Asafetida, botanically Ferula assa-feotida, belongs to the umbellifer family. Also known as stink apricot or devil’s muck, the plant is used as a spice and in medicine.
Occurrence and cultivation of the asafetida
The smell of the asant resin reminds a bit of fresh garlic. The plant is common in Iran, Afghanistan, Russia and Pakistan. Asafetida is a perennial plant that grows up to three meters high. The herbaceous perennial has bipinnate leaves that are attached to a thick stem. The plant forms a strong taproot. The leaflets are downy-haired and, unlike the stem leaves, are not pinnate, but elongated and blunt with smooth margins. The double umbellate inflorescence of the asant is also densely and downy haired. The corollas of the plant are whitish-yellow. The asafetida forms fruits one centimeter long and 0.8 centimeters wide. The shape varies from elongated to spherical. The plant has the name Stinkasant because of the sap found in the leaves, stem and root. The smell of the asanum resin is somewhat reminiscent of fresh garlic. Botanical mention of asafetida was first found in 1753 in Carl von Linné’s Species Plantarum. The plant is common in Iran, Afghanistan, Russia and Pakistan.
Effect and application
The resin of asant is used medicinally and as a spice. To get to the resin, the rootstock, which is about 15 centimeters thick, is incised. In the process, milky sap comes out. This smells and tastes like garlic. The milky sap is then dried in the sun and becomes resinous. It changes its color from white to reddish brown. The exposure of the roots and the extraction of the milky juice take place over a period of two to three months. About one kilogram of resin can be obtained from one plant. The medicinally used asant consists of 25 to 66 percent resin. The main constituents of the resin are the ferulic acid esters of adaresinotannol, free asaresinotannol, ferulic acid, sesquiterpenes, and umbelliferones. Twenty to 30 percent of the asafetida drug consists of gum with galactose, glucuronic acid, and rhamnose components. The rest consists of essential oils. Here, the asafetida oil in particular should be emphasized, which is responsible for the garlicky smell and taste of asafetida. The main effect of asafetida is in nervous disorders of the digestive organs. Flatulence, stomach cramps, gastritis and indigestion are indications for treatment with asant. Due to its calming effect, asant is also suitable for the treatment of hysterical and hypochondriacal complaints, nervous heart diseases, fainting or even claustrophobia. In some cases, good efficacy is also reported for insomnia during menopause. In particular, the essential oil of asant has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral effects. Thus, asafetida is also suitable for the treatment of inflammation. In particular, asafetida is used in naturopathy for inflammation of glands or bones. Thus, the plant can be used for caries, bone inflammation, eye inflammation, gum inflammation and also for stomach and intestinal ulcers. Asant has also been proven to support cancer treatments and menopausal symptoms. In Ayurveda, asafetida is also known as a strong digestive and is often used in combination with ginger, cardamom and rock salt as a spice. Asant is said to make dishes, especially lentil and bean dishes, easier to digest. In addition, asafetida is considered the most effective means to stimulate and ignite the digestive fire (Agni). Ayurveda also likes to serve a digestive drink fifteen minutes before the meal. This consists of a glass of water, a pinch of asafetida, some rock salt and a small piece of fresh and finely grated ginger. In homeopathy, asafetida is used for stomach and intestinal complaints and for migraines. People who need a homeopathic administration of Asa foetida typically tend to be nervous, hypochondriacal and hypersensitive to all touches, according to the remedy picture. They often suffer from nasal and eye complaints with foul-smelling secretions. In addition, they often describe feeling like they should burst or having a lump in their throat. In homeopathy, Asant is usually used in potencies between D4 and D12.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
Gerhard Madaus, a well-known German physician, noted that Asant is more often mentioned in Sanskrit scriptures under the name Hingu. For thousands of years, Hingu orAsant was used as a remedy. As early as the 1st century, Dioscorides used asant as a substitute for silphium, an extinct medicinal plant. At that time, sylphium was considered a universal remedy and was administered for all diseases. At that time, asafetida was said to have a similar all-embracing effect. Paracelsus already appreciated the antibacterial and disinfecting effect of asafetida at that time and used the resin especially for fumigating plague houses. Lonicerus and Matthiolus, two physicians and botanists from the Middle Ages, used asant to treat epilepsy, asthma, cough and fever. At the beginning of the 19th century, asafetida was increasingly used in the treatment of diseases of the digestive organs. The famous physician Hufeland attributed to the asafetida an antispasmodic effect and used it in the treatment of tapeworms and also in the treatment of bone rot. The physician Clarus clearly saw in the asafetida a remedy for the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and referred to the antispasmodic and flatulence-reducing effect of the plant. Today, asafetida no longer plays a role in traditional medicine. As great as its importance was in traditional European medicine, the asafetida is not used much today. Only in Ayurvedic medicine and homeopathy is asafetida still a popular remedy today.
