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When taken by mouth: Fresh or dried fig fruit is LIKELY SAFE for most people when used in food amounts. Fig fruit paste is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken by mouth for up to 8 weeks as medicine. There isn't enough reliable information available to know if fig leaf is safe or what the side effects might be.
When applied to the skin: Applying fig leaf to the skin is POSSIBLY UNSAFE. It can cause skin to become extra sensitive to the sun. Avoid prolonged sun exposure when applying fig LEAF to the skin. Wear sunblock outside, especially if you are light-skinned. Fig FRUIT is unlikely to cause sun sensitivity. Skin contact with fig fruit or leaves can cause rash in sensitive people.
Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Fresh or dried fig fruit is
LIKELY SAFE in amounts found in food. There isn't enough reliable information to know if fig is safe to use in medicinal amounts when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use of medicinal amounts.
Allergies. People who are sensitive to mulberry, natural rubber latex, or weeping fig might have allergic reactions to fig.
Diabetes. Fig might lower blood sugar. If you take fig by mouth and you have diabetes, monitor your blood sugar levels closely.
Surgery: Fig might lower blood sugar levels. There is some concern that it might interfere with blood sugar control during and after surgery. Stop using fig as medicine at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.
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There are some limited reports of fig allergy. One report published in 2003 noted that an allergy to fig followed by respiratory symptoms can be present in people with allergies to weeping fig plants or who have the latex-fruit syndrome (a condition where you are allergic to latex and certain fruit and nuts).
Also, if you have an allergy to jackfruit, you may also experience a reaction if you consume fig.
People often complain of a burning sensation or sore tongue after eating too many figs, particularly fresh ones. This reaction is due to a molecule in the fig called ficin. Ficin is a proteolytic enzyme that breaks down proteins. It can cause the skin and tongue to itch or burn from exposure.
To avoid "fig burn," spoon the inside of the fig out and eat it separately from the skin where most of the ficin is contained. The less ripe a fig is, the more ficin that is present. *
