Medicinal Monday - Poison Sumac - A Virulent Weed

Poison Sumac looks deceivingly pretty especially in the fall with its bright red compound leaves and clusters of berries. Whatever you do, don't touch it! It is related to poison ivy and poison oak and will cause a terrible skin rash that swells and itches like crazy! Surprisingly, Native Americans figured out few ways to use this irksome plant that blankets the bogs and swamps and sometimes the woods of Connecticut and New England in general.

About Poison Sumac

Poison Sumac along with Poison Ivy and Poison Oak belongs to the cashew family. Poison sumac grows as a shrub or small tree and is found from Maine, south to Florida, and west to Texas. It thrives in wet soil and is most commonly encountered in swamps, marshes, and along the shorelines of rivers or ponds. This woody perennial averages five to six feet in height and can grow up to 25 feet. The oval leaves have smooth edges and grow in groups of seven to thirteen, with a single leaf on the end. The leaf stems are always red and the bark is grey and smooth. Small yellow flowers develop into pale yellow or creme-colored berries that droop in clusters. Plants reproduce from the seeds in the berries. 

These plants are poisonous if eaten and cause skin irritation to humans at all times of the year and at all stages of growth. All parts of the plant, except the pollen, contain urushiol, a toxin that causes irritation and blistering of the skin. To cause injury, urushiol must contact the skin, either directly by touching the plant, or indirectly by touching things that have touched the plant such as clothing, tools, animals, or firewood. 

Medicinal Uses of Poison Sumac

Although the Cherokee considered this shrub to be poisonous they used it in several interesting ways.  They used some form of this plant as a wash for ulcers and to treat fevers. They also used this plant to treat ulcerated bladders and took it for respiratory problems. There is no documentation on how this plant was used or what part was used to treat these illnesses. We do know that its milky juice was used to induce blistering.

Did You Know...

The sap of this shrub can be used to make a black varnish used in woodworking.

Bobwhites, pheasants, and grouse consume the fruits in the winter.

Poison Sumac belongs to the genus Toxicodendron whose name comes from the Greek word "toxic tree."

Other names for poison sumac include poison elder, poison dogwood, and poison ash.