Asafetida Resinoid Oil
Asafetida Resinoid Oil, Asafoetida gets its name from the Persian aza, for mastic or resin, and the Latin foetidus, for stinking. It is a gum that is from the sap of the roots and stem of the ferula species, a giant fennel that exudes a vile odour. Early records mention that Alexander the Great carried this “stink finger” west in 4 BC. It was used as a spice in ancient Rome, and although not native to India, it has been used in Indian medicine and cookery for ages. It was believed that asafoetida enhanced singers voices. In the days of the Mughal aristocracy, the court singers Agra and Delhi would eat a spoonful of asafoetida with butter and practice on the banks of the river Yamuna. A coarse umbelliferous plant growing up to 7 feet high, large fleshy root covered with bristly fibres, has been for some time successfully cultivated in Edinburgh Botanical Gardens; stem 6 to 10 feet, numerous stem leaves with wide sheathing petioles; flowers pale greeny yellow, fruit oval, flat thin, foliaceous, reddish brown with pronounced vittae, it has a milky juice and a strong foetid odour. The bulk of the drug comes from the official plant, which is indigenous to Afghanistan and grows from two to four thousand feet above sealevel. These high plains are arid in winter but are thickly covered in summer with a luxuriant growth of these plants. The roots of plants which have not flowered are exposed and slashed, then shaded from the sun for five or six weeks and left for the gummy oleoresin to leak out and harden. It is then scraped off in reddish lumps and put into leather bags and sent to Herat, where it is often adulterated before being placed on the market. The essential oil is steam distilled from the oleoresin, an absolute and resinoid are also available.
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| Botanical Name: | Ferula assa-foetida L. |
| Family: | Apiaceae |
| Synonyms: | Asafoetida, gum asafetida, ferula assa-foetida gum oil, devil's dung, food of the gods, giant fennel. |
| See Also: | Asafetida Essential Oil
Asafetida Resinoid |
| Parts Used: | Resin |
| Extraction Method: | Hexane Extraction |
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| Historical Uses: | In Chinese medicine asafetida is used to stimulate the nervous system, In India to stimulate the brain |
| Modern Uses: | There is evidence that the volatile oil is expelled through the lungs, suggesting that the oil could be excellent for treatment of asthma, bronchitis and whooping cough. Some use as a fixitive and fragrance in cosmetics, and perfumes. Used in most food groups especially condiments and sauces. |
| Cautions: | Relatively non toxic, and non irritant. |
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