Many people are distrustful of exotic fruits and are in no hurry to introduce them into their diet. The dried figs growing in the subtropics do not look very attractive when dried, so uninitiated people may have doubts about their taste.
But if you find out what is the use and harm of dried figs for the body, you can learn to manage your health and forget about many ailments for a long time.
Material Content:
What is fig
Figs are pear-shaped berries of a dark blue or purple color with juicy and sweet bright red pulp, the fruits of a subtropical plant, known as a fig tree or fig tree. In Russia, where an exotic tree fell only at the end of the 18th century, figs were called fig and wine berry.
The native land of the plant is the regions with a subtropical climate: the Mediterranean and Africa. On the territory of the countries of the Commonwealth, fig tree fruits are harvested in Georgia and Abkhazia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Krasnodar Territory and South Ossetia.
Figs belong to those types of fruits, the healing properties of which people have been using for a long time and successfully. The fruits of the fig tree are often mentioned in the Bible, the Old and New Testaments, and many ancient manuscripts.
It is known that the cultivation of fig trees played a significant role in the development of agriculture in ancient Greece, Phenicia, Syria and Egypt. And by the end of the 16th century, the Americans were able to appreciate the beneficial properties of figs.
Useful properties of dried figs for the body
Freshly picked figs cannot be stored for more than three days. To preserve the beneficial properties of figs for as long as possible, the fruits are dried.And it's worth it. Because it is difficult to find another type of fruit that has the same level of healing qualities for health.
The chemical composition and amount of valuable components in the fruits is amazing:
- Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty polyunsaturated acids;
- potassium, sodium, manganese, phosphorus and iron, magnesium and calcium;
- B vitamins, PP and pectins;
- antioxidants and fiber;
- rutin and beta-carotene;
- tanning elements;
- glucose and fructose;
- enzyme fucin.
You can talk about the usefulness of figs for a long time. What is only one fact worth: 100 g of dried figs provide 4% of the daily norm of B vitamins and 3% of the daily norm of iron.
Indications for use
Thanks to valuable trace elements in the composition of figs, its fruits are recommended for use as an additional therapeutic agent in the treatment of common diseases. The doctor’s task is to convey to patients information about how figs are useful as a means of complex effects on human health:
- with an increase in blood pressure;
- to strengthen bones when the body needs calcium;
- for prevention against cancer, diabetes;
- with pathologies of the respiratory system;
- patients diagnosed with anemia;
- as a laxative;
- with colds;
- with sexual ailments in women.
In addition, the fig tree cleanses the body of cholesterol, eliminates excess weight, normalizes the digestive system, improves performance, perfectly saturates and helps remove kidney stones.
Adults are not recommended to eat more than 7 figs per day.
Contraindications and harm from use
The benefits that figs can bring to the body are enormous.
However, in some cases, the use of exotic fruits is better to refuse:
- with diabetes. Fig sugar is too high;
- with gout. Fruits are rich in oxalic acid, which aggravates seizures;
- with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. A high fiber content leads to an increase in intestinal contents and, acting on its walls, can enhance inflammatory processes;
- with diet food. The calorie content of figs is 256 calories per 100 g, therefore, for people who want to lose weight, this product is not suitable;
- while traveling. The laxative properties of fig fruits are strong enough to spoil the trip with unexpectedly frequent toilet urges.
In other cases, the regular presence of figs in the diet is welcomed as a food product necessary for the prevention of various ailments.
Read also:medicinal properties and contraindications hodgepodge
Traditional medicine recipes with dried figs
The history of the use of figs in folk medicine dates back many thousands of years, since the fig tree was the first plant cultivated by man. The use of folk recipes will be appropriate in the event of many health problems.
Read also: the benefits and harms of figs to the body
As a laxative
Balls of crushed dried figs with raisins are very effective. To 100 g of fig tree and 100 g of raisins add half a teaspoon of nutmeg and ginger. The mixture is stirred and rolled into small balls. The product can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator and taken as needed or just like that - it is very tasty.
Cough medicine
You will need a glass of milk and 4 fruits of a dried fruit. The fruits are dipped in boiling milk and insisted under a closed lid for 20 minutes. The infusion is taken warm - half a cup four times a day.
Cough syrup is prepared in the form of a decoction from a glass of water and 8 fruits of dried figs. After 20 minutes of cooking, the fruits are taken out, and the amount of water that is necessary to restore the level is added to the broth.
Then add a glass of sugar, mix until dissolved, and season the broth with a teaspoon of ginger and the juice of half a lemon.The finished syrup is mixed and poured into a dry and clean jar. Take daily: adults 2 tablespoons, and children one at a time.
Diaphoretic and antipyretic for colds
Two tablespoons of chopped dry figs are infused in a glass of milk or water. Take 4 times a day for 100 g.
In the treatment of tonsillitis, sore throat and stomatitis
The dried fruit is crushed, poured with boiling water and boiled for 10 minutes on low heat. Take half a glass three times a day. Proportions: a liter of water is taken per tablespoon of chopped fruit.
To eliminate the problems of the renal and urinary systems
Five fruits of dried figs are poured into 0.5 l of boiling water, boiled for 5 minutes and chopped. I take the puree three times a day between meals.
For skin lesions
Mashed potatoes of dried fig berries, soaked in water or boiled in milk, can quickly heal wounds or burns, boils.
People's advice:saffron
To strengthen the heart and blood vessels
You can make a salad. To do this, 300 g of chopped fig fruits, 150 g of prunes and 2.5 tablespoons of almonds are mixed with a glass of acidophilus, orange zest is added and slightly sweetened.
With baldness
For two tablespoons of chopped fig tree fruit, take 0.5 l of boiling water, cook over low heat and grind well. Take 100 g of infusion before each meal.
The healing properties of figs
The degree of healing effect of fruits always depends on their quality. You can count on the therapeutic effect only if it is correctly selected. High-quality dried fig fruits are distinguished by a light beige shade, softness, uniformity of size.
Often on dried fruits you can see a white coating that seems repulsive. But in reality it is just glucose, which was extracted from fresh fruits during the drying process and solidified in the form of a concentrate.
If the fruits of the fig are distinguished by an unpleasant salty-sour taste, with general dryness and roughness of the surface - this is a sign of a spoiled product that should not be eaten.
Dried figs - good for children
In addition to decoctions for coughs and colds, figs prepare tonic for children who have appetite problems. Pediatricians believe that figs can be introduced into a baby’s diet starting from 9 months.
Pies and casseroles, rolls and cakes are prepared on the basis of fig fruits. Children love sweets, so they enjoy healthy desserts with pleasure.
During pregnancy and breastfeeding
Nutrition during pregnancy is usually subjected to a thorough analysis, for the sake of the health of the expectant mother and her baby. Given that the fruits of the fig tree have exceptional healing properties, the inclusion of the product in the daily diet is not only permissible, but also desirable.
The main thing is that there are no contraindications from the side of health or the individual characteristics of the pregnant woman.
For men
Most of the beneficial properties of the fig tree are equally useful for use by all family members, starting with children, ending with adults and the elderly. However, from a medical point of view, this product has particularly valuable properties for maintaining or restoring men's health.
Figs - a recognized tool in the East for improving male potency and treating prostatitis. To make a healthy drink, in the evening it is enough to soak several fig fruits in warm milk, and in the morning to eat the swollen fruit and drink it with the resulting infusion.
Another way to prepare a daily portion of a medicinal infusion is to mix five fruits of dried figs and a cup of hot water and insist for at least 12 hours. Take twice a day for half a glass before meals.
The benefits of figs for women
Although figs are high in calories, they can help women who are concerned about weight loss.Due to the ability to remove toxins from the body, fig fruits can be used as an additional food product during fasting days.
The diet of such one-day diets should include 100 g of dried figs, a kilogram of other fruits, half a kilogram of vegetables and 2 liters of low-fat yogurt or kefir.
The syrup effectively eliminates varicose veins and female pain.
Regular use of figs allows you to effectively eliminate existing ailments and prevent the development of new ones. And this method of treatment is much nicer than traditionally bitter pills and medical procedures.
