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- Fig (Ficus spp.)
- Cancer
- Inflammation
| Date: 01-30-2009 | HC# 100483-369 |
Re: The Ethnobotany of Figs as Anticancer and Anti-inflammatory Agents
Lansky EP, Paavilainen HM, Pawlins AD, Newman RA. Ficus spp. (fig): ethnobotany and potential as anticancer and anti-inflammatory agents. J Ethnopharmacol. 2008;119: 195-213.
This is an overview of ancient, medieval, and modern
ethnopharmacological uses of figs (Ficus
spp.), especially in tumors and inflammation (a contributor to cancer
development) and of figs' botanical and phytochemical characteristics, and
biological activities. A mulberry (Moraceae) family member, the genus has over
800 species. The most important species commercially is the common fig (F. carica). Many species have auxiliary
aerial roots and all have latex-like material within their vasculatures. Fruits,
syconial collections of druplets forming fleshy sacs enclosed by a thin skin, each
have 30-1600 seeds. The interior of figs is lined with tiny flowers. An opening
at each fruit's apex gives entry to fig wasps. Each species lives in symbiosis
with a specific wasp species. The wasps pollinate, and the flowers serve as a host
for the wasp's eggs.
Among cultivated plants, figs may predate cereal grains. Fifty-six
listed ancient and medieval medicinal uses from the Middle East and Europe,
with one from Mexico, span the 1st-17th centuries C.E. The
authors explain how particular fig species, even growth stages, have been
identified, as well as phrases from several languages naming symptoms and
conditions, and identify other ingredients in some fig-based medications. Most use
either the common fig, or the sycamore fig (F.
sycomorus). Parts used include fruit in different stages of ripeness, both
fresh and dry; bark, leaves, twigs, and shoots; latex from bark, fruit, and
young branches; and ashes from wood and stalks. Preparations range from
directly applied split fruit as a poultice, to lye from fig ashes and wine from
fruit. They often include other botanicals, e.g., blue flag (Iris versicolor), fenugreek (Trigonella
foenum-graecum), barley (Hordeum
vulgare), and pomegranate (Punica
granatum); and/or additives like honey, vinegar, natron (hydrated sodium
carbonate), "shoe blackener", and more. Most medications have been
used topically, but every part of the fig used externally has also been taken
orally in others. Ayurvedic medicine uses at least three Ficus species [cluster fig (F.
racemosa), sacred fig (Bodhi tree; F.
religiosa), and banyan (F. benghalensis)].
Uses include external application for eczema, leprosy, rheumatism, sores,
ulcers and pain; as a sore throat gargle; and internally for diarrhea,
gonorrhea, and menorrhagia, and as an aphrodisiac. Figs are little used in traditional
Chinese medicine (TCM). They grow only in far southern China and are used primarily
as food. However, TCM also uses a cooked fig juice gargle for sore throats and treats
hemorrhoids with concurrent external application and oral ingestion of figs. Fourteen
contemporary ethnomedical uses suggestive of antineoplastic action (anticancer,
antiwarts), from 12 nations, and 43 suggesting anti-inflammatory action, from
over 20 countries, are shown.
Scientific investigation of fig's anticancer effects began
in the 1940s when an extract of F. carica
latex inhibited growth in an induced sarcoma, resulting in disappearance of
small tumors in albino rats. Mixed sitosterol isoforms from latex showed
anti-proliferative activity in several cell lines. A number of fig species and
their constituents have been studied for activities relevant to cancer and
inflammation.[i] Triterpenoids
from aerial roots of Chinese banyan tree (F.
microcarpa), with C-28 carboxylic acid functional groups, showed cytotoxity
in three human cancer lines. Mixed phenanthroindolizidine alkaloids from leng guo rong (F. septica) leaves and daduri,
or opposite-leaved fig, (F. hispida) twigs
and stems were potently cytotoxic in others. An antofine derivative had potent
activity in both drug-sensitive and multi-drug-resistant cancer lines and is being
synthesized for further study. One xenograft study suggests tylophorine analogs
may induce cancer cell differentiation. In vitro and in vivo results support
anti-inflammatory effects of numerous fig components from several species. Coumarins,
flavonoids (including anthocyanins), triacylglycerols, and phenolic compounds (e.g.,
terpenoids; small aliphatics), all present in fig species, have proven benefits.
Seed lectins may be immune modulators, while sterols may boost immunity,
inhibit inflammation, and promote apoptosis and differentiation. Salicylic acid
and fig latex were equally effective in bovine teat papillomatosis, a common,
sometimes pre-cancerous, condition in cows.
Only a few clinical trials have investigated uses of figs in
humans. Dried figs eaten daily by healthy volunteers reduced oxidation of low
density lipoprotein (LDL). An aqueous decoction of leaves relieved
post-prandial hyperglycemia in Type 1 diabetes. Leaf latex was as effective as
cryotherapy in removing warts. Figs have a very high safety profile, with rich
opportunities in functional foods. Skin contact with latex may provoke allergic
reactions. Orally, latex may cause hallucinations.
— Mariann
Garner-Wizard
[i] Diagrams
of 100 molecules are shown; with the name of each, its chemical class, and the fig
species and plant part from which it was obtained. Only a small fraction of Ficus species and parts have been
evaluated.
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