Remedial astonishments of fig in the holy Quran and medicine

Abstract Fig is one of the rare fruits mentioned in Holy Quran and also has a special status in traditional medicine. Fig is a part of health promoting Mediterranean- diet which is used as drug and food throughout the world too. This study was designed with an intention to provide complete review of fig status in religion, traditional medicine, pharmacological and medicinal compounds and activities. Various resources and data banks such as SID, Medline, Pubmed, Science Direct, ISI and ISC were used for searching about sources and related articles. Holy Quran, Quran interpretation (tafsir), Islamic narrations and hadith and also reliable traditional medicine and medicinal plants books were discussed. Searching was performed according to key words containing Fig, Quran, nutrients, medicinal plants and Fig, Ficus carica, Holy Quran, anticancer effect, and medicinal plant from 1994- 2013. Finally data were extracted and results were categorized. In addition to the holy Quran, Islamic narrations recommended fig usage and this is an ancient medicinal plant. Different nutrients especially antioxidants in fig made it a protective and preventive agent against oxidative stress. Positive medical results of fig on cancer cell lines and animal model validate its effective role in the treatment of diseases such as cancer. Fig has beneficial nutrients with medicinal properties. This mediates by their antioxidant activities and leads to treat many diseases such as cancers. The present study validates the religious claim and traditional medicine emphasis upon fig with scientific data.