#ferula

• Giant fennel — A popular or regional name given to certain plant species of the Ferula genus (such as wild ox-eye or foxglove variations), herbaceous plants in the Apiaceae family structurally characterized by tall, branched stems and large umbels of yellowish or white flowers, typically growing in rocky mountainous zones or dry meadows.
• Asafoetida — A gummy resin obtained from the rhizomes and roots of perennial herbaceous plants of the genus Ferula (family Apiaceae), native to Iran and Afghanistan; it is structurally characterized by a strong, repulsive, sulfurous odor (resembling rotten garlic), but is widely used in Indian cuisine as a digestive spice (developing a pleasant aroma after cooking) and in traditional phytotherapy as an antispasmodic.
• Asafoetida — A gum resin with a strong, fetid, alliaceous odor, obtained by incising the roots of perennial herbaceous plants of the genus Ferula (especially Ferula assa-foetida), native to Iran and Afghanistan. Historically used in empirical medicine as an antispasmodic, carminative, and expectorant, it is highly valued in oriental gastronomy (known as hing), where its unpleasant smell vanishes upon cooking in oil, developing a refined aroma reminiscent of leeks and garlic.