Anjeer / Common Fig (Ficus Carica)- Ayurvedic Properties, Effects On Doshas & Dosage

Description

Ficus Carica is also known as anjeer in Hindi and common fig in English, it usually grows in hot, dry, and slightly cold climatic conditions like Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Brazil, and California. This can be taken in any form like it can be added as the dry fruit in your daily diet and even also in fresh forms. Only fruit can be consumed from this herb, this herb is a kind of tree that is 15 to 30 ft long and is highly dense in nature. Its fruits are edible in nature and are fleshy and hollow, it is natively found in the southwestern part of Asia that has been spread to Europe and other parts of the world.

General Information

This tree plays a major role in Indian Mythology because here, it is used in holy times to worship. It has had various medicinal and nutritional medicines for a long time. Anjeer is a plant-based fruit that grows on the Ficus tree, Anjeer has some peculiar taste like it is sweet along with it is stringy too, Anjeer can work on Diabetes Mellitus and can control the hormonal secretion with its anti-inflammatory and inhibitory actions. Anjeer is good for its laxative properties, this helps to eliminate constipation and promotes the defecation process, it has increased the content of dietary fibres. Its therapeutic properties are used to manage various types of diseases and this all is attributed to its richest property named as flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, phenols, etc. Almost every part of this tree is used for the healing of numerous diseases as leaves, seeds, fruits, bark, and roots.

Special Note About This Plant

Anjeer is a tree commonly known as the Ficus tree, it is effectively used in various skin disorders, due to the attribution of antioxidants, having rechana properties that mean used for laxative purposes, so it is used in severe constipation like diseases, it helps to improve the digestion, due to its richness in fibrous diet, if the paste of its fruit applied on the face with the little amount of honey then it will able to improve the skin condition, remove the hyperpigmentation, and helps to glow the skin, the leaves of this tree may help the patient to combat with higher sugar levels. These are the multiple benefits that can give the Ficus tree to the needfuls. This is used as multiple purposes plus it can be used as an ornamental plant.

Systemic Classification

Botanical Name – Ficus Carica
Family – Moraceae
Genus – Ficus

Other Vernacular Names

In Sanskrit – Phalgu, rajudumbar, anjeer
In Hindi – Anjeer

Habitat

This tree has been cultivated since ancient times, in deep and fresh soil and it grows wild in dry and sunny areas like rocky areas which are the height of 1700-1800 meters from sea level, it usually grows in porous and free draining soil and can also grow under the poor nutritional soil. This tree can be pollinated with fig wasp in colder areas.

This is a kind of large, dense, shade tree 7–10 m (23–33 ft) tall having smooth bark of white colour.

Leaves – fragrant, 12–25 cm (41⁄2–10 inches) long and 10–18 cm (4–7 inches) wide, and are deeply lobed (three or five lobes).
Fruits – tear-shaped, 1 to 2 inches long, its green in colour when unripened and is of purplish or brown in colour when ripened. It is sweet in taste and has soft flesh which has numerous crunchy seeds.

This is said to be the very first plant that has been cultivated by humans, this can be of different sizes, shapes according to its cultivated area and temperature. In India, it is found in Puna, in southern India it is found in Bellary, and in the districts of Anantapur, this herb is found widely. In Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Mysore it is found in less amounts.

Classical Categorization

Acharya Charak has categorised it in sutra sthana in twenty-seventh chapter, where he says this phalgu herb is used for tarpana (nourishment), brihamn (strengthening), guru (heavy to digest), and is of sheetalam (cold potency).
Acharya Sushrut has also categorised sutra sthana in the forty-sixth chapter with the same properties but added one or two like its Madhur (sweet) and vishtimbh in nature.

Ancient Verses

Shloka – 1

तर्पणं बृहणं फल्गु गुरु विष्टंभि शीतलं।

Reference – Charak Samhita Sutra Sthana 27 / 128

Interpretation of Shloka – This herb is used for tarpana (nourishment), brihamn (strengthening), guru (heavy to digest), vishtambhi and is of sheetalam (cold potency).

Shloka – 2

विष्टंभि मधुरं शीतं फल्गुजं तर्पणं गुरु।

Reference – Sushrut Samhita Sutra Sthana 28 / 8

Interpretation of Shloka – Acharya Sushrut has categorized this herb under the Phala Varga, consisting of vishtambhan gunna, Madhur (sweet), tarpana gunna (nourishment), and heavy in properties.

Shloka – 3

अन्जीरं शीतलं स्वादु गुरु पित्तास्रवातजित्।

Reference – Madhav Nidan

Interpretation of Shloka – anjeer herb is sweet, cold and good for pittaj, raktaj, and vata disorders. Due to these properties, it helps to combat various diseases.

Ayurvedic Properties

Rasa (Taste) – Madhur (Sweet)
Guna (Quality) – Guru (Heavy), Snigadh (Moist)
Veerya (Potency) – Sheeta (Cold)
Vipaka (Post digestive effect) – Madhur (Sweet)
Karma (Action) – Balances the Vata pitta dosha due to its Madhur and Sheeta guna
Projyang (Part used) – Fruits are used

Effects On Doshas

It helps to balance the Vata pitta dosha due to its Madhur and Sheeta guna.
This helps to demolish the inflammation signs.
This is good for moisturising the body and is helpful in maintaining the flow of doshas.
This herb is very effective in hepato protection and maintains the spleen’s health also.
This herb is used for the purification of blood and acts on pitta dosha.
Due to its snigdha Guna this herb is Kapha nihsarak in nature.
This herb helps in diuretics and is an aphrodisiac in nature and also works as a laxative.

Practical Uses

You can apply the hot paste of fruit to the inflammatory signs.
It is helpful in subsiding the dryness and maintains the flow of doshas that lies in the abdomen so that’s why acting on constipation.
Its fruits are used to clear the shwas vaha srotas with their roughness and burning in the chest region can be subsided with the help of this herb.
This is also used in fever and weakness in the body.
It is also used in calculus, renal colic, and deprivation of urinary symptoms.
On various skin diseases, like burning over the skin, measles type condition can be cured too by the application of paste of its fruits on the affected area.