Ammoniacum, Gum AmmoniacumArmoniacumUshaka (Ayurveda) Ushaq (Unani) |
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Ortus sanitatis, Cube, Johann von, 1501
Atlas der officinellen pflanzen (2), Felix, 1899
Dorema ammoniacumHand-Atlas Medicinisch-Pharmaceutischer, 1884 |
Asafetida (left) and Dorema (right), showing their close similarity (Kohl, F.G., Die officinellen Pflanzen der Pharmacopoea Germanica (1891-1895) |
Gum Ammoniac (Adam, 2018)BUY GUM AMMONIAC
Botanical name:
Dorema ammoniacum (syn. Ferula ammoniacum)
Parts used:
Gum, in tears or masses.
“The best one is that which resembles Frankincence”. (Avicenna)
Temperature & Taste:
Warm, dry; Pungent, Bitter
“Hot in the last stage of the Second degree and Dry in the First degree”. (Avicenna)
Classifications:
2A APERIENT 2D ATTENUATERS OF CONGEALED BLOOD 2I. ANTISPASMODICS 2K. RESOLVENT 2L. EMOLLIENT 2M. DRAWING
2U. SUPPURATIVES
3K. EXPECTORANT 3L. ANTI-TUSSIVE 3M. ARTHRITICS
4f. SPLENETIC 4k. ARTHRITIC
P. Clear Phlegm
Preparers and Purgers of Phlegm
Preparers and Purgers of Melancholy
Uses:
1. Clears Cold-Phlegm, Stops Cough:
-chronic Cough, Wheezing, Shortness of Breath from Cold Phlegm
-chronic Bronchitis, especially in the elderly; Asthma, Shortness of Breath
-“useful in Asthma, Dyspnoea and Orthopnoea when licked with Honey or Barley water”. (Avicenna)
-Catarrh; Sinusitis
2. Clears Phlegm, Resolves Swellings:
-Opens obstructions of the Spleen and Liver
-clears Phlegm and Damp from the Stomach and Mesentery
-Fibroids, Sclerosis, Tumors, Scrofula
-“It is strong in dissolution and desiccation … and opens the pores of vessels”. (Avicenna)
3. Clears Wind-Damp, Promotes Urine:
-promotes urine when obstructed by Damp
-Edema, Ascites
-Wind-Damp Joint pain, Arthritis, Sciatica, Back pain
-‘chiefly against pains of the Gout’ [Arthritis]
-dissolves calcification in the joints
-Gravel, Stones
4. Moves the Blood, Promotes Menstruation
-opens obstructions of the Uterus; Amenorrhea, Dysmenorrhea;
-Promotes Birth, expels a Dead Fetus
-Leukorrhea
-“expels the live or dead Fetus”. (Avicenna)
5. Kills Worms:
-“It kills Tapeworms”. (Avicenna)
-topically applied in oil to kill or repel insects (Avicenna)
6. Externally:
-Schirrus (Fibroid) tumors, knots in the Joints, Scrofula, and other hard Tumors (applied with vinegar)
-“used as a plaster or paint in Scrofula, Hard swellings and Tumors” (Avicenna)
-Hard knots and nodes of the Joints (applied with Honey)
-“useful in deteriorating Wounds as it removes superfluous and malignant flesh, and also grows fresh flesh”. (Avicenna)
-“Painting with vinegar softens [hardness of] the Testes”. (Avicenna)
-Abscesses; Ringworm; Vitiligo; Leukoderma; Indolent Ulcers
-draws thorns from the flesh
-Topically for Joint Pain
-in eye salves to improve eyesight. (Pliny)
-burnt gum is applied to Toothache
Dose:
1. With Honey and Barley Water for Sciatica and Joint disease.
2. With Honey for Cough and Asthma
500mg–2 grams (traditionally 1 scruple–1 dram, or 4 scruples)
“If one dirakhmi (3.5 gm.) of it is used internally it helps in removing the hardness of spleen and liver“. (Avicenna)
Preparation:
As with similar gums it often contains admixtures so requires purifying:
1. It can be powdered in cold weather and sift the powder.
2. Dissolve in wine or alcohol 22% (or water), strain, and evaporate to dry. This is stronger to move the Blood.
3. It is Depurated by dissolving in Vinegar, straining, then evaporating. This is stronger to cut thick humors.
4. It can be hung in a bag which is suspended over a pot of boiling water, so it doesn’t touch the sides or bottom. Boil in a water bath for some time and keep the gum which exudes.
5. It was sometimes burnt or scorched (recommended by Pliny for toothache).
Correctives
1. Corrected when combined with Vinegar
2. Aniseed for the Stomach (Unani)
3. Hyssop for the Kidney (Unani)
Substitute:
1. Galbanum
2. Sagapen
3. “The dirt in the honey-comb is its substitute” (Avicenna) This possibly refers to Propolis.
Main Combinations:
1. Cough, Asthma, Shortness of Breath,
i. Gum Ammoniac with Hyssop and Saffron
ii. Gum Ammoniac with Florentine Orris and Elecampane (Pharmacopoeia medici practici universalis, Bruxelles, 1817)
iii. Gum Ammoniac with Licorice, Mastic, Marshmallow
iv. Gum Ammoniac with Horehound, Myrrh, Licorice (Pharmacopoeia extemporanea, Augustin, 1822)
v. Gum Ammoniac with Myrrh, Mastic, Benzoin, Saffron (Pharmacopoeia Sardoa, 1773)
vi. Shortness of Breath, Gum Ammoniac (2 drams), Venice Turpentine (7 drams), Saffron (half dram)
vii.. Cough and Lung diseases from Phlegm, Gum Ammoniac with Hyssop
viii. Asthma, Gum Ammoniac with Elecampane, Licorice, Sulphur, Orris, Licorice (Sobernheim, 1840)
2. Phlegm obstructing the Lungs:
i. Gum Ammoniac, Orris
ii. Gum Ammoniac, Oxymel of Squill, Syrup of Marshmallow (Sobernheim, 1840)
iii. Gum Ammoniac, Horehound, Senega, Camphor, Orris
3. To promote Menstruation and resolve obstructions of the Uterus:
i. Gum Ammoniac with Pennyroyal
ii. Gum Ammoniac with Myrrh
iii. Gum Ammoniac with Sagapen, Aloe
4. to clear Damp, promote Urine and open Obstructions; Edema, obstructed Urine:
i. Gum Ammoniac with Squill
ii. Gum Ammoniac with Oxymel of Squill.
iii. Gum Ammoniac with Venice Turpentine
iv. Gum Ammoniac with Celery seed, Valerian, Parsley seed, Savin, Asarum, Fennel seed, Bitter Almond (as in Pills of Seeds)
v. Urinary retention, Gum Ammoniac with Celery seed, Saltpeter, Madder, Juniper berry, Asarum, Fennel seed, Bitter Almond, Melon seed (as in Pills for Retention of Urine)
5. Ascites, Gum Ammoniac with Black Hellebore, Celandine, Rhubarb, Calamus (Sobernheim, 1840)
6. Obstruction or Hardness of the Liver or Spleen:
i. Gum Ammoniac, Saffron (as in Troches Praised for Liver Hardness of Nicholas)
i. Gum Ammoniac Bdellium Storax (as in Pills for Fibrosis of the Liver)
ii. dissolve Ammoniac in Vinegar of Squill (2 drams), Troches of Agrimony, Troches of Rhubarb (1 dram each) (Pemell, 1652)
7. Apoplexy, Gum Ammoniac, Aloe, Bdellium, Sagapen, Colocynth, Opopanax (as in Pills for Apoplexy of Arnold de Villa Nova)
8. Wind-Damp Joint Pain, Sciatica:
i. “used (internally) with Honey and Barley water, it helps in curing Sciatica, Back-ache and Joint pain”. (Avicenna)
ii. Gum Ammoniac with Sagapen, Gutta Gummi, Elecampane (Pemell, 1652)
iii. Gum Ammoniac with Sagapen, Opopanax, Mastic, Cumin, Asafetida, Orris (as in Electuary of Gums of Zenon)
9. Scrofula, ganglions and swollen nodes:
i. combine Gum Ammoniac with Bdellium and Sulphur as an ointment
ii. Gum Ammoniac with Marshmallow, Bryony root; dissolve Ammoniacum in Vinegar, add the others in powder and with wax form a plaster.
10. Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Gum Ammoniac, Chebula, Emblic Myrobalan (this has been proven effective: see research below)
11. Worms, Gum Ammoniac (1 oz.), dissolve in vinegar, add Wormwood juice (half oz.), boil a little and apply to the navel. (Pemell, 1652)
12. Plaster for Hardness:
i. mix Gum Ammoniac with Ointment of Marshmallow, apply
ii. Gum Ammoniac with Myrrh, Frankincense, dissolve in Vinegar of Rue, add Camomile, wax and oil to form a plaster.
13. “It softens the joints if used as a plaster with Honey and Pitch”. (Avicenna)
Major Formulas:
Powder for Severe Sore Throat
Troches Praised for Liver Hardness (Nicholas)
Troches of Gums
Foetid Pills Minor of Galen
Pills for Apoplexy (Arnold de Villa Nova)
Pills for Asthma and Shortness of Breath (Unani)
Pills of Seeds (Unani)
Pills for Difficulty Breathing and Asthma
Pills for Fibrosis of the Liver (Riverius)
Pills for Retention of Urine (Wirtzung)
Pills of Rhubarb (Greater) (Pil. de Raved Sceni) (Mesue)
Electuary of Bayberries (Zacharia)
Electuary of Gums (Zenon)
Hiera Logadi
Plaster for Hard Tumors of the Uterus
Plaster for Uterine Tumors (Aristotle)
Cautions:
1. Very drying, not suitable in Yin deficiency. Unani texts said it is bad for the Kidney.
2. Not used during Pregnancy
3. Excess use can cause Hematuria
4. Harmful for the Stomach with excess use or long-term use.
Main Preparations used:
Distilled Oil, Pills of Ammoniacum, a Resinous Extract
Pliny on Gum Ammoniac:
‘Of a similar nature to galbanum is hammoniacum, a tear like gum, the qualities of which are tested in manner already stated. It is of an emollient, warming, resolvent, and dispellent nature. Employed as an ingredient in eye-salves, it improves the sight. It disperses prurigo, effaces the marks of sores, removes spots in the eyes, and allays tooth-ache, more particularly when burnt. It is very useful too, taken in drink, for hardness of breathing, pleurisy, affections of the lungs, diseases of the bladder, bloody urine, maladies of the spleen, and sciatica: employed in a similar manner, it acts as a purgative upon the bowels. Boiled with an equal proportion of pitch or wax, and with oil of roses, it is good for diseases of the joints, and for gout. Employed with honey it ripens hard tumours, extracts corns, and has an emollient effect upon in durations. In combination with vinegar and Cyprian wax, or oil of roses, it is extremely efficacious as a liniment for affections of the spleen. In cases of extreme lassitude, it is an excellent plan to use it as a friction, with vinegar and oil, and a little nitre.’ (The Natural History of Pliny, trans. by Bostock and Riley, Vol. 5, 1856)
Vegetable Materia Medica of Western India, Dymock, 1885:
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Two species of Dorema, D. ammoniacum and D. Aucheri, Botes., both natives of Persia, are known to produce a gum-resin identical with the commercial article, and it is probable that some of the other species also contribute a portion of the ammoniacum of trade. Dioscorides speaks of ammoniacum as the juice of a narthex growing about Cyrene in Libya, and it appears to have derived its name from the temple of Ammon. Pliny derives it from ‘Ammos,’ sand. Most Greek and Latin writers on medicine mention its use in fumigation, and speak of it as Thus Libycurn, ammoniacum thymiana, or ammoniacum suffimen. This kind of ammoniacum has now been ascertained to be the gum-resin of Ferula Tingitana, Linn., which grows in Morocco. It was probably the only kind known in Europe in olden times. (Confer. Pharma-cographia, p. 288.) The time when Persian ammoniacum first came into use cannot be exactly fixed. It is not mentioned by the Greeks or Romans. Ibn Sina states that Ushak is the gum of the Tarthuth, and is called Lazak-el-dahab because it is used in gilding. His ammoniacum is doubtless Persian, like that of Abu Masur Mowajik, a Persian physician of the eleventh century, and of Ansari of the middle of the fourteenth century. The latter writer states that the Shirazi name for Ushak is Badian. In Bokhara the gum-resin bears the name Kandal. According to Bunge and Bienert, the same name, and Kamak, are given to the plant in Persia; whilst Wright gives Weschak, and Dr. Buhse Oschak, as the true names of the plant in that country. According to Borszczow, D. ammoniacum is called by the Kirghises Bal-kurai or “Honey-cane.” (E. Hirschsohn Phar. Zeitschrift fur Russland, April 15, 1875, p. 225.) The author of the Makhzan-el-Adwiya says that Ushak is an Arabic corruption of |
the Persian Ushnah or Ooshah, and that the drug is also called Kalbani, and in Arabic Ushajj, Wushajj, Wushak and Lazak-el-Dahab. He gives the Greek names as Athanikun, Ammoniakun and Parnaksh, the Egyptian as Kinna, Shak and Kalakh, and the Indian as Kandar. Some Persian writers give Tarthdth as the Arabic and Samgh-i-bal-i-shirin as the Persian name. According to the dictionaries, Bal is the Persian for Tarthuth. Baghdadi tells us that Tarthuth is not the same as ammoniacum. In Bombay the current Persian name is Ushak. The Hindu brokers generally call it ammoniacum. Mahometan works on Materia Medica describe the drug as discutient and attenuant; for more particular opinions respecting it the reader may consult the Makhzan-el-Adwiya, article Ushak. Sanskrit writers do not mention it. Besides the gum-resin, the root of D. ammoniacum is largely imported into Bombay, and is one of the substances used by the Parsees as incense under the name of Boi, a word cognate with Bu, or Bo, fragrance. It is popularly spoken of as a wood. There can be little doubt that the use of this substance as an incense must date from a very remote period, otherwise the modern Parsees would not be at the trouble of importing it into India. Mr. K. R. Cama informs me that the “wood of fragrant trees” is mentioned in the Avesta as a class, and that one wood in particular is named, “Hadha Naeptanam,” which would mean translated into Persian, “Hamisheh naft,” always moist, i.e., green. He says: “In modern days we identify this wood, most likely mistakenly, with Pomegranate wood.” It would appear then, that there is no specific description of Boi in the Avesta, but that it is traditionally understood to be one of the fragrant woods mentioned therein. It is this root which was some years ago exported to Europe as Bombay Sumbul, after having been cut up and impregnated with musk. When old and worm-eaten it becomes of a loose and spongy texture, and might easily be mistaken for Sumbul by a superficial observer.’ |
–Ethnomedicinal Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Dorema Species (Apiaceae): A Review
–The emulsifying and foaming properties of Amuniacum gum (Dorema ammoniacum) in comparison with gum Arabic
–Ethnobotanical knowledge of Apiaceae family in Iran: A review
ANTIOXIDANT
–Phytochemical Analysis, In Vitro Anticholinesterase, Antioxidant Activity and In Vivo Nootropic Effect of Ferula ammoniacum (Dorema ammoniacum) D. Don. in Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment in Mice
–Purification, structural characterization and antioxidant activity of a new arabinogalactan from Dorema ammoniacum gum.
ANTICONVULSANT
–Neuro-Behavioral Profile and Toxicity of the Essential Oil of Dorema ammoniacum Gum as an Anti-seizure, Anti-nociceptive, and Hypnotic Agent with Memory-enhancing Properties in D-Galactose Induced Aging Mice
–Anticonvulsant activity of Dorema ammoniacum gum: evidence for the involvement of benzodiazepines and opioid receptors
HYPNOTIC
–Neuro-Behavioral Profile and Toxicity of the Essential Oil of Dorema ammoniacum Gum as an Anti-seizure, Anti-nociceptive, and Hypnotic Agent with Memory-enhancing Properties in D-Galactose Induced Aging Mice
EPILEPSY
–Effects of Dorema ammoniacum Gum on Neuronal Epileptiform Activity-Induced by Pentylenetetrazole
–Ameliorating Effects of Dorema ammoniacum on PTZ-Induced Seizures and Epileptiform Brain Activity in Rats.
ENHANCES MEMORY
–Neuro-Behavioral Profile and Toxicity of the Essential Oil of Dorema ammoniacum Gum as an Anti-seizure, Anti-nociceptive, and Hypnotic Agent with Memory-enhancing Properties in D-Galactose Induced Aging Mice
ACETYLCHOLINESTERASE INHIBITOR
–Compounds from Gum Ammoniacum with Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitory Activity
–Phytochemical Analysis, In Vitro Anticholinesterase, Antioxidant Activity and In Vivo Nootropic Effect of Ferula ammoniacum (Dorema ammoniacum) D. Don. in Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment in Mice
BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA:
–Evaluation of the Therapeutic Effect of the Traditional Herbal Medicine Atrifil and Oshagh Gum on Testosterone-Induced Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Wistar Rats.
ANTI-CANCER:
–Anti-Cancer Effect of Dorema Ammoniacum Gum by Targeting Metabolic Reprogramming by Regulating APC, P53, KRAS Gene Expression in HT-29 Human Colon Cancer Cells.
–Evaluation of the Cytotoxicity of Aqueous Extract and Oleo-Essential Oil of Dorema ammoniacum Plant Oleo-Gum Resin in Some Human Cancer Cell Lines.
WOUND HEALING:
–Determination of the effectiveness of Dorema ammoniacum gum on wound healing: an experimental study.