Discovered by Alexander’s forces. Its use in ancient herbal medicine dates to the seventh century B.C.

The clay tablets in the library of King Assurbanipal of Assyria identified 250 vegetable drugs including asafoetida. Asafoetida emerged as a substitute for the now-extinct precious spice silphium (also called lasar) during Alexander the Great’s invasion of Asia. The Roman historian Arrian recounts the discovery of asafoetida by the soldiers of Alexander. While crossing the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan, they discovered the asafoetida tree.

Also, Asafoetida had been imported from north Africa to the Roman Empire as a substitute to Laser which is believed to be another sister plant of Asafoetida.

Ferula asafoetida is an herbaceous, monoecious, perennial plant of the UMBELLIFERAE family. Asafoetida is native to central Asia, eastern Iran to Afghanistan, and today it is grown chiefly in Iran and Afghanistan, from where it is exported to the rest of the world.

The common name “F. asafoetida” is derived from the Farsi word aza (resin) and the Latin foetidus (smelling, fetid).  It smells like onion and/or garlic.

It contains more than 85 active ingredients. Many medical claims have been made for the resin, most stemming from the belief that its fetid odor acts as a deterrent to germs.

Use in respiratory conditions, such as asthma, bronchitis, and whooping cough, has also been documented, and in 1918 F. asafoetida was used in the Spanish influenza pandemic.

Today, F. asafoetida is commonly used as a fragrance component in perfumes (Channel 5) and in daily use in Asian vegetarian cooking (Asant).