What is Asafoetida?

Asafoetida (Hing) makes for an incredible component of Indian cuisine, especially in dals and curries. It is a complete latex gum extracted from different species of a perennial plant known as ferula. Its unique flavor and aroma can add life to any boring dish. Moreover, it has been known for a long for the health benefits it offers. It plays a serious role in traditional medicine, all thanks to its anti-viral, carminative, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, sedative, and diuretic properties. Considering its curative and therapeutic powers, asafoetida is also known as the “Food of the Gods.”

What About its Powder?

Asafoetida is a great culinary herb, and its roots in the Rhizome plant are often dried to form a gum-like substance. It has a pungent/foul smell and is often called Hing in India. This plant is indigenous to Iranian countries and Afghanistan. However, it is widely used, and its cultivation is also prevalent in the Indian Sub-continent.

The main reason for which this wonderful dried herb extract was promoted as a wholesome spice was its ability to offer a smooth texture to soups and curries. While it is also known with many other good names such as food of the Gods and some more, such names are a clear attribute to its unending beauty and health benefits it offers upon taking.

How does it work?

There are a few scientific proofs that the contents in asafoetida might help cure IBS ( irritable bowel syndrome) and could also protect against increased blood levels of certain fats such as triglycerides and cholesterol.

Nutritional Value

Apart from the bitter taste of this plant, Asafoetida is a very rich source of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. Every 100 g of this herb offers about;

690 mg of Calcium

39 mg of Iron

68 g of Carbohydrate

4 g of Total Dietary Fiber

4 g of Protein

50 mg of Phosphorus

1g of total fat.

Health Benefits

When we hear of herbs, this often comes to our mind, “are herbs not meant for animals? Am I a goat?” NOT at all! You must have wondered the reasons most of the herb-eating animals barely fall sick? You could be healthier. Trust me by going through the amazing benefits of this herb:

1. Bloating And Other Stomach Problems

Hing is an age-old cure for stomach problems such as gas, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bloating, flatulence, and intestinal worms, thanks to its anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic properties that help control such health issues. Take a dash of the herb daily by adding it into dals and gravies. Another way is to dissolve some of it in water and take it daily.

2. Get Acne Free Skin

This herb, Asafoetida, has complex carbohydrates, ferulic acid esters, sulfur compounds, and terpenes that help to inhibit the production of acne-spurring bacteria on the skin. Terpene is a hydrocarbon that acts as a resin to cure hyperpigmentation, stress, and indigestion. Its amazing formula makes one’s skin condition unfavorable for bacterial growth. It co-ordinates the formation of too much oil, making your pores free of debris and oil, thus curing long acne problems. The herb can also be used for acne scars. A pinch of these herbal formulae may be applied on spots of acne to get rid of scars.

3. Relieves Asthma

You may get your respiratory system relieved of disorders like bronchitis, asthma, dry cough, etc., due to its remarkable anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic effects. It also helps in releasing phlegm and curing chest congestion. All you need to do is prepare some paste with water and apply it to the chest. You may also mix Hing and dry ginger powder with some honey. Consume the mixture to get relieved from respiratory problems.

4. Headaches & Migraines

When Hing is mixed with water, it can cure headaches and migraines. Mix the herb in water and inhale for relief.

5.    Skin Whitening

Asafoetida can also be used as a whitening compound that demotes dark spots, acne marks, and oiliness; and promote fairness. It hampers the production of Tyrosine in the skin. Tyrosine aids the production of melanin in our skin that leads to premature aging, skin darkening, and dullness. The herb keeps a check on tyrosine production. Thus, you can flex a blemish-free, younger, and radiant skin with the use of Asafoetida face masks.

How To Make A Whitening Face Mask

1. Mash some tomatoes and mix them with sugar.
2. Beat the mixture until tomatoes sugary juice dissolves.
3. Sprinkle some asafoetida into the mixture to form a light paste.

This face mask is a whitening face mask that may naturally boost your complexion up to 2 tones.

6. The antidote for Skin Irritations & Insect Bites

When Asafoetida is mashed with garlic, it works as a great aid for both snake and insect bites. Hing also cures skin irritations.

7. Treatment for Ear Aches

Hing can also be very effective in treating earaches. If you often get ear pain, heat some coconut oil in a pan with little Hing and allow it to cool. Put the oil in your ears with your fingers. This can be a very strong treatment for ear pain.

8.    Radiance Promoting Benefits:

Asafoetida works like a radiance enhancer that implants a never-ending glow to the skin. It increases oxygen supply to facial tissues, which makes them plump and lively. You get a pink coated fair skin that glows so well. The best benefit of this radiance boost is the removal of those ugly under dark eye circles permanently.

9. Reduce Blood Pressure Levels

Hing is well known to be a natural blood lightener and can help in reducing blood pressure levels. It is power-filled with coumarin, a compound that helps to improve blood flow by preventing clot formation.

10. Treats Corns and Allergies

Apart from making the skin blemish-free, Asafoetida (Hing) also works to treat skin corns and allergies. Different skin allergies emanating from sun dryness or damage can be treated using Hing within just a few weeks of use.

11. Hair Conditioning

Hing can also be used to prepare hair conditioning masks. It works perfectly to trap moisture on the scalp. This remarkable benefit makes it a great moisturizing product that can filter problems of hair frizz and dryness to a great extent.

12. Anti-Viral Strength

This is yet another sharp health benefit this amazing herb could offer. Recent studies have shown that Asafoetida hampers the reproduction and growth of harmful viruses like H1N1. When Hing (asafetida) comes in contact with this influenza-causing virus H1N1, it activates the production of natural antibodies against the viral attack. Detailed research studies and independent studies are also being carried out to date to ascertain more about the remarkable benefits of this herbal preparation against some other viral agents as well. To sum it up, this great edible ingredient gives strong immunity against viral influenza infection.

13. Remedy for Impotency

For ages, Hing (asafetida) has also been used to treat impotency in males. Mix one-fourth teaspoon of Hing together with heated butter. Add half a teaspoon of fresh banyan tree latex and some honey. Take this mixture every day as the first thing every morning for 2 months. According to the Egyptians, Hings may also be useful in curing genital diseases.

14. Anti-Epileptic

The mouth-dropping Hing health benefits are not just limited to its traditional use in curing cough and cold. The spice is also a power-filled anti-epileptic Unani medicine. Unani is an ancient science of curing diseases. It is still the natural way and prevalent means of preventing diseases largely. However, be very cautious about using Hing as a preventive measure against epilepsy. You should seek the medical advice of a certified medical doctor in case you have been confirmed to have epilepsy.

15. Opium Antidote

Asafoetida or Hing offers the wellness of being utilized as an antidote for Opium. It has a great history of curing gall bladder infections and many other stomach complications. It is also a strong digestion aider. All this confirms its efficacy as an opium antidote.

Dosing

The fact that this herb is packed with a lot of mind-blowing health benefits should not deceive you into taking it out of moderation. There are always associated with taking anything in excess, so be cautious! The appropriate dose of Hing is based on several factors, such as your health, age, physiological state, and several other conditions. At this time, there is yet not enough scientific evidence to determine an appropriate dose for asafoetida. Always keep in your mind that all-natural products are always not necessarily wholesome, and dosages are very important. Ensure you follow relevant directives on product labels and consult your physician, dietitian, or other healthcare professional.