ASAFOETIDA.—–­This drug of commerce is procured from the milky juice of Ferula asafoetida, a plant recently described by Dr. Falconer, under the name of Narthex asafoetida.  It is found in Persia, the mountains of Chorasan, the central table land of Affghanistan, and some seeds of it, sent to this country by Dr. Falconer, germinated in the Botanical Garden at Edinburgh, and are now vigorous thriving plants of six years growth.  Its leaves have a resemblance to those of a paeony; the fruit is distinguished by divided and interrupted vittae, which form a network on the surface.  The perennial roots grow to a very large size, and are seldom of any use until after four or five years’ growth.  The asafoetida is procured by taking successive slices off the top of the root and collecting the milky juice., which is allowed to concrete into masses of a fetid resinous gummy matter, with a sulphur oil, similar to that of garlic, which is probably its active ingredient.

An inferior sort is obtained from F. persica, another species with very much divided leaves, growing chiefly in the southern provinces of Persia.  It comes over usually in casks and cases.  The British consumption of the drug is about 10,000 lbs. a year.  A little is procured from Scinde.  In 1825 the quantity imported was 106,770 lbs., in 1839 only 24 cwts.

The wholesale price in the Liverpool market, in January 1853, was L1 to L3 10s. the cwt.

CAMPHOR.—­The Camphor tree (Camphora officinarum, Laurus Camphora) is a native of China, Japan, and Cochin China, of the laurel tribe, with black and purple veins.  Camphor is procured from all parts of the tree, but it is obtained principally from the wood by distillation, and subsequent sublimation.

Many plants, such as the cinnamon tree, supply a kind of camphor, but the common camphor of the shops is the produce chiefly of C. officinarum.

Two kinds of unrefined camphor are known in commerce.—­1.  The Dutch, which is brought from Batavia, and is said to be the produce of Japan.  This is imported in tubs covered by matting and each surrounded by a second tub, secured on the outside by hoops of twisted cane.  Each tub contains about one cwt.  Most of this goes to the continent. 2.  Ordinary crude camphor is imported from Singapore and Bombay, in square chests lined with lead-foil, and containing 11/4 to 11/2 cwts.  It is chiefly produced in the island of Formosa, and is brought by the Chin Chew junks in very large quantities to Canton, whence foreign markets get supplied.—­("Pereira’s Materia Medica.”)

In the southern part of Japan the tree grows in such abundance that, notwithstanding the great consumption of it in the country, large quantities are exported.  Koempfer says, that the Japanese camphor is made by a simple decoction of the wood and roots, but bears no proportion in value to that of Borneo.  There is also an imitation of camphor in Japan, but every body can distinguish it from the genuine.