How to Use Figs to Treat Asthma

There are nearly eight hundred different types of figs, which can be eaten raw, incorporated into other recipes or used for medicinal purposes in a variety of folk or home remedies. Several of those remedies are useful in treating some symptoms of asthma, such as sore throats or coughs.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Milk
• Water
• Cooking pots
• Strainer
• Baking sheet

Use Fig Water to Treat Asthma

1. Purchase any kind of fig from your local produce market. Good figs will be soft and smell sweet. Leave behind any figs that have bruised flesh or feel overly dry.
2. Clean the figs thoroughly with cool water.
3. Allow your figs to soak in water for several hours. For best results, you should allow the figs to soak overnight.
4. Eat the soaked figs on an empty stomach. They should be even softer and more pliable than when you purchased them.
5. Drink the water in which the figs soaked. This will further help to clear the throat of built-up mucus and phlegm.
6. Continue this process for up to 2 months. At that point, you'll know how effective this method has been in treating your asthma symptoms.

Use Figs With Milk to Treat Asthma

7. Bring 1 cup of milk to a boil on your stovetop.
8. Add 6 washed figs to the pot.
9. Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the figs to cook until tender.
10. Strain the figs from the milk.
11. Drink the fig milk. This can be done several times a day, as long as asthma symptoms persist.
12. Put the boiled figs in your mouth, but don't eat them. Instead, hold the fig between your teeth and gums for continued cough relief.

Use Roasted Figs to Treat Asthma

13. Clean 6 figs with cool water.
14. Peel the figs and slice them into strips.
15. Lay your fig strips in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet.
16. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
17. Roast your fig strips for 20 minutes, or until they're dry and crispy.
18. Remove the figs and allow them to cool.
19. Grind your roasted figs into fine powder. Any number of common kitchen tools can be used to complete this step, though a mortar and pedestal is the easiest.
20. Use your dried fig powder in place of coffee grounds or dried tea leaves to brew soothing warm beverages. This is especially useful for helping sore throats to heal after a coughing fit.

Tips & Warnings

• Aside from the fruit itself, dried fig leaves can be smoked to help relieve asthma symptoms.