Asafetida


Ferula fotida (REGEL) N.O. Umbrelliferae

Names:

Food of the Gods,Hing, Hiltit,Devils Dung,Bazaars,Kandaharre Hing

History:

Found in Aral in 1844, native of Afghanistan,growing two to four thousand feet above sea level.Cabbage like headsa re eaten raw.Fruit used for medicine and sent to India for manufacture.(known as Bazaars and Kandaharre Hing)
Characteristic odor stronger than an onion,bitter taste.Vile taste so given as a pill. Asafetida is a foetid bownish gum, hence its name. Called "Hiltit" by middle ages Arabic physicians.Odor described as a combination of rotted garlic and used socks.


Constituents:

volatile oil,10%,50% gummy oleoresin resin-25 %,free ferulic acid,terpenes,disulphides and pinene,water some impuritiesChemically, asafoetida contains volatile oil, resin, gum and impurities. The resinous constituents are asaresinol ferulate, and free ferulic acid (hydroxymethoxy-cinnamic acid) urnbelliferibne-a lactone of umbellic acid formed on boiling the resin with hydrochloric acid and filtering into ammonia, umbellic acid (dihydroxycinnamic acid) is also present. Disulphides and sugars form the other components

Uses:

stimulant action for the brain, local stimulant to mucous membrane, esp: alimentary tract,asthma, bronchitis, whooping cough.,flatulent colic,hysteria infantile pneumonia,condiment (eg Worcestershire sauce)In ayurveda, the gum is used to improve appetite and digestion. It also relieves colic and flatulence. In Malaysia it is used for abdominal distress. In Japan it is used as a vermifuge and for stomachache. It is also a valued carminative, antispasmodic and is used in dyspepsia and in bronchitis. It is also claimed to have an anti-opiate effect. It is applied in and around the umbilicus in cases of gaseous distension.

CONTRA - INDICATIONS:

"Usually non-toxic in the amounts used in cuisine or therapy. Gum may cause contact dermatitis. Ingestion of 15 gm, a massive dose produced no untoward effect, though damage to the gastric mucosa at high doses has been reported'. A smaller dose of 0.1 g/h did not produce this change."


phytoactive

 Asafoetida is bacteriostatic to S. aureus and Shigella sonnj.

bacteriostatic


1.<microbiology> Inhibiting the growth or multiplication of bacteria.
2. <pharmacology> An agent that inhibits the growth or multiplication of bacteria.
S.aureus: Staphylococcus aureus, or Staph infection
http://accurapid.com/journal/09medic.htm


Shigella

A gram-negative flagellated bacteria of the Eschericiae group, responsible for dysentery in humans. Infection by drinking contaminated water is common.
http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/omd/


phytoactive


phyto-
<prefix> A combining form from Gr. Fyton a plant; as, phytochemistry, phytography.

    Remedy:        FORMULATION AND DOSAGE :

Hingavashtaka churna : 3 - 5 gm. b.i.d.
Hinganodi taila : nasal drops.
Hingawadi Lepa : for external application.
Asafoetida powder : 0.25 - 0.5 g. b.i.d.


Sources:

1. Grieves, A Modern Herbal, p. 738,

2. http://www.pioneerherbs.com/ferula_foetida.htm

3. http://www.modern-natural.com/Ferula%20Foetida%20Regel.htm



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