316 UMBELLIFER^. 



Asafoefcida was certainly known to the Arabian and Persian geo- 

 graphers and travellers of the middle ages. One of these, AH Istakhri, 

 a native of Istakir, the ancient Persepolis, who lived in the 10th centmy, 

 states^ that it produced abundantly in the desert between Sistan and 

 Makran,^ and is much used by the people as a condiment. The region 

 in question comprises a portion of Beluchistan. 



The geographer Edrisi,^ who wrote about the middle of the 12th 

 century, asserts that asafoetida, called in Arabic Ililtit, is collected 

 largely in a district of Afghanistan near Kaleh Bust, at the junction of 

 the Helmand with the Arghundab, a locality still producing the drug. 

 Other Arabian writers as quoted by Ibn Baytar,^ describe asafcetida in 

 terms which show it to have been well known and much valued. 



Matthasus Platearius, who flourished in the second half of the 

 r2th century, mentions asafcetida in his work on simple medicines, 

 known as Circa instans, which was held in great esteem during the 

 middle ages. It is also named a little later by Otho of Cremona,' who 

 remarks that the more foetid the drug, the better its quality Like 

 other productions of the East, asafcetida found its way in European 

 commerce during the middle ages through the trading cities of Italy. 

 It IS worthy of remark that it is much less frequently mentioned by the 

 older writers than galbanum, sagapenum and opopanax. In the ISth 

 century, the " Physicians of Myddfai," in Wales,' considered asafcetida 

 as one oi the substances which every physician " ought to know and 



use. 



Collection— The collecting of asafcetida on the mountains about 



th us : 



formed 



The peasants repair to the localities where the plants abound, about 

 the middle of April, at which time the latter have ceased growing, and 

 tneir leaves begin to show signs of withering. The soil surrounding the 

 plant is removed to the depth of a span, so as to bare a portion of the 



\.\A i-u 1 ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^®" Polled off, the soil is replaced, and over it are 

 laid the leaves and other herbage, with a stone to keep them in place, 



by tL heat ofleTum°"' '" ''" ""^ '' ^''''^' '"^^""^ '' ''' "'' 



rptnfi'^.f forty days later, that is towards the end of May, the people 

 irnn o ^ 1 "^^ ^^^"^^ ^'"^^^ ^it^ knives for cutting the root, and broad 

 W« ^ !J !^l ^o^\e<^ting the exuded juice. Having first removed the 

 roof !.?. ^^^}' ^ *,^"^^^^^ ^1^^^ i« taken from the fibrous crown of the 

 Thp rn^?- days later the juice is scraped from the flat cut surface. 

 Thi/n? ' r^^^'"" slieltered, care being taken that nothing rests on it. 

 verv Itv'' V ^'P'''*'^ ^'^^^^ i^ t^e course of the next few days, a 

 product .n/"^ ''■''^ rr^^^^ ^^««^ t^e root after each scraping. Th« 

 tlhmer fnrl i"""^ *^,' ^^'^ ^^^^^"g i« called sUt, i.e. mM, and is 

 wa ds TM r ^'^^^. ^^^ ^^«« esteemed than that obtained after- 

 aras. It IS not sold m its natural state, but is mixed with soft earth 



ann^ H^'if 'fe>^->*«d by Mordt- 



Choulant, Ma 

 159. 



l^ert, i. (1836)450. '^''^''^*'P^^J^"- '' Mcddycjm Myddfai. 282. 457 (see 



' Sontheimer's tranal i (\fu(\\ oa bibliographical notices at the Gtid).^ 



' Amcenitates Exotlcce, Lerog' 

 535-552. 



