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| Latin: |
Ficus carica |
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| Origin: |
Fig is the fruit of the plant Ficus carica L., of the family Moraceae. Probably originated in Western Asia between 11,400 and 11,200 years ago, and spread to the Mediterranean. In an early Neolithic village site in Israel, nine carbonized figs were found with a store of grains and acorns. The figs came from a variety of tree that cannot reporduce through pollination but is propagated only by cutting and planting branches. The find pushes the earliest known fruit cultivation back by about 5,000 years.
Today, the fig is a moderately important world crop, with an estimated annual production of one million tons of fruit. Approximately 40 percent of this crop is sold as dried fruit. About 30 percent of the crop is produced by Turkey. Other major producers in descending order are Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Greece, California, Italy, Algeria, Syria, Tunisia, and Libya, Iraq, and Portugal.
The decidious tree grows to about 6 m by 6 m at a medium rate. It is in flower from June to September, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant). The plant is self-fertile. It cannot grow in the shade, and requires dry or moist soil.
Fig trees usually begin bearing fruit within two years. Mulch heavily with organic materials to conserve moisture, improve soil structure and reduce root knot nematode levels. Once established, figs are drought tolerant and generally free of pests and diseases.
When fully dormant, fig trees can tolerate temperatures as low as -10¢X C. In colder regions, figs are grown as bushes with multiple stems and branches close to the ground that are laid down and buried before winter. Even if frozen to the ground, figs often will resprout from the roots and produce a crop the following summer.
The fig tree makes an especially attractive specimen in the landscape. It's graceful, spreading shape and smooth, twisting branches command attention in all seasons.
Figs are usually pear-shaped and up to 5 cm in diameter. The fruit is sweet and succulent, a fully ripe specimen is an exquisite fruit that almost literally melts in the mouth. The fruit usually is consumed fresh locally or in dried, canned, and preserved form. This dried fruit is a major item of commerce. Dried figs and those unfit for human consumption, can be used as animal fodder. Several countries import dried figs or the paste. The main exporters of dried figs and paste are Turkey and the United States. Of California's production, 85 percent is marketed as dried figs, 12 percent as canned figs and fig juice, and 3 percent as fresh fruit. |
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| Properties: |
| Sweet in flavor, mild in nature, it is related to the channels of the spleen, lung and large intestine. |
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| Functions: |
| Strengthens the spleen and regulates the middle region, moistens the lungs and soothes the throat, clears intestines and benefits constipation, heals swelling and counteracts toxic effects. |
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| Applications: |
1. Fig is used for enteritis (inflammation of the intestines), dysentery, constipation, hemorrhoids (a mass of dilated veins in swollen tissue at the margin of the anus or nearby within the rectum), poor appetite:
Consume the fruit in raw or boil them with water and drink the solution and eat the fruit.
2. For sore throat and coarse voice due to lung heat:
Consume it in raw, or boil it in water and drink the solution.
3. For weakness after childbirth and inadequate milk:
Cook fig with pork trotter in soup. Drink the soup and eat the stuff.
4. For carbuncles, boils, scabies (itchy skin), skin diseases:
Apply the raw fig topically after crushing it into paste. One may add sesame oil to the paste before applying it. |
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| Dosage and Administration: |
Consume in raw, or in soup, or in cooked dishes, or apply topically.
The latex from the sap can be used to coagulate plant milks. |
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| Cautions on Use: |
| The sap and the half-ripe fruits are said to be poisonous. The sap can be a serious eye irritant. |
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| Reference Materials: |
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| Toxic or Side Effects: |
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| Modern Researches: |
The nutritional value of fresh figs is comparable to that of many other fruits. Fig is high in calcium, and low in calorie but rich in phosphorus. It also contains water, protein, fat, carbohydrate, fibre, ash, iron, sodium, potassium, vitamins A and C, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin.
The fruit is mildly laxative, demulcent (soothing), digestive and pectoral (something worn on the breast). The unripe green fruits are cooked with other foods as a galactogogue and tonic. The roasted fruit is emollient and used as a poultice in the treatment of gumboils, dental abscesses, etc.
Syrup of figs, made from the fruit, is a well-known and effective gentle laxative that is also suitable for the young and very old.
A decoction of the leaves is stomachic. The leaves are also added to boiling water and used as a steam bath for painful or swollen piles.
The latex from the stems is used to treat corns, warts and piles. It also has an analgesic effect against insect stings and bites.
A decoction of the young branches is an excellent pectoral.
The plant has anticancer properties.
The wood of the fig tree is pliable but porous and of little value. It is used for hoops, garlands, ornaments, etc. When saturated with oil and covered with emery is used as a substitute for a hone. |
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