Awei（Ferulae Resina）first appeared in the Tang Dynasty's Newly Compiled Materia Medica（Xinxiu Bencao）. Before 1975，it was mainly imported from countries like Iran and Afghanistan. This traditional Chinese medicine，which has a history of over 1300 years recorded in herbal literature，has always been shrouded in mystery. To explore the true nature of imported Awei（Ferulae Resina），the author processed herbalogical study on the name，habitat and original plants，and then traveled to eastern Iran for an on-site investigation to clarify the source plant，harvesting methods，resources and applications. The results show that in ancient times，Awei（Ferulae Resina）imported from Iran is the mainstream for medicinal use，and Awei（Ferulae Resina）produced in Xinjiang may also have been used. The investigation results indicate that imported Awei（Ferulae Resina）is the dried resin of the perennial herb Awei（Ferula assa-foetida L.）from the Umbelliferae family. Wild resources of Awei（Ferula assa-foetida L.）are scarce and it is considered an endangered species in Iran，although it has been successfully cultivated. There are two methods for collecting Awei（Ferulae Resina）：（1）Before flowering，in the second or third year，the growing point around the underground root is cut to obtain resin.（2）During the flowering period，the stalk is broken from the root，shaded，and after a certain amount of resin has oozed out，it is scraped off. This process is repeated until the resin is exhausted. In Iran，the tender roots，petioles，leaf，flower clusters and fruits of Awei（Ferula assa-foetida L.）are all edible or used as spices. Additionally，Ferulae Resina is known locally for its digestive aid，expectorant，laxative，calming，analgesic，anti-parasitic，aphrodisiac and preservative properties. In the future，it is suggested that the resin of Xinjiang Awei（F. sinkiangensis K. M. Shen）or Fukang Awei（F. fukanensis K. M. Shen）in China can adopt local Iranian methods for multiple harvests to increase yield. To protect the resources of Xinjiang Awei（F. sinkiangensis K. M. Shen）or Fukang Awei（F. fukanensis K. M. Shen），it is also suggested that Awei（F. assa-foetida L.）should be recorded as one of the official original plants in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.