People have been enjoying figs since ancient times.
In the Old Testament, for example, King Hezekiah was sick unto death and Isaiah called for a lump of figs.
Guess what?
The King recovered by eating Isaiah’s lump of figs, whatever that was.
Of course, I’m not saying here that figs are cure-alls.
Figs do, however, contain an active agent – benzaldehyde. The Japanese identified this ingredient in figs after giving it to cancer patients and seeing dramatic results.
Fig juice has also killed bacteria in test tubes and roundworms in dogs.
Additionally, the enzymes in figs — called ficins — aid digestion.
It’s fun to eat figs, but they have other uses as well.
Here’s a fig recipe for healthy skin that I know you’ll appreciate after giving it a try…
Figs as Exfoliators
Fresh figs make wonderful mild exfoliators. They contain an active enzyme that helps to remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin, just the way pineapple and papaya does.
Fresh figs are always best as exfoliators, but dried figs will do if fresh are not available. If using dried figs, first soak them in water for 15-20 minutes to soften them.
Using figs as exfoliators is easy. Just step into your shower, turn on the water, and scrub your body with the little fruits.
The tiny seeds in the figs will gently polish your skin, and you’ll climb out of that shower feeling and looking like a million bucks.
And that’s it for today’s short commentary about figs.
Yum! I picked 3 figs from our tree today. They will all be eaten; it’s still a young tree and we don’t have enough fruit to cover skincare as well but I’ll keep this in mind for future crops.
Joanne, when we lived in New Orleans back in the 90′s, I’d stop and eat a fig or two off the tree in our backyard every time I passed the three while mowing. I can’t think of anything that tastes a whole lot better than a fig fresh off the tree.
My wife and I love taking cruises and they have wonderful figs on the cruise ships. I always get a bowl of figs at breakfast. Besides being good to eat, they keep you regular and that is important while traveling and also eating so much.
When I grew up in a small town, we had pecan tress in our yard also a nice large fig tree by our side entrance. We kids would always be playing out in the yard, and stop by to pick and enjoy a juicy fig. Nothing like fresh home grown. Also I remember the June bugs love the fig tree too. Thanks for reminding me about figs!