Figs

Figs are known for their sweetness and soft texture – they consist of a pliable skin enclosing a sweet, even softer, fleshly interior filled with edible seeds.They have the shortest life span of any fruit in the market. Once they are harvested, they last about only a week. As a consequence, about 90 percent of the world’s fig harvest is dried.

Figs played an important part in the diet of both the ancient Greeks and Romans. The ancient Greeks fed large quantities to their athletes, the Spartans, in the belief that the fruit encouraged strength and swiftness. The Roman's fed fresh figs to their slaves, particularly the agricultural workers, but dried figs were also widely consumed.

Nutritional Value

The mineral content of figs closely resembles that of human milk;
Figs are rich in both vitamins A, B1, B2 and calcium, iron, phosphorus, manganese, sodium potassium and chlorine;

Due to its high content in glucose, the most assimilative of all sugars the fig is nutritive; Figs are high in vitamin B, that is essential in the intestine regulation, and fig has a similar function in our bodies as cereals do. They contain mucin and pectin.

Health Benefits

The fig is oxidant, laxative, diuretic, digestible and a blood cleanser;
It is excellent for the liver and a great producer of energy.

Figs are well known for their mild laxative effect, so take care when consuming fig juice. Try a small quantity at first, prepared from two or three fresh figs. The laxative prepared from the more concentrated, dried figs alone is so mild that it is suitable for children, so the action of the fresh fruit should cause you no alarm. However the term, syrup of figs, is often used to describe "Compound Syrup of Figs", this stronger laxative has added senna, rhubarb and cascara extract to make it much stronger.

Fig juice is also recognized for its soothing effect on irritated bronchia: passages. This demulcent action is soothing to the inflamed mucous membranes that produce catarrh during a cold.

 




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