Benefits
Bowel transit time and stool form with daily fig paste
In an 8-week double-blind trial in 80 Korean adults with functional constipation, 300 g a day of fig paste shortened colon transit time more than a matched placebo paste (by 24.5 vs 15.0 hours) and improved stool form and abdominal discomfort. Stool frequency, straining and overall relief did not differ. The paste maker co-funded the trial.
Bowel habits with whole figs or a fig fruit syrup
In a three-arm trial of 150 adults with constipation-predominant IBS (fig, flixweed seed or usual diet), about 90 g a day of fig for 4 months improved pain frequency, bloating, stool frequency and hard stools versus a usual-diet control with no placebo, but not pain severity. In 90 pregnant women with constipation, a nightly fig fruit syrup gave more bowel movements than a placebo syrup over 2 weeks.
Post-meal blood sugar and insulin with a fig fruit extract
In a crossover study of 10 healthy adults, a fig fruit extract standardized to abscisic acid, added to a 50 g glucose drink, lowered the glycemic index by about 25% and the insulin response by about 24% at the higher dose; the lower doses did not significantly lower glucose. The extract maker funded the study, which tested single drinks, not daily use.
Post-meal blood sugar with a fig leaf decoction at breakfast
In a crossover study of 10 adults with type 1 diabetes on insulin, a month of fig leaf decoction with breakfast gave lower post-meal glucose than a month of plain commercial tea, and insulin doses were 12% lower. A later review of plant trials in this group found no difference in HbA1c or fasting glucose and noted unclear randomization, a comparison drink that was easy to tell apart and no washout period.
Fiber and mineral intake from dried figs
USDA lists 9.8 g of fiber, 680 mg of potassium, 162 mg of calcium and 68 mg of magnesium per 100 g of dried figs. In a 10-week crossover trial, adding about 120 g a day raised reported calcium, magnesium and potassium intake, but blood mineral levels did not change and LDL cholesterol did not fall.
Skin symptom scores with daily fig leaf tea
In an 8-week double-blind trial in 30 Japanese adults with mild atopic dermatitis, 500 mL a day of tea from a fig cultivar without furanocoumarins lowered a dermatologist-rated eczema score more than a colored-water placebo. A patient-rated eczema score did not differ between groups, and the difference faded within 4 weeks of stopping.
Menstrual discomfort scores with dried figs
In Turkish midwifery students with painful periods, eating 6 dried figs a day (about 150 g) on the first 3 days of each period for 3 cycles gave lower pain, distress and stress scores than empty placebo capsules or cinnamon. Participants could tell figs from capsules, scores were self-reported, and group sizes differ between sections of the paper.
Mechanism of action
Fiber, water and sugars in the fruit
Dried figs supply about 9.8 g of fiber and 48 g of sugars per 100 g. The paste used in the transit trial was 89% water and 1.7% fiber, so 300 g gave about 5 g of fiber. In rat studies by the same group, fig paste raised stool water content. Fiber is the usual explanation offered, but the human trials did not test how the fruit works.
Abscisic acid and the LANCL2 receptor (lab and animal work)
Abscisic acid is a plant hormone found in figs. In obese and diabetic mouse models, an abscisic acid-enriched fig extract improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, and the effect was lost in mice lacking the LANCL2 receptor in muscle. These are mouse and cell findings; the senior author is a shareholder of BioTherapeutics, Inc.
Furanocoumarins in leaves and sap
The leaves and milky sap of many fig varieties contain furanocoumarins such as psoralen and bergapten. On skin that is then exposed to sunlight, these compounds cause phototoxic burns. The fig leaf tea trial used a cultivar without furanocoumarins, so its results do not cover other leaf teas or extracts.
Clinical trials
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial at Chonbuk National University Hospital, Korea (registered NCT02138851), of fig paste supplied by Yeongam Green Fig Agriculture, which co-funded the study with Korean government research bodies. (Baek et al. 2016, Asia Pac J Clin Nutr)
80 adults aged 19 to 39 with functional constipation (Rome III) and colon transit time of at least 36 hours; 74 completed. Three packs a day (300 g/day, standardized to 1.7% fiber) of fig paste or a matched water, sugar and starch placebo before meals for 8 weeks.
Colon transit time fell by 24.5 hours on fig paste and by 15.0 hours on placebo, a significant between-group difference (p = 0.030). Stool form on the Bristol scale (p = 0.024) and abdominal discomfort (p = 0.012) also improved more than on placebo. Frequency of bowel movements, straining, sense of incomplete evacuation and overall relief did not differ. No serious adverse events were reported.
Randomized trial at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, with only the investigators masked, comparing fig or flixweed seed with a usual-diet control; the trial registration (NCT02559245) gives the fig dose as 45 g before breakfast and before lunch (90 g/day). (Pourmasoumi et al. 2019, Explore (NY))
150 adults with constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome assigned to fig, flixweed or control for 4 months.
Compared with control, fig improved pain frequency, bloating, stool frequency and hard stools, along with quality of life and satisfaction with bowel habits. Abdominal pain severity and C-reactive protein did not change. The control group ate no placebo food, and the abstract does not say whether the figs were fresh or dried.
Double-blind randomized trial at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran (registered with the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials), funded by the university, with syrups made by Sina Noandish Tabiat Company. The fig syrup was a hot-water extract of fig fruit with about 400 mg of fig per 5 mL. (Valizadeh et al. 2025, Nutr Metab (Lond))
90 pregnant women with functional constipation (30 per group); 15 mL of fig syrup, fig-walnut syrup or a matched placebo syrup nightly for 14 days, with 2 weeks of follow-up. 84 completed.
Both fig syrups gave more bowel movements per week than placebo, with no difference between the two fig syrups. Stool amount, consistency, straining and the sense of incomplete evacuation improved versus placebo, while the sense of blockage and need for manual maneuvers did not. Quality of life improved more than with placebo (on the questionnaire used, a lower score means better quality of life). One woman in each fig group had diarrhea.
Randomized crossover trial at Loma Linda University, California, partly funded by the California Fig Advisory Board, which supplied the figs, and by an NIH grant. A second paper from the same trial reported mineral intake and blood mineral levels. (Peterson et al. 2011, Ann Nutr Metab)
102 adults aged 30 to 75 with raised LDL cholesterol (100 to 189 mg/dL) randomized; 83 had final blood tests. About 120 g/day of dried California Mission figs added to the usual diet for 5 weeks versus the usual diet for 5 weeks.
LDL and HDL cholesterol did not differ between the fig and usual-diet periods. Total cholesterol tended to be higher with figs (230 vs 224 mg/dL, p = 0.021, not significant after the paper's correction for multiple tests), driven by one sequence group. Sugar intake rose from 23.4% to 32.2% of calories, and body weight did not change significantly. In the companion paper, reported calcium, magnesium and potassium intake rose, but blood iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc did not change.
Randomized, double-blind crossover glycemic index study run by the University of Sydney testing service and funded by extract maker Euromed (ABAlife), four of whose employees are co-authors. (Atkinson et al. 2019, Nutrients)
10 healthy adults; each tested a 50 g glucose drink alone (three times) and with 100 or 200 mg of one fig fruit extract or 600 or 1,200 mg of another, supplying 40 or 80 micrograms of abscisic acid.
At the 80 microgram dose, both extracts lowered the glycemic index by about 25% (p = 0.001 and p = 0.002) and the insulin index by about 24% versus the glucose drink alone. The 40 microgram doses lowered the glycemic index by about 14%, not significantly, though they did lower the insulin index. No adverse events were reported. These were single test drinks; daily use was not studied.
Randomized crossover study by researchers from the Badajoz medical faculty and University Hospital 12 Octubre, Madrid, Spain, of a fig leaf (Ficus carica) decoction versus a non-sweet commercial tea, each for one month alongside the usual diet and twice-daily insulin. (Serraclara et al. 1998, Diabetes Res Clin Pract)
10 adults with type 1 diabetes aged 22 to 38 (6 men, 4 women); 2 dropped out because of intolerance.
Post-breakfast glucose was lower during the fig leaf month than the tea month (156.6 vs 293.7 mg/dL, p < 0.001), with no difference before the meal, and the average insulin dose was 12% lower. The comparison drink was an ordinary tea rather than a matched placebo, and the abstract does not give the amount of leaf used.
Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial by the Toyo Institute of Food Technology with volunteers from a clinic in Osaka, Japan; the paper reports no external funding. The tea was made from Grise de Tarascon, a fig cultivar without furanocoumarins. (Abe et al. 2022, Nutrients)
30 adults aged 20 to 59 with mild atopic dermatitis (EASI 2 to 15), 15 per group; 500 mL a day of fig leaf tea or colored water for 8 weeks, then 4 weeks without.
The dermatologist-rated EASI score fell by 3.13 points on fig leaf tea versus 0.19 on placebo at week 8 (p = 0.036). The patient-rated POEM score and the TARC blood marker did not differ between groups. Four weeks after stopping, the difference was no longer significant. Routine blood tests showed no harmful changes.
Randomized, placebo-controlled trial among midwifery students at Adnan Menderes University, Turkey; the placebo was empty capsules, so the fig group was not blinded. Single author, no conflicts declared; an erratum was later published. (Amanak 2020, P R Health Sci J)
Women students with primary dysmenorrhea; group sizes differ between sections of the paper (about 31 to 36 per group). The fig group ate 6 dried figs a day (about 150 g) on days 1 to 3 of 3 cycles; the cinnamon group took 1,260 mg a day.
Over 3 cycles, the dried fig group had lower pain severity, pain duration, menstrual distress and perceived stress scores, and higher quality of life scores, than both the cinnamon and placebo groups. The fig amount was set to match the calories of the cinnamon dose by a calculation that overstates cinnamon's calories, and all outcomes were self-reported.