10 Sumac Benefits You Must Know.The sumac is a particular plant that can reach 3 meters in height and is characterized by hairy leaves and flowers in the shape of the ear. From the red-purple fruits dried plant is taken out the sumac , widely used in the Middle East and southern Europe, but you find evidence of the use of this spice already in ancient Egypt .Almost all parts of this plant can be used as a stain for wood and dye, in fact, it was used to improve the resistance of the color to light.
10 Sumac Benefits You Must Know
The use of sumac in cooking
We can say that in recent years this spice has been gaining in popularity in Western cuisine.
The sumac , in fact is also known for flavoring dishes thanks to its sweet and sour taste. It is often used in Turkish , Lebanese and Persian cuisine to dress salads, yogurt, vegetables and rice.
In addition to these uses, it has many beneficial properties that make it a super powerful spice.
Properties and benefits of sumac
- The main property of sumacis its antioxidant , essential for breaking down free radicals. Sumac is one of the foods with the highest antioxidant power in the world. Thanks to this property, sumac juice can be useful in reducing inflammation of muscle tissues;
- thanks to substances found in fruits and leaves can obtain properties antibacterial, antipyretic , anti-fungal , diuretic and anti-inflammatory ;
- the fruit extractmay have the power to significantly lower the glycemic index and an adjuvant in the prevention of insulin resistance by reducing its levels in the blood;
- a further benefit of sumac is that it can be useful in protecting the cardiovascular system, purifying the blood of toxins;
- a studycarried out in Iran has shown that it can be useful in lowering cholesterol and triglycerides;
- interferes with some proteins responsible for osteoporosis;
- it has been found that this spice may have anti-carcinogenicevidence , although for the moment this property has only been studied in the laboratory. It has been seen that its use can be useful in significantly counteracting the development of neoplasms in the colorectum, but also in the pancreas, breast, ovaries and blood, such as leukemia. The resin present in the shrub can inhibit the formation of blood vessels that feed tumors.
Pay attention to the doses!
The sumac belongs to the family of cashew and mango and therefore can not be taken by anyone who is allergic to these foods.Its fruits cannot be eaten fresh and raw because they would be poisonous.
There are two different types of this plant:
- the North American aromatic Rhus;
- the Middle Eastern Rhus coriaria, known as Sicilian sumac.
In total there are more than 200 species and some of these plants are poisonous.
- This spice, if consumed daily, could lead to excessive weight loss, because it partially blocks the absorption of fats in the small intestine.
- The quercetin present in the plant can lead to problems if consumed during pregnancy, therefore its use is not recommended.
Furthermore, like any food, if too much is taken, it could lead to poisoning, delirium, damage to the renal system.In short, the spice of the Egyptians can be considered miraculous if used in the correct way, even if unfortunately it is still little known and used by us: I bet you didn’t even know it or you didn’t know its properties, right?
