5. ASAFOETIDA

                                                     ASAFOETIDA

Nutrition in 100 gm
Energy:  kcal
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Nicotini acid	gm
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Vit B1 (Thiamin)	mg
Vit B2 (Riboflavin)	mg
Tannin	gm
Nitrogen	gm
Vitamin C	mg
Calcium	gm
Iron	mg
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Asafoetida or ‘hing’ is also called ‘devil’s dung’, ‘stinging gum’, ‘asant food of the gods’. Hing is the resin-like gum which comes from dry sap extracted from the stem and roots of the plant, Northex asafoetida. It is greyish-white when fresh and turns darker as it dries. Asafoetida has a bitter flavour and a pungent, unpleasant smell when raw and hence it has to be stored in air tight containers otherwise the smell will spread to other items. It is used in a variety of dishes because it gives a very good flavour to cooked food.  Just a tiny piece of asafoetida is enough to give a strong smell to the food.

The asafoetida available today contains only 30% of the asafoetida resin. 70% is rice flour and gum Arabic. 

In a traditional practice a pungent smelling paste of hing is put in a bag and hung around the child’s neck to cure cold.

 

Benefit:

1. Flatulence: Hing reduces the growth of indigenous microflora in the gut and reduces flatulence. Asafoetida is a powerful digestive agent which removes food which is stagnating in the gastro-intestinal track. It dispels intestinal gas, relieves pain and cramp.

2. Digestion: Hing is sometimes smeared on a child’s stomach with alcohol tincture to improve digestion.

3. Asthma: Hing helps in cases of asthma and bronchitis. Drink water in which hing has been dissolved.

4. Asafoetida is also said to have contraceptive/abortifacient activity.

5. In Unani medicine, hing is said to be antiepileptic. 

6. Hing is also used to cure constipation.

7. Bait: Wolves are attracted to asafoetida and hence it is used as bait.

8. Stomach pain: Dissolve hing in little water and apply around the navel. Dissolve hing in butter milk and drink.

9. Malaria: Use hing in curry daily.

10. Asafoetida acts as a stimulant. It is said to be carminative, antispasmodic, analgesic, anthelmintic, aphrodisiac and antiseptic.

11. Asafoetida is used in cases of indigestion, flatulence, abdominal distention, intestinal colic pain, constipation, arthritis, rheumatism, whooping cough, convulsions, epilepsy, hysteria, palpitation, asthma, paralysis and worms.

12. Whooping cough: Mix hing powder and camphor powder and prepare pills. Take one pill when cough appears.

13. Urination problem: Fry hing in ghee and take it with rice wash.

14. Fainting: Dissolve hing in lime juice and drink thrice a day.

15. Respiratory problems: Take raw hing daily before taking food.

16. Indigestion: Sprinkle asafotida on cut bananas and eat.