It Is Really Good, I Fig You Not

You probably know figs are good for health. We hear of their many benefits and health claims from basically everyone. Are figs’ benefits really substantiated? Well, we did a little digging around into scientific literature and the evidence for figs is quite impressive. Read on!

- Pank Jit Sin

HOW IT STARTED

Figs are a general term for over 850 species of woody plants. They are rather variable, with some being climbers and others growing into full-sized trees. The fruit we commonly eat comes from cultivar (strains) of the species known as Ficus carica or the common fig. The common fig is believed to have originated in the Middle East and western Asia. It was spread into the Mediterranean region by Greeks and Romans. Today, widespread human travel has brought the fig to every possible country.

Fig is possibly one of the oldest plants to be cultivated, as far back as 9000 BC. The ease of culture and its hardiness is probably the reasons for its early domestication. Due to its long history of cultivation for human consumption, there are over 700 known varieties. They come in various colours, shapes and sizes.

In general, the pale figs are usually milder in taste and fragrance while the dark ones are usually the sweetest, with stronger taste. An interesting trait of fig is the taste—different varieties can have different tastes. Some varieties can have melon-like fragrance while others are taste like strawberries.

Regardless of the variety, all figs are packed with fibre and natural sugars. These complex sugars are healthier in comparison to processed sugars. So, figs can be sugar substitutes in cooking in soups, stews or even curries for that sweet aftertaste.

Figs really are quite remarkable fruits and there is plenty of scientific evidence for their health claims. We go through recent studies and try to corroborate the common health claims associated with figs and fig leaf tea. Studies as recent as 2017 and 2018 reveal that extracts of the common fig leaf may influence carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes and thus help in blood sugar maintenance when tested on rats with diabetes.