SUMBUL, or SUMBAL  , also called Musk Root, a drug occasion-ally employed in European medical practice . It consists of the root of Ferula sumbul, Hook., a tall Umbelliferous plant found in the north of Bokhara, its range apparently extending beyond the Amur . It was first brought to Russia in 1535 as a substitute for musk; and in 1867 was introduced into the British pharmacopoeia . The root as found in commerce consists of transverse sections an inch or more in thickness and from 1 to 3 or more inches in diameter . It has a dark thin papery bark, a spongy texture, and the cut surface is marbled with white and blackish or pale brown; it has a musky odour and a bitter aromatic taste . The action and uses of the drug are the same as those of asafetida (q.v.) It owes its medicinal properties to a resin and an essential oil . Of the former it contains about 9% and of the latter a % . The resin is soluble in ether and has a musky smell, which is not fully developed until after contact with water . Under the name of East Indian sumbul, the root of Dorema ammoniacum, Don., has occasionally been offered in English cornmerce . It is of a browner hue, has the taste of ammoniacum, and gives a much darker tincture than the genuine drug; it is thus easily detected . The name " sumbal " (a word of Arabic origin,signifying a spike or ear) is applied to several fragrant roots in the East, the principal being Nardostachys.jatamansi, D.C . (see SPIKENARD) .

West African sumbul is the root of a species of Cyperus .