Ferula foetida

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Gum, Spice

Leaves and young shoots can be cooked as a vegetable. The plant has a foetid odour that disappears with boiling. The cabbage-like folded heads are also eaten raw as a delicacy. The root can be cooked but needs to be steeped first to remove bitterness; a starch extracted from the roots is used to make porridge. A gum-resin from the root is used as a food flavouring and is an essential ingredient of Worcester sauce, as well as being used to flavour a wide range of dishes and drinks. It is popular in natural food cuisine as a garlic substitute. The resin is probably the foulest-smelling of all herbs, with a sulphurous, garlic-like odour — it has been nicknamed 'dung of the devil' for the nausea it causes some people — yet used in judicious quantities it gives a surprisingly pleasant flavour to many foods.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. It grows in deserts. It needs a sunny position. It suits hardiness zones 7-10.

Afghanistan, Asia, Central Asia, China, Europe, Greece, India, Indochina, Iran, Mediterranean, Middle East, Tajikistan, Turkey, Türkiye, Turkestan, Uzbekistan,

How to Identify

A perennial herb growing 2 m tall with a spread of 1.5 m. Hardy to UK zone 8. Flowers in July with hermaphrodite blooms pollinated by insects and capable of self-fertilization. Thrives in light sandy, medium loamy, or heavy clay soils that are well-drained. Tolerates mildly acidic to mildly alkaline pH. Requires full sun and adapts to both dry and moist soil conditions.

How to Grow

Succeeds in most soils. Prefers a deep fertile soil in a sunny position. This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c. Plants have a long taproot and are intolerant of root disturbance. They should be planted into their final positions as soon as possible. Monocarpic, the plant takes some years before it flowers and dies after flowering. In Britain, the plants usually flower after about 5 years. The whole plant, especially when bruised, has an unpleasant smell like stale fish.

Propagation: Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in autumn in a greenhouse. Alternatively, sow in April in a greenhouse. Prick seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle, then plant out into permanent positions while still small, as the plants dislike root disturbance. Provide a protective mulch for at least the first winter outdoors. Division can be carried out in autumn, though this may be inadvisable given the plant's sensitivity to root disturbance.

Medicinal Uses

Asafoetida is a highly effective medicinal herb acting mainly on the digestive system, cleansing and strengthening the gastro-intestinal tract, and is much used in the Ayurvedic tradition. The gum-resin contains a volatile oil as persistent in aroma as garlic; this leaves the body via the respiratory system and aids the coughing up of congested mucus. The pungent gum-resin from the root is alterative, anthelmintic, antiperiodic, antispasmodic, carminative, deobstruent, deodorant, expectorant, laxative, sedative, and stomachic. It is used to treat digestive problems including wind, bloating, indigestion, and constipation, as well as respiratory conditions such as bronchitis, bronchial asthma, and whooping cough. It also acts as a circulatory stimulant, lowering blood pressure and thinning the blood. The resin has a synergistic effect with herbal preparations such as camphor, valerian, and nux-vomica, and is used in tincture as a mild cardiotonic and as an aphrodisiac.

Other Uses

A gum-resin is obtained by making incisions in the roots and rhizomes. The stem is removed at the end of the growing season, the root is uncovered, and a thin slice is cut away; as the gum exudes and hardens, a fresh slice is made. An alternative method involves removing the stem as the plant begins to flower. The gum should be stored in an airtight container to prevent its strong flavour from contaminating nearby substances. It is a source of an essential oil used medicinally, as a food flavouring, and in perfumery.

Ferula foetida is a species of Ferula native to Central Asia (Kyzylkum Desert, Karakum Desert, Turkmenistan), Eastern Iran, western Afghanistan and western Pakistan. It is the most widely distributed species that produces asafoetida. It is often mistaken for the Southern Iranian species F. assa-foetida, for example, in Flora of the U.S.S.R. and Flora of Pakistan.

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