Asafoetida is the reason Worcestershire sauce has the name that it has. The person who made the sauce thought that Worcestershire was easier to pronounce than Asafoetida. I’m not sure I agree but who am I? Anyway asafoetida is one of the main flavorings in Worcestershire sauce.
Since the time of Alexander the Great this herb has been used as a flavoring. It has also been used to treat gas and other bloating effects. Other uses include headaches, an antidote, and an expectorant.
Mix a little asafoetida with water and you have a migraine and tension headache reducer that is showing great promise. Mix with garlic and use it on bug bites also works great as an insect repellant.
Excess mucus is no problem for Asafoetida oil. It helps the respiratory system as it has been used successfully for whooping cough, asthma, and bronchitis. Where expectoration is a problem asafetida helps in expelling accumulated mucus. Some mixtures that seem to blend together well for coughs and as expectorants are roasted fresh resinous gum powder with real ghee or a mixture of asafetida powder with honey, white onion juice, betel nut juice and dry ginger.
The main disadvantage to Asafoetida is the smell. To put it mildly it stinks! In some countries it has been called “devil’s dung” because of the smell. It contains an organic sulfur compound which is responsible for the smell.
Asafoetida is member of the fennel plant family but is also related to the carrot. The older an asafoetida tree is the better it produces. A young tree less than five years old is useless.
You can buy Asafoetida in two different forms. Tears are commonly used in Chinese medicine and usually contain fragments of earth and roots in them. In paste form it is used as a condiment for curry’s, beans, pickles and sauces. It can also be used as a substitute for garlic.
Asafoetida has also been used as a male fertility enhancer. I just hope the women can stand the smell of Asafoetida!
