Red Sumac berries - ease your ills

We are in the throes of the cold and flu season and there are a variety of remedies to choose from. Everyone has her favorites and I wanted to add one more to the list: Red Sumac berries. Anyone who has driven along a highway has seen these grow in abundance. They are short trees with smooth bark, and clusters of red berries that are in bloom almost all year round, though most ripe in Autumn. Note: this is not the poisonous sumac which has white berries. Many Native Americans and folk herbalists have used red sumac to aid in health. These berries are very high in Vitamin C, Ascorbic acid, and have an astringent quality similar to tea. They cost nothing and are easy to use. You pick some of the ripe berry bundles (1-2 is usually enough), crush them gently and soak them in cold water for 15 minutes to an hour (like sun tea). Strain with cheesecloth, strainer or a coffee filter. They are very tart so you may want to add sweetner, but you can drink it without. What I like even more than drinking the juice, however, is gargling with it when I have a sore throat. You can boil the berries for a few minutes, let it steep and this will extract the juice. Gargles with it a few times. As I said it is astringent so depending on how raw your throat is it can sting a little, but afterwards it feel so much better. You can also sip it as warm tea and that will soothe your throat as well. As a side not, they also make a nice natural dye! Here's to a healthy winter season! --Deb