I love figs ! Figs have been part of my Italian heritage for a long time. Certain family members had fig trees in their yards. I was always curious to how these delicate trees were wrapped in the winter months. If you want to learn about FIGS read The Edible Series of Books- Figs: A Global History by David Sutton.
A recent article published by the American Botanical Council HerbalGram ( Pourmasoumi M, Ghiasvand R, Darvishi L, Hadi A, Bahreini N, Keshavarzpour Z. Comparison and assessment of flixweed and fig effects on irritable bowel syndrome with predominant constipation: A single-blind randomized clinical trial. [published September 11, 2018]. Explore. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2018.09.003. )discussed the use of figs in IBS related constipation.
Flixweed (Descurainia sophia, Brassicaceae) and fig (Ficus carica, Moraceae) are rich in soluble and insoluble fiber. These authors conducted a single-blind, randomized, clinical trial to examine the effects of flixweed and fig on the symptoms of IBS-C and on the inflammation marker C-reactive protein (CRP). We do know that constipation and abdominal pain are associated symptoms of IBS
The authors conclude that these study results "suggested that consumption of flixweed and fig among IBS-C patients may have positive effects on IBS-C symptoms, and that these natural products could be considered as a safe therapy for this syndrome."
This study had limitations: 1. a focus on the fiber content of figs ; 2. no placebo group in the study and 3. only one marker of inflammation ) CRP) was studied More studies need to be done