Traditionally, sumac berries were used by Indigenous Americans and in the Middle East and South Asia as a food and drink, a medicinal agent, and a craft material. As a food, they were eaten raw, made into sumac-ade (a lemonade-like beverage), or dried and powdered as a tart, lemony spice.Medicinally, sumac was used to treat ailments like diarrhea, fevers, and to stop bleeding. For crafts, the berries and bark were used to create red, yellow, and black dyes, while the wood was used for smoking and making pipe stems.