It’s one of the most popular spices in Mediterranean kitchens—but chances are you’ve never tasted it. Sumac is a tangy crimson seasoning that brightens everything from grilled fish and chicken to roasted vegetables and hummus.
Now, exciting new research suggests this ancient culinary favorite may also be one of nature’s most promising allies for healthy blood sugar and insulin sensitivity.
In one clinical trial, researchers enrolled 84 adults with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)—a condition frequently associated with insulin resistance.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 2,000 mg of sumac daily or a placebo for 12 weeks.
The results were impressive.
Compared with the placebo group, those taking sumac experienced significant improvements in multiple markers of metabolic health.
- Fasting blood glucose declined.
- Fasting insulin levels decreased.
- Their HOMA-IR score, a widely used indicator of insulin resistance, improved by 2.32 points—a substantial change on a scale where even a one-point reduction is considered clinically meaningful.
The findings don’t stop there. An analysis of 123 clinical trials involving 8,595 participants ranked sumac as the top-performing herbal intervention for improving insulin resistance, outperforming every other botanical evaluated.
If this spice can do all that, why isn’t it already in your kitchen?
How to Use
You can easily include this tasty herb in your favorite salad dressing, meats, vegetables, rubs, and dips.
Or if you prefer, sumac is available in both capsule and granule form (take as directed).
For research-level amounts, you’ll want to inculde about 2,000 mg daily, similar to the dose used in the study.
Resources include:
Sairaj RT, Liang AC, Cruz Castillo Y, Fermin Madera MD, Medina J, Moreno Díaz TA, Monar GF, Chintamaneni S, Cruz CS, Advani R, Guha S, Calderón-Martinez E, Comparative Efficacy of Herbal Products on Metabolic Parameters in MASLD: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis, Gastro Hep Advances (2026).
Jafari A, ParsiNezhad B, AhmadianMoghaddam M, Hasani M, Rasaei N, Saeedi-Boroujeni A, Roshandel G, Besharat S, Chambari M, Alaghi A. Sumac (Rhus coriaria L.) and Human Metabolic Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Endocrinol Diabetes Metab. 2026 Jan;9(1):e70135. doi: 10.1002/edm2.70135. PMID: 41329614; PMCID: PMC12671535.
