Spices & Medicinal herbs

HERBS	Angelica :: Aloe Vera :: Basil :: Chamomile :: Chives :: Coriander :: Dill :: Lemon Balm :: Musli :: Oregano :: Stevia
SPICES	Ajwain :: Allspice :: Bay Leaf :: Black Cardamon :: Green Cardamon :: Cinnamon :: Cloves :: Cumin :: Cayenne Pepper
VEGETABLES	Amaranth :: Breadfruit :: Brocolli :: Cauliflower :: Cucumber :: Drumstick :: Hijiki :: Garlic

Spices Classification of Spices List of Spices Ajwain Allspice Black Cardamon Green Cardamon Cinnamon Cayenne Pepper Cumin Bay Leaf Cloves Fenugreek seeds Other Spices Apiaceae Asteracea Betulaceae Brassicaceae Cactaceae Caryophyllaceae Cornaceae Cucurbitaceae Liliaceae Poaceae Orchidaceae Zingiberaceae Herbs Vegetables

Herb : Asafoetida

(Botanical name: Ferula foetida)

Classification

• Kingdom : Plantae
• Division : Magnoliophyta
• Class : Magnoliopsida
• Family : Umbelliferae
• Genus : Ferula
• Species : Foetida

Asafetida (Ferula foetida) is also known as hing or ferula, is an edible and medicinal herb which is used in small quantity in food items.

History

Asafoetida is a resinous gum of a perennial herb. It has a strong pungent smell when raw but delivers a rich taste to the cooked food.

It comes in powder and used in a very small quantity. It is known as devil's dung, stinking gum and food of the god.

It was familiar with Mediterranean and having come from the land across Iran. This herb is common ingredient in every kitchen. Though it is now forgotten in Europe and is now extensively used in Indian kitchen.

It has various varieties which are distributed from Mediterranean to central Asia.

Plant Description

It is a perennial plant which grows widely in Afghanistan and Iran.

It attains a height of up to 12 feet in wild with a circular mass of 30-40 cm leaves. It has foul smell for which it is called devil's dung. The foul odor comes from the resin like gum which is extracted from stem and root. This resin gum is further used in different forms as a spice in food items.

The stem leaves have wide sheathing petioles. Flowering stems are 2.5-3 m high and 10 m thick and hollow. These flowering stems have number of schizogenous ducts in the cortex containing resinous gum.

The flowers are small and dirty yellow colored produced in large compound umbels. Fruit of this plant is oval, thin, flat, reddish brown in color and contains milky substance. Roots are thick, massive and pulpy.

Cultivation

It is mostly cultivated in afganistan, and iran ; apart from these areas, this herb is also found on the high altitude areas like Kashmir , Himalayan region, Nepal, and sikkim.

The resin gum is extracted from dry sap of root and stem. The resin is grayish white when it is fresh, but become dark amber color when dried.

This resin is difficult to crush and is traditionally grated by using a hammer or a stone. Today,the most common available form is compounded asafoetida, finely grated containing 30% asafoetida resin, along with rice flour and gum Arabic.

Parts Used

Oleo gum-resin

Constituents

It contains active compounds like resin, gum, volatile oil, and ash; along with this it consists of carbohydrates, moisture, protein, fat, minerals and fibre in some quantities

Culinary uses

• Asafoetida is chiefly a spice which is used in food, pickle and many other things.
• The gum resin is relished as condiment in India and in iran it is used to flavor, curries and meatballs.
• In Europe it is used as flavoring and in perfumes. Its odor is too strong that it has to be kept in tight containers otherwise the aroma will contaminate the other spices stored nearby.

Medicinal uses

• It is a drug which helps to expel gas from stomach and counteracts any spasmodic disorder.
• It is a nervine stimulant, digestive agent, and a sedative.
• It is also said to be effective in asthma and bronchitis.
• It has broad uses in traditional medicine as anti microbial and also treats whooping cough, chronic bronchitis as well as reducing flatulence.
• It is very useful in stomach ache, prevents insects bites.
• It is a good repellent as it repels insects, gnats and mosquitoes.
• It is also taken in headache, stomach ailments, impotency, and in some of women's problems.