Greetings! My sister who served in Morocco in the Peace Corps suggested I try using sumac as a salt substitute. Recently I did a little research and discovered two important facts about it:
It has some sodium content (greatly-reduced) (which explains its flavoring value. (cf. attached).)
Consuming 2gms. daily x 12 wks. had many beneficial metabolic effects (cf. Kazemi S, Shidfar F, Ehsani S, Adibi P, Janani L, Eslami O. The effects of sumac (Rhus coriaria L.) powder supplementation in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomized controlled trial. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2020 Nov;41:101259. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2020.101259. Epub 2020 Nov 10. PMID: 33190008. )
(Incidentally, I was diagnosed with NAFLD ~2010 but no USA MDs have treated it nor suggested addressing it.)
Sumac seems proven safe to consume over many centuries so I’m using it daily as my salt-substitute!
(FYI: 2 gms. is about 1-1/4 tsp… Spread on a hard-boiled egg, in soup, on meat, etc., this amount goes a long way toward flavoring otherwise bland foods!)
Context Sumac [Rhus coriaria L. (RC) (Anacardiaceae)] is used as a folk medicine in the treatment of diabetes in Turkey. Objective This study investigates the in vivo healing and protective effects of lyophilized extract sumac against streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic complications. Materials and methods Toxicity test was conducted in three different dosages (250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg of plant extracts, respectively). Six groups of seven rats each were used in experiments. Groups were designed as Normal control, Diabetic (DM), DM + AC-20 mg/kg, DM + Extract-100 mg/kg, DM + Extract 250 mg/kg and DM + Extract 500 mg/kg group. Experimental diabetes [50 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (i.p.)] was induced by STZ. The effects of oral administration of the extract for 21 d on the level of serum glucose, insulin, C-peptide, lipid profile (LP), hepatic and renal damage biomarkers (HRDB), diabetic serum biomarkers (DSB), glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), antioxidant defence system constituents (ADSCs), malondialdehyde (MDA) and α-glucosidase activity in small intestine tissue were evaluated. Results The extract decreased the levels of blood glucose in diabetic groups (an average of 31%). Triglyceride, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein levels were balanced by plant extract (500 mg/kg) supplementation in the diabetic group. Decreased levels of aspartate aminotransferase (89%), alanine aminotransferase (91%), lactate dehydrogenase (35%), alkaline phosphatase (47%), creatinine (25%) and urea (29%) were detected in plant extract (500 mg/kg) supplemented diabetic group. Additionally, a considerable increase in the HRDB, DSB, LP, MDA and fluctuated ADSC levels were restored in RC-extract supplemented groups. Conclusion RC lyophilized extract has a healing effect on diabetes and diabetes-related complications.
