Medicinal Herb InfoA reference archive of plants and their traditions
Not medical advice. This site documents how plants have been described and used historically. It is a botanical and folklore reference, not guidance for treating illness, and it carries no dosing instructions. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before using any plant medicinally — herbs interact with medication and some are toxic.

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Ferula

Botanical reference entry

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Parts Usually Used

Root

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Sumbul is a perennial herb; its thick, brown, spongy rootstock produces a stem with alternate, pinnately decompound leaves with thread-like segments. The small, yellow flowers grow in compound, many-rayed umbels. Another variety: Ferula assa-foetida commonly called asafetida. (Malva moschata is also called Musk root)

Where Found

Native to central and western Asia.

Medicinal Properties

Antispasmodic, nervine

Uses

Historically, herbalists employed this plant for respiratory complaints such as asthma and bronchitis. The rootstock was also utilized as an aromatic substitute for musk oil due to its characteristic scent.

Bibliography

American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023