March 1, 1864.] THE TECHNOLOGIST. 



ASAFCGTIDA IN AFFGHANISTAN. 347 



now communicated for the first time Dr. Bellew is mainly responsible. 

 This brief notice can, however, only be regarded as supplementary. 



The asafoetida of commerce is obtained from only one plant in 

 Aflghanislan — viz., Narthex asafoetida. It grows wild on the hills about 

 Herat and Furrah, and is never cultivated, though hundreds ot the 

 Kakar tribe from the Boree valley, who collect the gum, remain in the 

 deserts to tend and water the plant. 



The " tear" sort is the gum resin that exudes, and dries drop by drop, 

 from incisions around the top of the root ; the " lump " sort is the gum 

 resin as it exudes from a broad surface, as when the top of the root is 

 sliced off. The latter sort is more frequently met with than the former, 

 but I do not know of any difference in the qualities of the two sorts. 

 There are several other umbelliferous plants in Affghanistan which re- 

 6emble the asafoetida plant in external appearance, and which, also, like 

 it, when wounded, exude a milky viscid sap, but I never heard that the 

 sap of these plants (also gum resins) was ever collected by the natives, 

 though the plants are very abundant, especially on the western slopes 

 and ranges of the Sufaid Koh. 



The frail vaginated stem, or the lower cluster of sheathing leaves (of 

 the asafoetida plant) the former belonging to old plants, and the latter 

 to young ones, is removed at its junction with the root, round which is 

 dug a small trench about six inches wide and as many deep. Three or four 

 incisions are then made around the head of the root, and fresh ones are re- 

 peated at intervals of three or four days ; the sap continuing to exude for a 

 week or fortnight, according to the calibre of the root. In all cases as 

 soon as the incisions are made, the root head is covered over with a 

 thick bundle of dried herbs or loose stones, as a protection against the 

 sun ; where this is not done the root withers in the first day, and little or 

 no juice exudes. The quantity of asafoetida obtained from each root 

 varies from a few ounces to a couple of pounds weight, according to the 

 size of the roots, some being no bigger than a carrot, whilst others 

 attain the thickness of a man's leg. The quality of the gum differs much, 

 and it is always adulterated on the spot by the collectors before it enters 

 the market. The extent of adulteration varies from one-fifth to one-third, 

 wheat or barley flour or powdered gypsum are the usual adulterants. 

 The best sort, however, which is obtained solely from the leaf-bud in the 

 centre of the root-head of the newly sprouting plant, is never adulterated, 

 and sells at a much higher price than the other kinds. The price of the 

 pure drug at Kandahar variesfrom four to seven Indian rupees per " man- 

 i-tabriz " (about 3 lbs.), and of the inferior kinds from one and a half to 

 three and a half rupees per " man." The asafoetida is commonly used 

 by the Mahometan population of India as a condiment in several of 

 their dishes, and especially mixed with " dal." It is not an article of 

 general consumption in Affghanistan, though often prescribed as a warm 

 remedy for cold diseases by the native physicians, who also use it as a 

 vermifuge. The fresh leaves of the plant, which have the same peculiar 



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