[[File:Asafoetida.jpg|thumb|200px250px|left|Ferula Asafoetida]]Other Names: A Wei, Asafétida, Ase Fétide, Assant, Crotte du Diable, Devil's Dung, Ferula Asafoetida, Ferula Assa Foetida, Ferula assa-foetida, Ferula foetida, Ferula pseudalliacea, Ferula rubricaulis, Férule, Férule Persique, Food of the Gods, Fum, Giant Fennel, Heeng, Hing.<br>Asafoetida Ferula asafoetida is a herbaceous plantof the umbelliferae family. It has a bad smell and tastes bitter. That probably explains why it is sometimes called “devil’s dung.”People use asafoetida the oleo gum resinobtained from the rhizome and root of plant, a gum-like material, named asafoetida resin which is used as a medicine. Asafoetida resin is produced by solidifying juice that comes out of cuts made in the plant’s living roots.
==Special Precautions of Asafoetida==
* Asafoetida is safe for most people in the amounts typically found in foods. There is some evidence that it might be safe when used as medicine. In some people, asafoetida can cause swelling of the lips, burping, intestinal gas, diarrhea, headache, convulsions, blood disorders, and other side effects.
* Medications for high blood pressure (Antihypertensive drugs) interacts with Asafoetida.
* Medications that slow blood clotting (Anticoagulant / Antiplatelet drugs) interacts with Asafoetida.
==Properties==
antispasmodic, expectorant, stimulant, emmenagogue and vermifuge. The gum resin is antispasmodic, carminative, expectorant, laxative, and sedative.
==Benefits and uses of Asafoetida are==
It is used in modern herbalism in the treatment of hysteria, some nervous conditions, bronchitis, asthma and whooping cough. It was at one time employed in the treatment of infantile pneumonia and flatulent colic. The volatile oil in the gum is eliminated through the lungs, making this an excellent treatment for asthma. It also thins the blood and lowers blood pressure. It is widely used in India in food and as a medicine in Indian systems of medicine like ayurveda. Asafoetida has been held in great esteem among indigenous medicines, particularly in Unani system from the earliest times
* breathing problems including ongoing (chronic) bronchitis, H1N1 "swine" flu, and asthma.
* As a digestive aid, in food as a condiment and in pickles : digestion problems including intestinal gas, upset stomach, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and irritable colon.
* “whooping cough” (pertussis)
* croup
*Menstrual problems.
*Corns and calluses, when applied directly to the skin.
==Recommended Products==
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[[Category:Treatments]]
[[Category:herbal medicine]]
[[Category:Expectorant]]
[[category:Stimulant]]
[[category:Emmenagogue]]
[[category:Anthelmintic]]