Beneficial 'Asafoetida'

In the Indian kitchen, a tempering or 'chhonka' of asafoetida (hing) with ghee or oil is added to lentils, vegetables, and curries to enhance their taste and aroma. The combination of asafoetida with onion and garlic enhances the flavor of the dish, while its mellow fragrance in pickles, chutneys, buttermilk, and raitas not only adds aroma but also stimulates the appetite. A pinch of asafoetida tempering not only doubles the flavor of lentils and vegetables but also removes their flatulence-causing properties. Many dishes like kadhi, mustard greens, urad and arhar dal, potato, fenugreek, gram flour, and yogurt, which are heavy to digest and often cause acidity, indigestion, or flatulence, can be made more digestible with a little tempering or use of asafoetida. It not only provides relief from the indigestion caused by them but also helps in properly digesting a heavy meal.

It is the strong smell and pungent taste of asafoetida, along with its effective digestive properties, that give it the identity of a primary and important spice used in Indian food. Asafoetida is hot in nature, as well as being a digestive, appetizer, tasty, and carminative. In Ayurveda, many types of medicines are also prepared from the root, powder, and oil of asafoetida, which are beneficial in the treatment of many common and serious diseases. Asafoetida is also beneficial in veterinary medicine. Rich in anti-oxidant and anti-viral properties, asafoetida has countless benefits for physical health as well. Before learning about them, let's know some interesting information about asafoetida.

Introduction to Asafoetida

Asafoetida, prepared from the taproots of the Ferula species, is known by various names in different languages such as "Hingu," "Hengu," "Yang," "Ingua," "Hinger," and in English as "Asafoetida." Primarily available in powder and lump form, asafoetida is prepared from a plant of the Ferula species, which has large carrot-like taproots. When the stem and roots are cut separately, a milky juice with a pungent garlic-like smell is released. Resin is extracted from the stem and gum from the roots. These are dried to prepare asafoetida. Asafoetida prepared from resin is white in color, with a pungent and slightly bitter taste. Its color gradually fades to pale yellow and then slowly turns dark or reddish-brown. When it thickens, it is kneaded and given the shape of a lump. This asafoetida dissolves easily in water. Asafoetida prepared from gum is black in color and dissolves only in oil. The distinct pungent smell of water-soluble asafoetida is due to the abundance of resin and oil in it, and it is also more expensive. Whereas oil-soluble asafoetida is less expensive due to the abundance of gum and less oil and smell. There are many types of asafoetida, among which two types, "Irani hing" and "Pathani hing," are the most prominent. "Irani hing" comes from Iran and "Pathani hing" from Afghanistan. Despite its heavy consumption in our country, it is not cultivated here. Due to high imports, it is quite expensive. Seeing the heavy consumption and growing demand for asafoetida, its cultivation is now being done in some cold, arid regions of Himachal Pradesh in our country. If this cultivation is successful, it will be a huge achievement for the country.

Adulteration in Asafoetida

Raw asafoetida has a very pungent and strong smell due to the properties of volatile oil and sulfur compounds, which is why it cannot be used for eating in its original form. To make it edible, gum and starch are commercially added to it, but for further sale in the market, it is heavily adulterated with barley, wheat flour, semolina, and potato. Besides this, in some hilly areas like the Himalayas and Kashmir, plants with a strong smell similar to asafoetida are found, which are mixed in asafoetida as an adulterant. This makes it difficult to determine the purity of the asafoetida. The identity of adulterated asafoetida is that when dissolved in water, it neither dissolves completely nor does it make the water white; instead, it settles at the bottom of the water.

Benefits of Asafoetida

1. Using asafoetida in food daily strengthens the digestive system. It provides relief from stomach pain, indigestion, and bloating caused by heavy and flatulent food, and such food is digested well.
2. In case of intestinal gas, bloating, and acidity, taking asafoetida with carom seeds and black salt, or roasting asafoetida and taking it with jaggery provides relief.
3. Dissolving a pinch of asafoetida in a tablespoon of water and applying it as a paste around the navel provides relief from stomach pain, gas, and bloating for both children and adults.
4. Asafoetida is also beneficial in asthma, whooping cough, and bronchitis due to its anti-bacterial properties. For this, mix a pinch of asafoetida in a spoonful of honey with a spoonful of ginger juice and consume it.
5. Taking a small ball of jaggery on an empty stomach in the morning with a pinch of asafoetida stuffed inside helps to easily expel small and large worms from the stomach.
6. In case of constipation, take a pinch of asafoetida with two pinches of baking soda with lukewarm water. This helps to clean the stomach well in the morning.
7. Asafoetida is a uterine stimulant, so if women have a problem of irregular menstruation, its regular consumption in food is beneficial.
8. If there is a problem of bad breath due to gum problems or pyorrhea, boil two cloves in a cup of water, add a pinch of asafoetida and the juice of half a lemon, and gargle. This will not only cure the problem of bad breath but also provide relief from toothache.
9. Asafoetida has anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, its regular consumption in food not only helps in increasing the body's immunity but also prevents seasonal fevers as well as intermittent fevers like malaria.
10. In addition, the use of asafoetida is also beneficial in curing diseases like hysteria, mania, epilepsy, and paralysis.

How to use Asafoetida

It can be used daily in food through tempering in lentils and vegetables. In addition, asafoetida water can also be made and used for regular use. For this, boil two glasses of water, add a little roasted cumin, black salt, and a pinch of asafoetida, and drink it twice a day. Also, you can make a chutney by mixing equal amounts of garlic, ginger, roasted cumin, black salt, and asafoetida for regular use. The use of asafoetida with carom seeds in puris and parathas, with roasted cumin in buttermilk, raita, and yogurt, and with fennel in pickles and chutneys is extremely beneficial.