Figs: Benefits, Nutrition, Fresh vs. Dried & Fig Leaves

Dr. Josh Axe · Free quiz

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Split a ripe fig open and you find a jammy, sweet center packed with tiny seeds, wrapped in a thin skin that can be purple-black, violet-brown or green. Figs grow on Ficus carica, a tree in the same plant family as mulberries, and they've been a classic fruit of the Mediterranean diet for thousands of years.78

When Moses described the Promised Land, he described it by its food: "A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey" (Deuteronomy 8:8).1 Figs are one of the foods I like best, and they're number four on my list of the top 10 Bible foods that heal.9 In The Biblio Diet, Jordan Rubin and I call figs a high-fiber food whether raw or dried, with a healthy dose of potassium, and we point to dried figs as a good source of manganese, magnesium and calcium, minerals that don't show up in our diets as much as they should.10

Did you know?

• Botanically, a fig is a syconium: a hollow structure lined on the inside with tiny flowers, and each flower forms its own small fruitlet. Together they make the sweet pulp, and the tiny seeds inside them give figs their crunch.11

• Nine carbonized figs found at Gilgal I, an early Neolithic village in the Jordan Valley, date to 11,400 to 11,200 years ago. The researchers who found them suggested the fig may have been the first domesticated plant, about a thousand years before cereal grains.12

• Fresh figs are so fragile that they're mostly eaten close to where they're grown. As of 2007, 94% of California's fig crop was dried or otherwise processed.11

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What are figs?

California's fig industry rests on five varieties: dark purple-black Mission figs, violet-brown Brown Turkey, green-to-yellow Kadota, Adriatic, and the large, light-yellow Calimyrna.11 Fresh figs taste best fully ripe but damage easily, while dried figs keep so well that most fig exports travel dried.11 Drying takes figs from 79% water to 30%, which concentrates everything in them, the fiber, minerals and sugar alike.45

A short history of figs

Figs have fed people for a very long time, and Scripture treasures them. In the King James Bible, "fig" and "figs" appear 66 times, counting "fig tree."1 When King Hezekiah was "sick unto death," the prophet Isaiah gave this instruction: "Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover" (Isaiah 38:1, 38:21), and God's answer to his prayer was, "I will add unto thy days fifteen years" (Isaiah 38:5).1 A plaister is a poultice, so here figs served as medicine as well as food.

Figs have long been seen as a sign of peace, abundance and prosperity.10 The prophet Micah described the coming days of peace this way: "But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid" (Micah 4:4).1 Traditional medicine around the world has used the fig tree for more than 40 kinds of complaints, from digestive and respiratory problems to skin conditions.7

Fig nutrition facts (fresh and dried)

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central records 173021 (figs, raw) and 174665 (figs, dried, uncooked), at USDA's weights of 50 grams for a medium fresh fig and 149 grams for a cup of dried figs. % Daily Value uses FDA reference values.4513

Per 100 grams, dried figs carry 9.8 grams of fiber, more than the 7.1 grams in prunes.56 That's 35% of the daily value for fiber, along with 32% for copper, 22% for manganese, 16% for magnesium, 14% for potassium and 12% for calcium, a lot of calcium for a fruit.513 A quarter cup, a realistic serving, gives you 13% of the daily value for fiber and 12% for copper, along with about 5% each for potassium and calcium. Two medium fresh figs give you 10% of the daily value for fiber and 79 grams of water.4513

What are figs good for?

How do figs keep you regular?

Fiber is the main proposed reason figs help, and the chain runs from your plate to your colon.

Health benefits of figs, ranked by evidence

Ranked by the strength of the human evidence, figs are best for regularity and constipation relief, IBS with constipation, feeding your gut bacteria and antioxidant protection, and tea made from fig leaves adds lower blood sugar after meals.

Fresh vs. dried figs: which is better?

Dried figs pack more fiber, minerals and polyphenols into every gram because the water is gone, while fresh figs give you more water and less sugar per bite.458 How a fig is dried matters too: drying can lower some polyphenols, and how much depends on the method, according to a 2023 review of fig research.8 Eat fresh figs when they're in the market, and dried figs the rest of the year.

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central records 173021 and 174665, at 8.4 grams per dried fig.45

Pressed cakes of dried figs show up in Scripture as food that revives. When David's men found an Egyptian who had gone three days without food or water, "they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him" (1 Samuel 30:12).1

A fig-filled cookie is a different food from the fruit. Per 100 grams, USDA's fig bars carry 348 calories, 4.6 grams of fiber and 350 milligrams of sodium, against 249 calories, 9.8 grams of fiber and 10 milligrams of sodium in plain dried figs.235 For more on choosing dried fruit well, read whether dried fruit is healthy.

How many figs should you eat a day?

Whole figs bring their sugar packaged with fiber and water, and drying concentrates that sugar: dried figs are 47.9% sugar by weight, against 16.3% for fresh figs.54 I've written that if you have diabetes or sugar sensitivity, high-sugar fruits are best eaten in moderation,10 so make fresh figs your everyday choice and give dried figs a portion.

The trials used more figs than an everyday portion. The placebo-controlled constipation trial used 300 grams of fig paste a day, and the randomized IBS trial 90 grams of dried figs a day, about 10 or 11 figs.219 In a trial in which 83 adults each spent 5 weeks adding 120 grams of dried figs a day, about 14 figs, to their usual diet and 5 weeks without them, sugar rose from 23.4% to 32.2% of their calories during the fig weeks; their body weight didn't change significantly, and neither did their LDL cholesterol or triglycerides.20 Treat dried figs the way you'd treat Medjool dates: swap them in for sweets rather than stacking them on top.

My breakfast rule is protein and fiber: a protein source such as eggs, plus a high-fiber fruit like figs, pomegranate, blueberries, apples or grapefruit.24 Pairing figs with protein or fat that way, or with a handful of walnuts or almonds, is the simplest way to enjoy their sweetness. If you're new to a high-fiber diet, add figs a few at a time, drink water with them, and see how much fiber per day fits your goals.

Fig leaves: fig leaf tea and blood sugar

Fig leaves appear in the third chapter of the Bible, when Adam and Eve "sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons" (Genesis 3:7).1 Today the leaves are dried and brewed into tea, and that tea has its own human research.

In Iran, adults with type 2 diabetes who were taking oral glucose-lowering medication drank a tea made from 13 grams of dried fig leaf boiled for 15 minutes in 500 milliliters of water (about 2 cups) each morning with breakfast for 21 days, and green tea for another 21 days, with a week's break in between. Each person tried both, and neither the people nor the researchers knew which tea was which. In the 26 who finished, blood sugar 2 hours after a meal averaged 193.15 mg/dL after the fig leaf weeks and 229.65 mg/dL after the green tea weeks, from a starting average of 230.80. Fasting blood sugar (146.92 vs. 148.96 mg/dL) and HbA1c (7.33% vs. 7.29%) didn't differ significantly, and liver enzymes didn't change.16

An earlier trial in Spain tested fig leaf tea with breakfast in 10 adults with type 1 diabetes on twice-daily insulin. Each spent a month drinking fig leaf tea and a month drinking a non-sweet commercial tea, and blood sugar after breakfast averaged 156.6 mg/dL in the fig leaf month, against 293.7 in the other, while blood sugar before the meal didn't differ significantly. Their average insulin dose was 12% lower in the fig leaf month, and two people dropped out because they didn't tolerate the tea.18 Both trials were small, and they point the same way: lower blood sugar after meals.

Fig leaf tea has been tested for skin as well. In Japan, 30 adults with mild eczema drank fig leaf tea or a look-alike placebo drink daily for 8 weeks, without the people or the researchers knowing which; eczema scores fell more with the fig leaf tea, and 14 of the 15 tea drinkers improved. The effect faded within 4 weeks of stopping, and safety blood tests showed no problems.25

How to eat, buy and store figs

For a biblical morning, I suggest a bowl of kefir made from goat milk, with figs, walnuts and a little raw honey.9 Figs can be eaten fresh or dried, blended into a smoothie or infused into a tea, and they pair well with cheese,10 especially goat and sheep cheeses.

Buy dried figs with one ingredient. On my food lists, dried fruit with no added sugars belongs on the eat side and dried fruit with sulfites on the avoid side,10 so the label should read figs and nothing else.

Pick fresh figs with good color that give slightly when you press them, and handle them gently; commercial fresh figs are picked at early ripeness because ripe ones damage so easily.11

Store fresh figs in the refrigerator and eat them soon, rinsing them just before you eat them. Keep dried figs sealed in a cool, dry place.

Fig side effects and who should be careful

Can you be allergic to figs?

Yes, and fig allergy is linked to three other allergies. Among 85 people allergic only to birch pollen, 78% reacted to fresh fig on a skin test and 10% to dried fig, and 66% of those who reacted to fig had symptoms after eating fresh figs, while dried figs were mostly well tolerated.26 In a study of 136 people allergic to latex, 69% carried antibodies to fruits, and fig was among the 12 fruits whose allergens cross-reacted with latex.27 Among people sensitized to the latex of the weeping fig, a common houseplant, 83% tested positive to fresh fig.28 Know the signs of a food allergy, and see the box below for what to do.

Do figs interact with warfarin?

Dried figs carry vitamin K, the vitamin warfarin works against: about 5.8 micrograms in a quarter cup.5 If you take warfarin, eat about the same amount of vitamin K foods from week to week,29 so keep your fig portions steady, and tell your doctor before a big change in how many you eat.

Is fig leaf tea safe?

In the 8-week eczema trial, daily fig leaf tea caused no problems on safety blood tests; that tea was made from a fig variety whose leaves carry no furanocoumarins, the sun-sensitizing compounds many varieties have, and the researchers recommend tea from such varieties.25 Two of those compounds, psoralen and bergapten, are in the milky sap of fig leaves and shoots, and they make skin burn in sunlight; testing found none in the fruit or its sap, and eating the fruit doesn't cause the reaction.30 Five people who soaked their feet in a fig leaf decoction developed burning, blistering skin within 24 hours,31 so keep leaf preparations off your skin, and wear gloves and long sleeves when you pick figs or prune the tree. If you take insulin or another glucose-lowering medication, fig leaf tea can add to its effect, as the 12% lower insulin dose in the type 1 trial showed;18 check your blood sugar closely and let your doctor adjust your dose.

Do figs fit a gut-healing protocol?

Figs wait for a time during two of my gut protocols. On the Candida Cleanse, berries, green apple and lemon are the only fruits until Phase 4, when whole fruit such as fresh figs comes back one at a time; juice and dried fruit stay off the table.32 On the SIBO protocol, dried fruit is on the limit-for-now list because it feeds fermentation, and it comes back one food at a time in Phase 3.33

The bottom line

Figs: frequently asked questions

References

1. The Holy Bible, King James Version. Project Gutenberg eBook #10. Verses quoted and the fig/figs word count (66, including "fig tree") computed from this text.
2. Baek HI, Ha KC, Kim HM, Choi EK, Park EO, Park BH, et al. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Ficus carica paste for the management of functional constipation. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2016;25(3):487-96. PMID:27440682
3. 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. Explore (NY). 2019;15(3):198-205. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2018.09.003. PMID:30318190
4. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Figs, raw. FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC ID 173021 (NDB 9089). Values read from the FDC portal data, October 12, 2026.
5. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Figs, dried, uncooked. FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC ID 174665 (NDB 9094). Values read from the FDC portal data, October 12, 2026.
6. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Plums, dried (prunes), uncooked. FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC ID 168162 (NDB 9291). Values read from the FDC portal data, October 12, 2026.
7. Badgujar SB, Patel VV, Bandivdekar AH, Mahajan RT. Traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Ficus carica: a review. Pharm Biol. 2014;52(11):1487-503. doi:10.3109/13880209.2014.892515. PMID:25017517
8. Sandhu AK, Islam M, Edirisinghe I, Burton-Freeman B. Phytochemical Composition and Health Benefits of Figs (Fresh and Dried): A Review of Literature from 2000 to 2022. Nutrients. 2023;15(11):2623. doi:10.3390/nu15112623. PMID:37299587
9. Axe J. 10 Biblical Superfoods That Can Add Years to Your Life. The Dr. Josh Axe Show, Episode 393. September 28, 2026 (Dr. Axe speaking, solo; figs as number four at 16:25, the fiber line at 17:35 (pull quote), fiber and gut bacteria at 17:48, and the biblical breakfast at 34:41 in the YouTube captions). YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AnNi1umufc&t=1055s
10. Axe J, Rubin J. The Biblio Diet. Hachette Book Group; 2025. ISBN 9781546008439 (written; figs entry in the fruit chapter; the book's two founding principles; the sugar chapter on naturally occurring fruit sugar; the food lists: "dried fruit (no added sugars)" to eat, "Dried fruits with sulfites" to avoid).
11. Stover E, Aradhya M, Ferguson L, Crisosto CH. The Fig: Overview of an Ancient Fruit. HortScience. 2007;42(5):1083-1087. doi:10.21273/HORTSCI.42.5.1083
12. Kislev ME, Hartmann A, Bar-Yosef O. Early domesticated fig in the Jordan Valley. Science. 2006;312(5778):1372-4. doi:10.1126/science.1125910. PMID:16741119
13. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.
14. Slavin J. Fiber and prebiotics: mechanisms and health benefits. Nutrients. 2013;5(4):1417-35. doi:10.3390/nu5041417. PMID:23609775
15. Vinson JA, Zubik L, Bose P, Samman N, Proch J. Dried fruits: excellent in vitro and in vivo antioxidants. J Am Coll Nutr. 2005;24(1):44-50. doi:10.1080/07315724.2005.10719442. PMID:15670984
16. Ahmadi Mazhin S, Asadi Zaker M, Shahbazian HB, Azemi ME, Madanchi N. Ficus carica Leaves Decoction on Glycemic Factors of Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Double-Blind Clinical Trial. Jundishapur J Nat Pharm Prod. 2016;11(1):e25814. doi:10.17795/jjnpp-25814
17. Mou J, Xu L, Luo Y, Tao Q, Wang Z, Chen M, et al. Assessing the Efficacy of Functional Food as Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. Nutr Rev. 2026;84(8):1590-1599. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuaf204. PMID:41217200
18. Serraclara A, Hawkins F, Pérez C, Domínguez E, Campillo JE, Torres MD. Hypoglycemic action of an oral fig-leaf decoction in type-I diabetic patients. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 1998;39(1):19-22. doi:10.1016/s0168-8227(97)00112-5. PMID:9597370
19. Pourmasoumi M; Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Effect of Flixweed and Fig on Irritable Bowel Syndrome With Predominant Constipation: a Single Blind Randomized Clinical Trial. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02559245 (arms: 45 g Ficus carica before breakfast and lunch with 1 glass of water, 90 g/day; usual diet; investigator masked; 150 enrolled).
20. Peterson JM, Montgomery S, Haddad E, Kearney L, Tonstad S. Effect of consumption of dried California mission figs on lipid concentrations. Ann Nutr Metab. 2011;58(3):232-8. doi:10.1159/000330112. PMID:21811062
21. Solomon A, Golubowicz S, Yablowicz Z, Grossman S, Bergman M, Gottlieb HE, et al. Antioxidant activities and anthocyanin content of fresh fruits of common fig (Ficus carica L.). J Agric Food Chem. 2006;54(20):7717-23. doi:10.1021/jf060497h. PMID:17002444
22. Valizadeh R, Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi S, Hajizadeh K, Araj-Khodaei M, Mirghafourvand M. The effect of combined fig-Walnut syrup on functional constipation in pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2025;22(1):3. doi:10.1186/s12986-025-00895-3. PMID:39825362
23. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Cookies, fig bars. FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC ID 172721 (NDB 18170). Values read from the FDC portal data, October 12, 2026.
24. Axe J. 7 Habits That Age You Faster & Cost Nothing to Fix. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2026 (Dr. Axe speaking, solo; breakfast built on protein and a high-fiber fruit, fig included, at 25:46 in the YouTube captions). YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0OTky14KFA&t=1546s
25. Abe T, Koyama Y, Nishimura K, Okiura A, Takahashi T. Efficacy and Safety of Fig (Ficus carica L.) Leaf Tea in Adults with Mild Atopic Dermatitis: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Preliminary Trial. Nutrients. 2022;14(21):4470. doi:10.3390/nu14214470. PMID:36364740
26. Hemmer W, Focke M, Marzban G, Swoboda I, Jarisch R, Laimer M. Identification of Bet v 1-related allergens in fig and other Moraceae fruits. Clin Exp Allergy. 2010;40(4):679-87. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2222.2010.03486.x. PMID:20447079
27. Brehler R, Theissen U, Mohr C, Luger T. "Latex-fruit syndrome": frequency of cross-reacting IgE antibodies. Allergy. 1997;52(4):404-10. doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.1997.tb01019.x. PMID:9188921
28. Hemmer W, Focke M, Götz M, Jarisch R. Sensitization to Ficus benjamina: relationship to natural rubber latex allergy and identification of foods implicated in the Ficus-fruit syndrome. Clin Exp Allergy. 2004;34(8):1251-8. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2222.2004.02046.x. PMID:15298566
29. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Warfarin. MedlinePlus Drug Information. Last revised March 15, 2026.
30. Zaynoun ST, Aftimos BG, Abi Ali L, Tenekjian KK, Khalidi U, Kurban AK. Ficus carica; isolation and quantification of the photoactive components. Contact Dermatitis. 1984;11(1):21-5. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0536.1984.tb00164.x. PMID:6744838
31. Son JH, Jin H, You HS, Shim WH, Kim JM, Kim GW, et al. Five Cases of Phytophotodermatitis Caused by Fig Leaves and Relevant Literature Review. Ann Dermatol. 2017;29(1):86-90. doi:10.5021/ad.2017.29.1.86. PMID:28223753
32. Axe J. The Candida Cleanse Protocol: The 30-Day Healing Protocol. DrAxe.com protocol. 2026 (written; FAQ, p. 24: "Berries, green apple and lemon during the cleanse. Reintroduce whole fruit in Phase 4, one at a time. Juice and dried fruit stay off the table.").
33. Axe J. SIBO Protocol: The 60-Day Healing Protocol. DrAxe.com protocol. 2026 (written; dried fruit on the "Limit these for now" list because it feeds fermentation, "Reintroduce one at a time in Phase 3," p. 22).

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS

Doctor of Natural Medicine · Founder, DrAxe.com

Dr. Axe is a certified doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist, and multiple New York Times bestselling author. He has spent 20+ years in clinical practice helping people heal at the root cause and founded one of the most-visited natural-health platforms in the world.

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