Flora Palaestina Ethnobotany

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Ficus carica L.

Family

Moraceae

Synonym(s)

English name(s)

Fig
Fig Tree

Arabic Name(s)

teen تين

Hebrew Name(s)

fiqus ha-te'ena

פִיקוּס הַתְּאֵנָה

Life Form

Tree

Habitat

Disturbed habitats

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Medicinal Complaints / Uses

Other Uses

Medicinal Complaints / Uses

Ficus carica L.

System/State	Traditional Complaint/Use	Activity / Interpretation	Traditional Preparation/ Administration	Parts Used	Source
Dermatological	Baldness	Hair restorer	Prepare compress of leaves; wet in "qutran" (Pix liquida liquid tar is a dry distillation of various pine woods). (Admin. not specified.)	Leaf	Z
Dermatological	Eczema	Anti-inflammatory	Use latex.(Preparation/ Admin. not specified.)	Latex	Z
Dermatological	Mycosis (fungal infection)	Anti-fungal	Obtain latex/ juice by squeezing fresh plant parts & unripe fruit & apply to skin.	Aerial parts, Fruit, Latex	Z
Dermatological	Psoriasis	Anti-inflammatory	Obtain latex/ juice by squeezing fresh plant parts & unripe fruit; use it to make a dough with barley flour & apply as compress.	Aerial parts, Fruit, Latex	Z
Dermatological	Scabies	Scabicide	Obtain latex /juice by squeezing fresh plant parts & unripe fruit; use it to make a dough with barley flour & apply as compress.	Aerial parts, Fruit, Latex	Z
Dermatological, Ritual /Ceremonial	Warts	Anti-Infective	1. Spread latex from fresh plant & unripe fruit onto wart.(Z) 2. Squeeze milky sap secreted from stem & apply to affected area; repeat daily until improvement. (B) 3. Ritual /Ceremonial use: Make cuts on fresh twig equal to the number of a patient`s warts; leave twig to dry; when it dries the warts will disappear. (Z)	Aerial parts, Branch /twig, Fruit, Latex, Stem (milky sap)	Z, B
Endocrine/Metabolic	High cholesterol	Hypocholesterolemic	Decoct leaves & drink 3 cups x 2/day.	Leaf	B
Gastrointestinal	Aid digestion	Stomachic	Eat (dried) fruit	Fruit	B
Gastrointestinal	Chronic constipation/ regulate bowel movements	Laxative	1. Eat (dried) fruit alone 2. Eat dried fruit + juice of one of the following plants dripped onto it: (i)"mahmoudiya" (Convolvulus scammonia), or (ii) "halablub" (Euphorbia sp.), or (iii) "faqus himar" (Ecballium elaterium), or (iv) carob honey (Ceratonia siliqua) + cow`s milk.	Fruit	Z
Gastrointestinal	Chronic stomach ache	Carminative	Mix dried, powdered leaves + boiled honey + soft-boiled egg & eat mornings.	Leaf	Z
Gastrointestinal	Constipation	Laxative	Eat fruit.	Fruit	B
Gastrointestinal	Diarrhea	Anti-Infective, Anti-diarrheal	Boil dried fruit in water & drink x3 cups /day.	Fruit	Z
Kidney & Urinary Tract	Diuretic	Diuretic	Decoct dried fruit & drink all day instead of water.	Fruit	Z
Kidney & Urinary Tract	Kidney stones	Anti-lithic	Decoct leaves & drink 1 cup x /2day.	Leaf	B
Opthalmic	Eye disease	Non-specific	Massage eyes with fig leaves (See CAUTIONS), then spread almond oil & a compress of chamomile flowers.	Leaf	Z
Oral Health	Toothache	Analgesic	1. Apply latex (milky fluid) from unripe fruit onto tooth. 2. Boil leaves in vinegar, cool & gargle after eating or as needed.	Latex, Leaf	Z
Respiratory	Asthma	Anti-asthmatic	Decoct leaves & drink 2 cups x2/day.	Leaf	B
Respiratory	Cough/ soften throat	Anti-tussive, Demulcent	1. Decoct dried fruit in water & drink x3 cups/day. 2. Cook dried figs in water + inflorescence of "balasan" (Sambucus nigra) & drink the water.	Fruit	Z
Venoms, Bites & Stings	Scorpion sting	Anti-venom	Obtain latex/ juice by squeezing fresh plant parts & unripe fruit & apply to sting.	Aerial parts, Fruit, Latex	Z
Women`s Health	Exhaust (stop) menstrual flow	Emmenagogue	Decoct dried fruit in water & drink 1 full glass x3/day.	Fruit	Z
Women`s Health	Induce abortion	Abortifacient	Decoct dried fruit in water & drink x1 full glass of decoction while sitting in hot bath for 15 min.	Fruit	Z
Women`s Health	Stop uterine haemorrhage	Haemostatic	Heat powdered dried fruit in oven, wrap in gauze to make vaginal suppository & insert.	Fruit	Z
Wound Healing	Burn from sun or fire	Vulnerary	Mix latex of unripe fruit + barley flour & apply to burned area.	Latex	Z
Wound Healing	Soften & open a closed lesion/ open & dry-up a suppurative lesion	Anti-Infective, Vulnerary	1. Apply leaves as compress on closed lesion to soften & open it. 2. Spread fig honey (or date honey) over suppurative wound (to open & dry it up).	Leaf	Z

Other Uses

Ficus carica L.

System/State	Complaint / Use	Activity / Interpretation	Traditional Preparation/Administration	Parts Used	Source
Cosmetic	Dye hair black	Dye	Cook leaves of black figs + black mulberries + vine leaves & use to wash hair.	Leaf	Z

System/State

Complaint / Use

Activity / Interpretation

Traditional
Preparation/Administration

Parts Used

Source

Cosmetic

Dye hair black

Dye

Cook leaves of black figs + black mulberries + vine leaves & use to wash hair.

Leaf

The authors of FLORAPALE, (Flora Palaestina Ethnobotanical) web site do not take responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of the plants described here. Always seek advice from a health professional before using a plant medicinally or for other purposes. See DISCLAIMER.

Notes

The latex is a milky juice which is part of the sap, & is a natural sticky polymer exuding from different plant parts containing various phytochemicals etc.

Cautions

The latex (milky exudate) of Ficus carica can cause conjunctivitis if in contact with eyes & phytophotodermatitis, a potentially serious skin inflammation after exposed to ultraviolet light. Psoralens in figs in very high doses is reported to cause photodermatitis in preganacy.