12 health benefits of figs
TRANSCRIPT
F I G S
R I C H I N M I N E R A L S A N D V I T A M I N S
POTASSIUM IS AN ESSENTIALCOMPONENT IN KEEPING THE BODY
HYDRATED AND CONTROLLING HEARTRATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE. COPPER AND
IRON ARE ESSENTIAL FOR RED BLOODCELL FORMATION. FRESH AND DRIED FIGS
ARE ALSO A GOOD SOURCE OF THE B-COMPLEX GROUP OF VITAMINS, SUCH ASNIACIN (B3), PYRIDOXINE (B6), FOLATES
(B9) AND PANTOTHENIC ACID (B5).
F I G S
E X C E L L E N T S O U R C E O F D I E T A R YA N T I O X I D A N T S
BOTH FRESH AND DRY FIGS AREEXCELLENT SOURCES ANTIOXIDANTS.RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT EATING
TWO DRIED FIGS (~ 40 G) ON A REGULARBASIS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED THE
PLASMA ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY.BESIDES THE FRUIT, THE FIG STEM BARK
AND LEAVES ALL EXHIBIT STRONGANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES.
F I G S
I M P R O V E D I G E S T I O N
FIBER IMPROVES BOWEL MOVEMENT ANDHELPS ALLEVIATE CONSTIPATION. THREEPIECES OF FIGS CONTAINED 5 G OF FIBER.CELLULOSE, THE MAJOR FIBER PRESENT
IN FIGS FRUITS, INCREASES THEEXCRETION OF STOOLS BY INCREASING
THE WATER CONTENT AND BULK.
F I G S
L O W E R B L O O D S U G A R L E V E L
ONE SPECIAL COMPOUND CALLEDFICUSIN, EXTRACTED FROM FIG LEAVES,SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE INSULIN
SENSITIVITY OF RATS. THESEPHYTOCHEMICALS HAVE
HYPOGLYCAEMIC PROPERTIES ANDMODULATE GLUCOSE TRANSPORTATION
TO SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASEDPOSTPRANDIAL BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVEL.
F I G S
T R E A T M E N T O F A N A E M I A
RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT DRIED FIGSHELP TO RELAX THE MUSCLE ANDRELIEVE SPASM OF MUSCLE. SUCH
PROPERTY OF FIGS IS ATTRIBUTED TOTHE PRESENCE OF ALKALOIDS,
FLAVONOIDS, SAPONINS AND TERPENES.IT ALSO HELPS IN RELAXING THE GUT
AND TREATING A DIFFERENTHYPERACTIVE GASTROINTESTINAL
DISORDER SUCH AS ABDOMINAL PAIN.
F I G S
A N T I C A N C E R
FIGS IS A REMEDY IN FOLK MEDICINESINCLUDING NATURAL CANCER
TREATMENT. IT WAS SHOWN THAT SOMEBIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN FIGS
INHIBITED THE GROWTH OF VARIOUSHUMAN CANCER CELL LINE. RECENT
STUDIES SUGGESTED THAT THE ANTI-CANCER ACTIVITY OF FIG COULD BE DUE
TO THE PRESENCE OF STEROIDS ANDFLAVONOIDS, DUE TO THEIR FREERADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY.
F I G S
R E D U C E B L O O D P R E S S U R E
FIGS FRUIT CONTAINS A HIGH LEVEL OFPOTASSIUM AND A LOW LEVEL OFSODIUM. THE PROPER INTAKE OF
POTASSIUM ENABLE DIMINISHING THEEFFECTS OF SODIUM AND THEREBY
LOWERING THE BLOOD PRESSURE LEVEL.THIS FEATURE MAKES FIG SUITABLE FORFIGHTING AGAINST THE HYPERTENSION
CONDITIONS.
F I G S
M A I N T A I N H A I R A N D S K I N H E A L T H
FIGS ARE A POPULAR INGREDIENT INMANY SHAMPOOS, CONDITIONERS ANDHAIR MASQUES. THE FRUIT IS BELIEVEDTO STRENGTHEN AND MOISTURIZE HAIRAND PROMOTE ITS GROWTH. DEFICIENCYOF EITHER ZINC OR COPPER IS KNOWN TOCAUSE HAIR LOSS. SO THE RICH CONTENTOF ZINC AND COPPER IN FIGS HELP KEEP
HAIR HEALTHY.
F I G S
P R O M O T E B O N E H E A L T H
THE HIGH PHOSPHORUS CONTENT INFIGS PROMOTES BONE FORMATION ANDENCOURAGES RE-GROWTH IN THE CASE
OF DEGRADATION OF BONES. INADDITION, THE CALCIUM CONTENT IN
FIGS ALSO HELPS TO INCREASE THE BONEDENSITY. HENCE, FIGS SHOULD BE A PART
OF DAILY INTAKE FOR GROWING KIDS.
F I G S
B O O S T I M M U N E S Y S T E M
THE RICH NUTRIENT PROFILES OF FIGSMAKE IT AN EXCELLENT SOURCE OF
DIETARY VITAMINS, MINERALS, PHENOLICCOMPOUNDS AND ANTIOXIDANTS. THE
PRESENCE OF THESE HEALTH-PROMOTING COMPOUNDS MAKES FIG A
GREAT IMMUNE SYSTEM BOOST TOSTIMULATE THE IMMUNE SYSTEM TO
FIGHT AGAINST DISEASES ANDDISORDERS.
F I G S
R E L I E V E S P A S M A N D C R A M P S
RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT DRIED FIGSHELP TO RELAX THE MUSCLE ANDRELIEVE SPASM OF MUSCLE. SUCH
PROPERTY OF FIGS IS ATTRIBUTED TO THEPRESENCE OF ALKALOIDS, FLAVONOIDS,
SAPONINS AND TERPENES. IT ALSO HELPSIN RELAXING THE GUT AND TREATING A
DIFFERENT HYPERACTIVEGASTROINTESTINAL DISORDER SUCH AS
ABDOMINAL PAIN.
F I G S
A N T I M I C R O B I A L
FIGS IS A NATURAL ANTIMICROBIALAGENT. STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT FIGEXTRACT IS ABLE TO COMBAT VARIOUS
BACTERIA AND FUNGI. IT WAS ALSONOTICED THAT THE LATEX OF FIG HAS APOWERFUL ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTY
AGAINST SEVERAL SPECIES OF BACTERIA.