In India, we have three main seasons and they have three subsidiary seasons – Gresham, Varsha, Shishir Sharad, Hemant and Vasant. To keep our body and mind healthy, we must adapt ourselves to the changing seasons.
The body already plays its role in keeping with the climate change but food intake plays a very important role. Many traditional Indian spices have played an important role in keeping the body healthy. These spices were included in the food during the time of sages. One of them is asafetida, which is also mentioned in ancient texts like Ashtangahridayam and Charakasamhita.
Asafoetida has anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties which show very positive effects on health. Asafoetida is said to have come to India from countries like Iran, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. There is not enough clarity about the duration of its arrival. However, the international borders were not as they are now and India was geographically large. Afghanistan used to be a part of India in ancient times.
The asafoetida plant is one and a half to two and a half meters high, with a strong smell and it comes under the category of carrot and radish plants. The resin or gum is extracted by making incisions in its stem and root. The taste of raw asafetida is somewhat similar to that of garlic, although its smell changes after drying. Asafoetida has been cultivated in India for years in parts of Kashmir, Ladakh and Punjab.
You will be surprised to know that 40 percent of the asafoetida produced in the whole world is eaten in India itself. According to information received from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India imports more than 1200 tonnes of asafetida every year and an amount of more than Rs 600 crore is spent on its import.
Purchasing pure asafetida is possible only from a trusted wholesale/retailer. It is common to sell asafoetida mixed with gum or flour. Vendors say that by doing this asafetida becomes ‘eatable’, as its pure form is difficult to digest.
According to Shivam Gupta, a trader of Khari Baoli, one of the country’s largest grocery and wholesale markets of spices, the price of asafoetida coming from Iran is Rs 20,000 per kg and the price of asafoetida seeds coming from Afghanistan is Rs 30,000 per kg. This is pure asafoetida.
The price of asafoetida available in retail in the market is 200 to 400 rupees per 100 grams. The cost of 25 grams of Patanjali asafetida is Rs 50. In the ancient texts Charakasamhita and Ashtangahridayam, it is said that asafoetida cures vata and kapha in the body.
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