For our region, fresh figs are a gimmick and you can rarely find them on sale. This strange berry was born in the southern latitudes. In Russia, fig trees can be seen only in Sochi and the adjacent coastal areas. And the fruit does not always ripen there - he really loves the sun. But at home, it is used not only as a delicacy, but also as an effective medicine for many diseases. When dried properly, figs retain most of their beneficial properties. Therefore, using dried figs for a cough, for example, is now quite affordable in any region.
Meet the figs!
In fact, this is only one of the names of the miracle berry. It also has many others: a fig tree, a fig fruit, a wine berry. In different regions, different features of this plant were noticed and used, hence so many names. By the way, fig wine has unique medicinal properties, it can heal from many diseases.
Fig has not only many names, but also several varieties. The berries can be green, pink, or even purple. Its medicinal properties do not depend on the variety. The main thing is that the berries are ripe and not spoiled by diseases or insects and collected from trees growing away from the road in ecologically clean areas.
The use of figs for medicinal purposes is possible due to its rich composition. This sweet berry contains:
- Simple sugars that give the body energy to fight disease
- vital vitamins A, C and group B, which activate metabolic processes and accelerate the regeneration of cells and tissues;
- micro and macro elements, which "include" the work of all organs and systems, including the immune.
The concentration of most nutrients in dried fruits is higher than in fresh ones. The exception is vitamins, which are destroyed even with proper storage and are present in maximum quantities only in fresh berries.
How to choose good fruits
Fresh and fully ripe figs can only be stored for a few hours. Torn from a tree, it quickly loses moisture, darkens from contact with air, and the vitamins in it are destroyed. Those berries that are sold on supermarket shelves remain beautiful for a long time only because they were harvested and transported green. But such a fruit has not yet gained its strength and does not have good medicinal properties.
Therefore, if you live in an area where figs do not grow or ripen, it is better to use dried fruits. When buying them, you also need to be careful. Quality dried figs of a beautiful beige or light brown color, with a dry surface, without dark and damp spots. This means that the berry was dried correctly - blown with air from all sides.
In dried form, fig berries are flat and round - they acquire this shape on their own, gradually losing moisture. The most valuable and tasty are those with thin skin and a lot of pulp. After all, it is in the pulp that all nutrients are concentrated.
You can recognize them by breaking one of the fruits - it should contain many small seeds and a very thin upper rind. But in order to make a home remedy, any strain will do.
The best recipes
There are several proven ways to make figs with cough milk, recipes for which are easy to find on the Internet. But, in principle, they are only variants of the basic recipe, to which additional ingredients are then added:
- Fig milk. One of the simplest and most effective remedies is cough milk with figs, there are several recipes for it. If there is an opportunity to buy fresh ripe fruit, this is the best. Then it can be washed, passed through a meat grinder along with the skin and poured with a glass of milk. Bring the mixture to a boil, cool to a comfortable temperature and drink. Adults take it without straining, but for children it is better to pass the milk through a strainer so that the seeds remain in it and do not accidentally get into the upper respiratory tract when coughing. Dried figs should be cut into small pieces, pour over with milk, boil for 5-10 minutes, cool and beat with a blender, like a regular milkshake. Drink in small sips. Figs with cough milk, the recipe for which we have given, is a very effective remedy.
- Milk tincture with figs. Perfectly helps even with a very strong dry cough. Already on day 2-3, a powerful expectorant effect is manifested, and the sputum begins to actively cough up. The product is equally suitable for adults and children. But to prepare it, you have to tinker a little. The tincture is made from dried figs at the rate of one fruit per glass of milk. It is better to buy homemade milk, and if this is not possible - with the maximum percentage of fat. An oily film will wrap around the sore throat, relieving irritation and creating a protective layer. Pour well chopped figs with milk and put on very low heat. Bring to a boil and, stirring occasionally, leave for another 20-30 minutes. The mixture should thicken without burning. Then pour everything into a thermos or wrap the pan with a towel. When the mixture has cooled down, the tincture is ready. Store it in the refrigerator for no longer than 2 days. Drink for children - a glass a day, for adults - up to half a liter warm in several doses before meals.
Gummies with figs, ghee and milk will be especially appreciated by children. They relieve inflammation and sore throat well, soften cough and promote expectoration of phlegm. In terms of consistency and color, such sweets resemble toffee. So that the seeds are not felt in them, you need to grind the fruits of dried figs very well. For cooking, you will need 4 large fig berries, a tablespoon of ghee, two glasses of milk, a glass of sugar. Pour the ground figs with milk and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes. In a separate metal bowl, melt a glass of sugar and wait until it acquires a dark golden hue. Add ghee to burnt sugar, mix well and pour in a thin stream into hot milk with figs. Simmer until the mixture thickens well. Pour into molds.
Gummies with figs, ghee and milk will be especially appreciated by children. They relieve inflammation and sore throat well, soften cough and promote expectoration of phlegm. In terms of consistency and color, such sweets resemble toffee. So that the seeds are not felt in them, you need to grind the fruits of dried figs very well. For cooking, you will need 4 large fig berries, a tablespoon of ghee, two glasses of milk, a glass of sugar. Pour the ground figs with milk and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes. In a separate metal bowl, melt a glass of sugar and wait until it acquires a dark golden hue. Add ghee to burnt sugar, mix well and pour in a thin stream into hot milk with figs. Simmer until the mixture thickens well. Pour into molds.No matter how great the fig with milk for coughs is, the recipes for which can be used even for children and pregnant women, it is dangerous for the figure to get too carried away with such a medicine.
100 grams of dried figs contain about 300 kcal. In addition, sugar is added to fig candies. So it is worth making sure that no more than 2-3 dried fruits or a maximum of half a kilogram of fresh fruits are eaten per day.
Indications and contraindications
The fact that figs are a tasty and healthy fruit is beyond doubt. But even he has certain contraindications for use. This is due to some features of its chemical composition:
- due to the large amount of simple sugars (in a ripe berry there can be up to 24% of them, and in a dried one - even more!) figs are categorically contraindicated for those suffering from diabetes mellitus;
- oxalic acid irritates the kidneys, and it is especially abundant in immature figs - they are highly discouraged for those who have any renal diagnoses: pyelonephritis, nephropathy, urolithiasis, etc.;
- because of the same oxalic acid, gout is a contraindication to the use of figs;
- Dried fruits contain a large amount of fiber and, if consumed regularly, can irritate the stomach and / or intestines and exacerbate chronic diseases such as gastritis, colitis, ulcers.
There are no contraindications to the use of figs during pregnancy and lactation. The fruit is hypoallergenic but contains too much fiber to be given to very young children.
It is better to start using figs as a cough medicine for children from 6-8 years old. The drug has a pronounced diuretic and diaphoretic effect, so you should not use it at high temperatures - there is a risk of dehydration.
But the good news is that regular consumption of figs can have health benefits as well. It is especially useful for hearts suffering from varicose veins, anemia, liver and spleen diseases. It also has a general strengthening effect on the body. Moreover, it is equally useful for adults and children.
If in 3-5 days from the beginning of the treatment of cough with figs and milk there have been no significant improvements, it is imperative to consult a doctor and, possibly, connect traditional treatments.
