different from Rhus Toxicodendron or Toxicodendron Pubescens as it’s also named, the Atlantic Poison Oak. The Toxicodendron is the one that causes rashes on skin.

The Rhus Glabra is also from the plant family Anacardiaceae but is harmless, with fruity berries. That’s the plant to mix with tobacco. It’s easy to separate because of different formed leaves.

 

[mso489]

Indigenous nations blended their smoking herbs with a few thousand years of experience behind them, passed from generation to generation with careful training. Some of the elders know more about botanicals in that category than modern medical science. In some cases, way more.

As Alexander Pope said, "A little learning is a dangerous thing." So I'd steer clear of smoking anything novel, even if it has been tried and recommended by some sensible pipe smokers. Individual susceptibility to toxins varies widely over the human gene pool. Just consider the different relationships people have with alcohol -- to many a kindly relaxant, to others life's destruction.

I've burnt a few herbs as incense -- not joking about pot here -- and they can be fragrant and pleasant. But I wouldn't smoke them, if they were recommended to me by others.