botanical name(s): Rhus aromatica, Rhus glabra
synonyms: sweet sumach, fragrant sumach
part(s) used: root bark, berries
qualities:
affinities:
actions:
dosage:
» tincture: 2 - 4 ml.
therapy:
toxicity: 5; see tannic acid/tannin toxidrome
» contraindicated in inflammation of such organs as the intestines, kidneys, uterus, and lungs due to irritating effect of its volatiles oil locally and during excretion (Felter and Lloyd)
» handling fresh plant can cause contact dermatitis, although not as toxic as Rhus toxicodendron; blisters and vesicles usually occur due to individual hypersensitivity reactions (Kinghorn, pp. 161-170)
» tannins, a major constituent group of this plant, have been shown to have carcinogenic and carcinostatic potentials (Morton, p. 361)
constituents: tannins; Rhus aromatica contains essential oil and resin; the genus Rhus does not contain the poisonous urushiols present in the closely related species R. toxicodendron.
footnotes
Felter, H. W.; Lloyd, J. U. 1983. King's American Dispensatory, Vols. I and II. Portland, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications.
Kinghorn, A.D. Editor. 1979. Toxic Plants. New York: Columbia University Press.
Morton, J.F. 1977. Major Medicinal Plants: Botany, Culture, Uses. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.