This fruiting tree has significance in religion and the emergence of civilised populations at the beginning of history. Here at Indigo Herbs we stock Whole Organic Dried Figs. Figs have been used throughout history to support digestive health and keep this important system working smoothly. 

The fig tree is quite possibly the oldest cultivated species known to have started the practice of agriculture during the Neolithic period. In the Jordan Valley, near Jericho, an archaeological site found remains of figs thought to have been used for food dating to 9,400 BC. This date is about 1,000 years before wheat and barley was thought to have first been cultivated as a domesticated crop. This may account for the significance drawn to the fig in Christianity and the bible. During the time of the Roman Empire figs were an integral part of the diet and were spread far and wide by the conquering armies. Now fig trees can be found all over the world with many different species acclimatising to the environments where they were introduced.

There are many named species of fig but the common fig is the one that is cultivated the most for its fruit. A deciduous shrubby tree that grows to a height of 8 meters and has very distinctive wide aromatic leaves. Each leaf has five lobes that produce a fan shape for capturing the maximum amount of sun. Flowers grow inside the fig fruit and are pollinated by a special wasp that climbs into the fruit through a hole called the ‘ostiole’. If pollination doesn’t occur the fruit is sterile and doesn’t produce seed. The flowers inside the fruit are a part of what make a fig so delicious.