Pharmacognosy of Asafoetida 2023 – Source, Use, Test hello friends welcome to our website here we are going to discuss about Asafoetida. Let me tell you the topics we are going to discuss here are -asafoetida synonyms, asafoetida family, Collection and preparation for market, asafoetida chemical constituents, chemical test of asafoetida, asafoetida uses
Asafoetida
Asafoetida plant
It is an unorganized drug. It is a type of carminatives which gives soothing by acting or relieving pain in stomach and intestine and expel flatulence and gasses from the gastrointestinal tract by increasing peristalsis. The examples of carminative are Asafoetida, fennel, coriandrum, clove, cinnamon, caraway etc.
Asafoetida synonyms
Synonyms : Asafoetida, Gum Asafoetida, Devil’s dung, Hing.
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Asafoetida family
Biological science Asafoetida is the oleo gum resin obtained by making incision from living rhizomes and roots of ferula foetida Regel, Ferula rubricaulis Boiss and other species of ferula belonging to family Umbelliferae.
Geographical distribution
It is the genus of perennial herbs usually seen in the Mediterranean area towards Asia, Persia and Afghanistan. Whereas three of ferula are found in india, Ferula narthex occurs in kashmir.
Collection and preparation for market
- In Afghanistan resin is obtained from carrot shaped massive roots and plant rhizome.
- They are nearly 3 to 5 years of age and 13 to 16 cm in diameter.
- In the month of March – April before the flowering season. The upper part of the roots very close to the crown is cut it off.
- Milky juice oozes out of the cut surface and starts coagulation.
- Cut surface covered by dome shaped device made up of leaves and branches to avoid contamination like sand, organic matter.
- Few days after the coagulated matter is scraped off and fresh cuts are made to collect more exudate.
- Continue for about three months or until the plants cease to produce latex.
- On an average plant 1 kg of oleo gum resin yields.
- After that collection is done and thoroughly dried and packed in containers.
Description
- Colour : yellow white changes to reddish brown
- Odour : intense, persistent, penetrating and alliaceous (garlic like)
- Taste : Bitter, alliaceous and acrid
- Size : Tears are 0.6 to 4 cm in diameter.
- Shape : it occurs in 2 different forms i. e. Tears and masses. Tears are rounded or flattened.
Extra features :
- Fresh tears are tough but when dried they become hard and brittle.
- Tears are internally milky, translucent, or opaque.
- Mass of asafoetida is agglutinated and mixed with root Fragment, foreign material and impurities.
Asafoetida chemical constituents
- Asafoetida contains resinous substance about 40 to 66%, Gum (21 to 26%) and volatile oil ( 4 to 21 %).
- Resinic drug contains asaresintannol in the free and combined form with ferulic acid.
- Umbelliferae is absent in drug.
- Ferulic acid on treatment with hydrochloric acid is converted into umbellic acid which loses water from Umbelliferone.
- Oil of asafoetida is obtained by steam distillation of oleo gum resin.
- The chief constituents of oil are secondary butyl Propyl disulphide.
- Other constituents of oil are di and tri sulfides, pinene and other terpenes.
- Odour of asafoetida is due to sulfur compounds.
Chemical test of asafoetida
- Fractured surface of the drug is treated with sulphuric acid which forms a red and reddish brown color.
- When treated with 50% nitric acid, the drug shows green color.
- When triturated with water, it forms yellow orange emulsion.
- Triturated about 0.5 g of drug with sand and 5 ml of hydrochloric acid then add little quantity of water, filter and to the filtrate add equal volume of ammonia, blue fluorescence is produced due to the presence of Umbelliferone. (sand is used because to facilitate the trituration).
Asafoetida uses
- It is used as carminati,nervine tonic.
- It is used as flavouring agent and intestinal antiseptic.
- Also used in veterinary medicine and for culinary purposes.
You ccan also read :
Fennel Fruit Pharmacognosy 1 – Source, Family, Uses link
Conclusion
So friends this was all about pharmacognosy of asafoetida. Which is used as carminative drug. I hope you get a clear understanding of asafoetida. If you have any issue regarding any drugs Please convey upto us we will find you a solution thank you. Do visit here next time.
