ficain (ficin)

Botanical Classification of a Common Plant Source:

• Genus: Ficus (Fig)
• Subgenus: Ficus
• Species: Carica.
• Scientific Name: Ficus Carica (Linnaeus) - the common fig tree.

Distribution of Ficus Trees:

• Tropics: including the Sacred Fig of India (Ficus Religiosa), the Banyan Tree of India (Ficus Benghalensis) and the Moreton Bay Fig in sub-tropical Australia (Ficus Macrophylla);
• Temperate Zone: a few species, including the common fig tree, are found in areas from South-west Asia to the Mediterranean.

Benefits of Ficain:

• it is a protease enzyme (an enzyme that breaks down proteins and peptides);
• anthelmintic (destroys worms);
• antioxidant; having anti-diabetes effects in rodents;
• anti-cancer effects in laboratory and mouse experiments;

Scientific Data on Ficain:

• Synonyms: Ficin, Fig Tree Latex, debricin; ficus protease, ficus proteinase;
• Extraction of Ficain Sap: Make an incision in the bark of the tree or branch and collect the sap; alternatively, using the fruit, make a fresh cut into the stem of the fruit and collect the sap that exudes.

The Plant:

• evergreen, though some outside the tropics are deciduous;
• form of plant: trees, shrubs and vines; the Ficus Carica is a tree that grows up to 10 metres tall;
• roots: the tropical form has aerial roots; the common fig tree has underground roots;
• leaves: the common fig tree has leaves up to 25 cm long with 3 to 5 lobes (divisions in the leaf, like fingers); the Moreton Bay, Sacred Fig and Banyan varieties do not have lobes.
• flowers, seeds and fruit: the almost sealed fruit contains the flowers and seeds in inflorescences.

Historical Uses of Fig Tree Products:

• External Use
  • the latex for warts, skin ulcers and sores;
  • a poultice for tumors and other abnormal growths;
• Alimentary Internal Use
  • fresh and dried figs as a laxative, dietary fibre and as a vermifuge;
  • the latex by itself has been used as a vermifuge (risky);
  • decoction gargled for sore throat;
  • poultice made from figs boiled in milk for swollen gums;
• Internal Use
  • leaf decoction (extraction of the active ingredients by boiling the leaf in water and using the water)
    • for diabetes; see also Turmeric Extract for diabetes;
    • for calcifications in the kidneys and liver;
  • the fruit
    • calcium for bones;
    • source of potassium which may help to lower blood pressure;
    • vitamins, anti-oxidants, flavonols and polyphenols: folic acid, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, syringic acid, catechin, epicatechin and rutin; also the flavonoids quercetin and luteolin;
    • traditionally used as an aphrodisiac.

Quotations from Research Articles on Ficain Extracts

Article 1: Fig Resin and Cancer
"A mixture of 6-O-acyl-beta-D-glucosyl-beta-sitosterols, the acyl moeity being primarily palmitoyl and linoleyl with minor amounts of stearyl and oleyl, has been isolated as a potent cytotoxic agent from fig (Ficuscarica) latex and soybeans... Both the natural and the synthetic compounds showed in vitro inhibitory effects on proliferation of various cancer cell lines."

Title: Suppressors of cancer cell proliferation from fig (Ficus carica) resin: isolation and structure elucidation.
Author: Rubnov S, Kashman Y, Rabinowitz R, Schlesinger M, Mechoulam R. Dept. of Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products, School of Pharmacy, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
Source: J Nat Prod. 2001 Jul;64(7):993-6.

Article 2: Fig Residue and Cancer
"... The anti-cancer active components of Fig Residues inhibited 49.3% of the transplanted liver cancer in the mice. CONCLUSION: The method for extracting the anticancer active components of Fig Residues is stable and reasonable, and the extract from Fig Residues is of the anticancer effect."

Title: Study on anti-cancer components of Fig residues with supper critical fluid CO2 extracting technique. [Article in Chinese]
Author: Wang ZB, Ma HL. Jiangsu University, School of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Zhenjiang, China.
Source: Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2005 Sep;30(18):1443-7.

Article 3: Fig Extract and Diabetes
"Parameters related to oxidative stress were studied in rats divided into 4 groups: streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (n=10), diabetic rats who received a single dose of a basic fraction of Ficus carica extract (n=14), diabetic rats who received a single dose of a chloroform fraction of the extract (n=10), and normal rats (n=10). ... Our work confirms that antioxidant status is affected in the diabetes syndrome, and that Ficus carica extracts tend to normalize it."

Title: Experimental diabetes treated with ficus carica extract: effect on oxidative stress parameters.
Author: Pèrez C, Canal JR, Torres MD. Dept. of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Extremadura, Avenida de Elvas s/n 06071 Badajoz, Spain.
Source: Acta Diabetol. 2003 Mar;40(1):3-8.

Article 4: Fig Leaf Decoction and Diabetes
"The effect of a decoction of fig leaves (Ficus carica), as a supplement to breakfast, on diabetes control was studied in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) patients ... ... The addition of FC to diet in IDDM could be of help to control postprandial glycemia."

Title: Hypoglycemic action of an oral fig-leaf decoction in type-I diabetic patients.
Author: Serraclara A, Hawkins F, Pérez C, Domínguez E, Campillo JE, Torres MD. Dept. of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Badajoz and Serv. Endocrinology, University Hospital 12 Octubre, Madrid, Spain.
Source: Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 1998 Jan;39(1):19-22.

Natural substances for health:

Monitor Your Own Health

Natural-energy technology for living: