Sunday, Apr 21, 2024 22:30 [IST]
Last Update: Saturday, Apr 20, 2024 16:50 [IST]
We use many spices as active ingredients during cooking and enjoy our lunch or dinner! Have you ever thought of Hing as ingredient in our cooking which has enormous medicinal activities to maintain your health?
In many regions of the world, Hing (asafoetida) is used as a
flavouring agent in food and as a traditional remedy for a variety of ailments.
Asafoetida is an oleo-gum-resin made from the stems of "Ferula
plants" of the Umbelliferae family. Ferula plants are extensively spread
in central Asia, particularly in west of Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey and eastern
Iran, Europe, and North Africa, with about 170 types of species. In India,
asafoetida is known as Hing.
Ferula plants produce large taproots or carrot-shaped roots
that are roughly 15 cm in diameter at the crown when they are 4-5 years old,
and "Asafoetida" is obtained from them. The odour of asafoetida is
pungent, persistent, and sulphurous. It is now a common element in Indian
cuisine, owing to its odour, which is similar to that of garlic, onion, as well
as meat.
Asafoetida comes in two main forms: mass form and tear form,
with the mass form being the most common and widely available. The numerous
chemical elements included in the "Ferula asafoetida" plant are
divided into three categories: resins, gums, and essential oils. Vanillin, 3,
4-dimethoxycinnamyl-3-(3,4-diacetoxyphenyl) acrylate, picealactone C, and
7-oxocallitristic acid are among the phenolic compounds and diterpenes found in
the asafoetida plant.
Medicinal properties of Hing
It has been used in traditional medicine to relieve pain and
inflammation. Hing has been used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat digestive
issues such as bloating and gas.
It has been found to have anti-inflammatory properties,
making it potentially beneficial for managing chronic pain, in the treatment of
respiratory conditions like asthma and bronchitis.
Hing has also unique properties to improve menstrual
symptoms and regulate menstrual cycles.
Interestingly Hing has strong "nntimicrobial properties" which
may help in preventing many infections in our physiological regulatory systems.
Hing is basically used as important ingredient in many countries in cooking to
successfully treat diseases like Asthma, bronchitis, whooping cough, intestinal
parasites, ulcer, stomach ache, epilepsy, flatulence, weak digestion, spasms
and influenza! Asafoetida may also be
used in the management of a variety of issues, including unwanted pregnancy,
unusual pain, sterility, difficult and excessive menstruation and leucorrhoea.
Asafoetida extract demonstrated blood sugar-lowering
activity and thus can be used to lower blood sugar levels in diabetes patients
due to the presence of phenolic acid and tannins in the extract.
Therefore, it is advisable to use Hing regularly in our
kitchen to maintain healthy life.
In spite of so many advantages, you should keep in mind that
consumption of Hing is contraindicated during pregnancy or lactation because it
affects the menstrual cycle and is an abortifacient. Children below the age of
3 years should not be given Hing medication since it may cause
methaemoglobinaemia.
(Dr. Bhaskar Chakraborty is Associate Professor & Head,
Department of Chemistry, NBBGC, Tadong. Email: bhaskargtk@yahoo.com)
