* Please Note: Traditional Use information is provided as a courtesy only. Although we have done our best to review the validity of these uses and we continue to revise this information as new data emerges, the traditional uses indicated on this page for this product may be wrong. This information is based on Traditional and Folklore Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA and is not necessarily based on scientific evidence from any source. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Other Names: Devil's dung; férule persique, ase fétide (French) Stinkasant, Teufelsdreck (German); assafetida (Italian).
Description: An erect perennial herb of up to 2 m in height, with a fleshy taproot, deeply dissected leaves and inconspicuous yellow flowers borne in compound umbels. Asafoetida or similar oleogum resins are obtained from F. assa-foetida, F. foetida and F. narthex; gum galbanum from F. galbaniflua (= F. gummosa) and F. rubicaulis.
Origin: Iran and Asian deserts. The various Apiaceae gums are produced from wild plants in a large area that stretches from Iran to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
Parts Used: Oleogum resin (devil's dung - Asa foetida), obtained as secretions of the upper parts of the roots of the plants by incision.
Uses and Properties: Asafoetida is used to treat dyspepsia with flatulent colic, but also to treat bronchitis, coughs and nervous disorders. Externally it is counter-irritant. Despite being considered the most foul smelling of all natural substances, it is widely used as a natural food flavourant. Galbanum is said to be a digestive stimulant with antimicrobial, antispasmodic, carminative and expectorant properties. It has wound-healing properties and is used in perfumes as a fixative and to give a grassy note.
Active Ingredients: These oleoresin gums have a complex composition; they contain sesquiterpene-coumarin ethers (such as asacoumarin B and farnesiferol A-C), and a volatile oil rich in sulphurous compounds, with which the smell and medicinal activity of asafoetida and galbanum are associated: disulphides and polysulphanes in asafoetida; propenyldisulphides with various other compounds in galbanum.
Pharmacological Effects: The disulphides can open and form new disulphide bonds with proteins and thus alter the activity of enzymes, receptors etc. This would explain the wide variety of symptoms treated with asafoetida. Relief from respiratory ailments is a common theme, and this may be linked to the sulphur compounds that are partly excreted through the lungs.
Status: Traditional medicine; Pharm.
Preparation and Dosage: Powdered asafoetida can be taken in doses of 0.3 - 1 g, three times per day (or as 2 - 4 mL of a strong tincture).
Dosage: 100 milligrams to 1 gram of the powdered gum steeped in boiling water or added to food.
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Directions
Stir 1/4 of a teaspoon into a glass of water and consume 3 times daily, with meals.
Additional Information
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
