Fig leaves are rarely used, however, according to traditional medicine, this is also an effective medicine that we should not ignore.

1. Learn about fig leaves

fig leaves often have blisters, like bubbles popping on a baked rice paper. Those bumps are caused by parasitic P.syllidae worms. By the time the bumps are that big, the worms have long since left, and there are no eggs or parasites left in the bumps. In Oriental medicine, fig leaves with bumps are considered better than normal leaves, and can cure many extremely unpleasant diseases such as liver disease, headaches, and are used as a tonic for sick people… Even the bump phenomenon only appears on fresh leaves that have just grown from buds, not on old leaves, so if you want to eat fig leaves, you should boldly choose leaves with bumps, which are easy to eat, less astringent, and less fibrous.

According to Oriental medicine, fig leaves are cool, sweet, and slightly astringent, and have the effect of promoting blood circulation, pain relief, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, antiseptic, and blood tonic. In folk medicine, fig leaves are also often used to treat malaria, rheumatism, and promote lactation. Here are some other benefits of fig leaves you can refer to:

2. Health benefits of fig leaves

Because fig leaves have a large amount of fiber, obese people and those who want to lose weight, when using fig leaves, can effectively control their weight. The high fiber content also helps the digestive system to be healthier, preventing constipation. Adding fig leaves to your diet, by eating them raw, can help you reduce constipation, make digestion easier, leading to better stomach function.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has suggested that people can use folk plants to support the treatment of diabetes, including fig leaves thanks to their glucose-lowering effects. A small study from 1998 showed that in 8 participants, their blood sugar levels after meals were reduced, and the insulin dose they needed was also lower when they used fig leaf extract.

Many in vitro studies have shown that fig leaves and natural latex from fig trees have been shown to have anti-tumor activity, fighting against human colon cancer cells, breast cancer, cervical cancer and liver cancer. In addition, fig leaves can improve blood pressure and blood lipid levels, helping to improve vascular health and thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.

Cooked fig leaves have no special taste, even difficult to eat and are all fibrous. Therefore, in cuisine, people often use fig leaves to eat raw as a side dish to increase appetite, especially dishes such as: Nem thinh, nem nam, nem chua. Thanks to the rich, sweet, slightly astringent taste, eaten with other types of leaves such as guava leaves, ginseng leaves, sour, spicy, sweet garlic and chili sauce, this is definitely a delicious snack that is also good for your health.

Although it brings many great benefits, if you fall into the following cases, you should avoid using fig leaves. Do not use if you have rectal or vaginal bleeding until the bleeding stops.

Fig leaves have the ability to reduce blood sugar levels, which is good for diabetics. However, people with low blood sugar should avoid using them. People with kidney disease who drink or eat a lot of fig leaves can make their condition worse.