Benefits and uses of Asafoetida (Hing)

Asafoetida (Hing)

Hing is a resin obtained from the Ferula Asafoetida plant’s roots by making small cuts. The juice comes out from the roots, which solidifies and converts into Hing resin (Hingu).

Taste & Smell: It has bitter taste and unpleasant smell.

Chemical Constituents in Hing

The volatile oil is the main active constituent of the Hing, which is responsible for its therapeutic significance. Its main phyto-chemical is FERULIC ACID. It varies from 40 to 60% in Hing gum.

FERULIC ACID has Anti-cancer, Anti-inflammatory, Anti-mutagenic, antineoplastic, Anti-tumor, Antiviral, Anti-bacterial, Anti-spasmodic, Hepato-protective, Antioxidant properties.

What Is Asafoetida Powder?

Asafoetida is a culinary herb and the roots of this Rhizome plant are dried to form a gum like substance. This dried latex (gum) is Asafoetida. It has a foul/pungent smell and is more commonly called as Hing in India. This plant is a native of Iranian countries and Afghanistan. However, its widespread use and cultivation is also prevalent in and nearby the Indian Sub-continent.

The main reason for which this herbal dried extract was promoted as an edible spice was its capability to offer a smooth texture to curries and soups.

Skin Benefits of Asafoetida

Anti-Ageing

Asafoetida herbal spice makes an amazing anti-ageing agent. It offers the goodness of reducing wrinkles, fine lines and age spots from the face.

Skin Whitening

Asafoetida can be used as a whitening agent that promotes fairness and demotes dark spots, acne marks and oiliness. It naturally hampers the production of Tyrosine in the skin. Tyrosine promotes the production of melanin in human skin that leads to skin darkening, premature ageing and dullness. Asafoetida keeps a check on the production of tyrosine.

Anti-Acne

Asafoetida might be just the magic ingredient that you were missing in your skin care regimen till now. This amazing herbal formula hampers the production of acne causing bacteria on the skin. It makes skin conditions unfavorable for the growth of bacteria.

Radiance Promoter

Asafoetida works like a radiance enhancer that imparts a never ending glow to the skin. It increases the supply of oxygen to facial tissues, which makes them lively and plump. You get a pink tinted fair skin that glows beautifully well. The best side-benefit of this radiance promotion benefit is the removal of ugly under eye dark circles completely.

Anti Dryness

In today’s scenario pollution and stress leaves the skin and hair dry and damaged. Asafoetida works like a dryness repairing agent that offers smooth and moist skin. It can erase all the visible signs of skin dryness like dullness, peeling, cracking, freckles, wrinkles and pigmentation.

Treats Allergies And Corns

Other than making the skin blemish free, Asafoetida also works to cure skin allergies and corns. Different skin allergies resulting from sun damage or dryness can be cured using Asafoetida within a few weeks of use.

Hair Benefits of Asafoetida

Hair Conditioning

Asafoetida can also be used to make hair conditioning masks. It effectively works to trap moisture in the scalp. This amazing benefit makes it a deep moisturizing product that can control the problem of hair dryness and frizz to a large extent.

Hair Fall Control

Asafoetida improves the texture of the hair. It also guards the hair against un-natural and heavy hair fall. It is therefore used as a solution to baldness in males and thin hair in females. You must look forward to the amazing hair follicle strengthening and a dandruff controlling benefit of Asafoetida, since it controls hair fall and makes hair thicker.

Scalp Health

Scalp gives rise to hair follicles. When the scalp health dis-orients, it directly turns the hair roots weaker. This leads to hair fall and hair damage. Asafoetida restores and maintains the normal PH level of the scalp. It also keeps the scalp safe from sweat, oil and acne. It naturally removes the scalp issues like acne, oil, dandruff and dryness. As a result, the overall hair strength, texture and quality improve.

Health Benefits of Asafoetida

Anti Viral

Latest studies have proven that Asafoetida constricts and hampers the growth and reproduction of harmful viruses like H1N1. When this herbal spice comes in contact with the influenza causing virus H1N1, it triggers the production of natural antibiotics against a viral attack. Detailed researches and independent studies are being carried out until today to find more about the amazing benefits of this herbal formula against other viral agents as well.

Anti-Asthmatic

Asthma and bronchitis are two acute respiratory syndromes. Asafoetida is a natural rival to these respiratory syndromes largely. It triggers the production of natural antibodies as soon as a person catches cold. This powerful boost in immunity triggers the process of easing respiration. Thus, it is a powerful remedy against cold, asthma and bronchitis.

Anti-Epileptic

The amazing Asafoetida health benefits are not just curtailed to the traditional means of treating cough and cold. The spice is also a powerful anti-epileptic Unani medicine. Unani is the ancient science of treating diseases. It is still prevalent and a natural way of preventing diseases largely. However, be careful of using Asafoetida as a preventive measure against epilepsy.

Digestion

Asafoetida is natural armour of preventing and curing such digestive issues easily. It flushes out the toxins from the human digestive tract. It is a natural rival to such toxins that slow down the process of digestion in humans. Thus, it helps in easing the process of proper digestion by restoring the normal PH level of the stomach. It successfully offers freedom from the most common problem of improper digestion i.e constipation.

Healing

Asafoetida has an ancient history of being used as a healing medicine for stomach injuries as well. Current studies have proven the efficiency of this marvellous herbal genius in treating wounds and burns. Direct application to wounds in the form of a paste reduces the wound appearance and lessens pain too.

Opium Antidote

Asafoetida offers the goodness of being used as an antidote for Opium. It has a history of treating gall bladder infections and various other stomach problems. It is also a powerful digestion enhancer. All this proves its efficiency as an opium antidote.

Anti-Acidic

Asafoetida works like a natural alkali that dilutes excessive acids in the stomach. It eases intestinal gastric issues as well. Thus, it is an amazing anti-flatulent agent that eases gastric and acidic pain.

Contraceptive

Modern science is still working towards finding the contraceptive benefits of Asafoetida. However, historically this herbal spice has been used as a powerful contraceptive against unwanted pregnancy. It was historically used as an abortive pill as well. Thus, be careful of using this spice if you are pregnant or breastfeeding a child.

Mood Elevating

Asafoetida is also known for its mood-elevating benefits. This is not a drug, but an herbal formula that triggers the production of happiness hormone and hampers the production of stress. This is a powerful stress managing spice that should be used with caution. Do not incline to its use if you have a declared history of mania.

Anti-Depressive

Asafoetida has historically been used as an anti-depressive medicine. Its ability to induce happiness and decrease the thoughts of failure and negativity makes it a powerful natural anti-depressant too.

Increases Metabolism

This amazing health benefit aids multiple health issues. Asafoetida increases the body’s metabolism largely. This improves digestion. Thus, it triggers fat metabolism too. This hampers the circulation of LDL (bad cholesterol) in human blood. Thus, Asafoetida keeps you safe of all the heart problems resulting from cholesterol formation and accumulation.

Physical Well Being

Asafoetida works towards increasing and maintaining the heart health. It is also a beneficial respiratory medicine against cough and breathing issues. Thus, it is clear that this herbal spice increases the supply of blood to all tissues and cells. This increases and ensures that every cell gets the required oxygen content. Thus, it reduces physical fatigue by offering the tired tissues a chance to get repaired.

Anti Impotency

Asafoetida is a powerful natural ingredient that can be used to treat a few problems related to impotency. It increases sexual drive in females and offers freedom from the problem of premature ejaculation largely. It is already a proven stress regulator. This also aids in improving the sexual drive of males.

Worm Repellent:

Maybe, the pungent smell of Asafoetida works in favor of its worms repelling benefit. It should be taken at night with warm water. It flushes out the intestinal worms when taken regularly with Ajwain.

Benefits in Menstrual Cramps:

Menstrual Cramps are nightmares for all women suffering from them. Asafoetida relieves the problem by reducing pain sensation around the waist and lower abdomen. Thus, it can be used at times of extreme menstrual cramps to ease an ongoing pain sensation.

Hysteria or conversion disorder

Hing is used with jaggery in this disease. It reduces symptoms of conversion disorder including impaired coordination or imbalance, hysterical aphonia, convulsions, tremor, fainting etc.

Sciatica

In sciatica, ghee fried hing is used. It reduces numbness, sciatica nerve pain and stiffness.