Thoughts on Fig Leaf Tea?

F

Figaholics

Active member
Quite a few years ago some people mentioned liking to make fig leaf tea and I made it once and did not think it was all that good. I don't know if it was a personal taste preference or if some varieties had leaves that tasted better than others. Please let me know if you have any thoughts and experiences with this. Thanks!
 
I made some a few weeks ago. It's ok. I drink a lot of green tea and Persian black tea and don't have a reason to make fig leaf tea just because the teas I drink are just better. I didn't notice any coconut like many mention. It's closer to a green tea without the umami flavor. Which is close to a Chinese green tea.

If I didn't have my other teas, would I drink fig leaf tea long term. Yes. I dehydrated the leaves in my dehydrator and then crushed them.
 
Tip: I cut out the center vein + the base where all the veins come together at the stem. I noticed that the few times I made it, that it tase differently if you toast the leaves, as well as if the varieties are different or have strong flavors themselves.
 
I have been meaning to try it since it is good for you. But before I do I would have to go through my yard and smell all the leaves first. Since some have a coconut smell but others seem to have a cat pee smell.
 
The taste of the fig sap/ latex makes me think it is not edible. I also have an allergic reaction to the latex. My wife does, and so does my mother. I suggest anyone who is thinking about drinking it put some fresh sap on their skin. If it irritates your skin, dont put it in your body.

I break out in hive like bubbles, very similar poison ivy when exposed to a concentrated fig sap. Exposure to sun makes it worse. This is a common problem and not necessarily related to genetics.

For anyone who wants to read more about it, do a search or read this article.

Severe phytophotodermatitis from fig sap: a little known phenomenon - PMC

A 46-year-old arborist with no medical history presented to the emergency department with a confluent blistering, erythematous, non-pruritic, painful rash covering both arms circumferentially and the back of his neck. He sought medical advice as his ...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A few years ago I thought I had a staph infection because much of my body was blistering and with open wounds... after a couple of weeks, I figured out it was coming from the fig sap... it was horrible. I still break out, but I am alot more careful now.
 
rNexus said:
The taste of the fig sap/ latex makes me think it is not edible. I also have an allergic reaction to the latex. My wife does, and so does my mother. I suggest anyone who is thinking about drinking it put some fresh sap on their skin. If it irritates your skin, dont put it in your body.

I break out in hive like bubbles, very similar poison ivy when exposed to a concentrated fig sap. Exposure to sun makes it worse. This is a common problem and not necessarily related to genetics.

For anyone who wants to read more about it, do a search or read this article.

Severe phytophotodermatitis from fig sap: a little known phenomenon - PMC

A 46-year-old arborist with no medical history presented to the emergency department with a confluent blistering, erythematous, non-pruritic, painful rash covering both arms circumferentially and the back of his neck. He sought medical advice as his ...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A few years ago I thought I had a staph infection because much of my body was blistering and with open wounds... after a couple of weeks, I figured out it was coming from the fig sap... it was horrible. I still break out, but I am alot more careful now.
Click to expand...
I wonder if it is like other edible plants with toxic or harmful sap. That only become edible after cooking.
 
BucksCountyFigs said:
Tip: I cut out the center vein + the base where all the veins come together at the stem. I noticed that the few times I made it, that it tase differently if you toast the leaves, as well as if the varieties are different or have strong flavors themselves.
Click to expand...
I also cut out the base and large veins.

How did you toast the leaves? I put mine in the air fryer on the "Dehydrate" setting. 170 degrees for 21 minutes for a small tray of leaves.
 
DCallahan said:
At the recent DMV Figfest a lady did a presentation on making fig leaf tea. I think she had some comments on different flavors from various varieties. @Gladstone1969 @9igena @JC Figgy
Was there a video or PowerPoint to share?
Click to expand...
It was Teacher Janice who did the presentation. I have a brief introductory to making fig leaf tea she posted. Any notes on flavors was discussed live. I did have some hot fig leaf tea right before her demo started. It was very refreshing like a lightly flavored tea. She also had samples that were mixed with lemon grass, which I did not get a chance to try. Not sure if the below link will work. But here goes.

 
ohiobruce said:
I also cut out the base and large veins.

How did you toast the leaves? I put mine in the air fryer on the "Dehydrate" setting. 170 degrees for 21 minutes for a small tray of leaves.
Click to expand...
I need to get an air fryer! But for now, I do 320 degrees in the oven, as a single layer, for 20 mins, but there is a lot of leeway in this, since when I first did it, I looked it up and found a lot of different times and temps.
 
JC Figgy said:
It was Teacher Janice who did the presentation. I have a brief introductory to making fig leaf tea she posted. Any notes on flavors was discussed live. I did have some hot fig leaf tea right before her demo started. It was very refreshing like a lightly flavored tea. She also had samples that were mixed with lemon grass, which I did not get a chance to try. Not sure if the below link will work. But here goes.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I was able to watch the slide show. Interesting that she boiled fresh leaves rather than dehydrated. I'll have to try that.

I guess that if one wanted to make an accurate comparison between varieties, they would need leaf weight in grams per volume of water, water temp, steep time, etc.
 
rNexus said:
The taste of the fig sap/ latex makes me think it is not edible. I also have an allergic reaction to the latex. My wife does, and so does my mother. I suggest anyone who is thinking about drinking it put some fresh sap on their skin. If it irritates your skin, dont put it in your body.

I break out in hive like bubbles, very similar poison ivy when exposed to a concentrated fig sap. Exposure to sun makes it worse. This is a common problem and not necessarily related to genetics.

For anyone who wants to read more about it, do a search or read this article.

Severe phytophotodermatitis from fig sap: a little known phenomenon - PMC

A 46-year-old arborist with no medical history presented to the emergency department with a confluent blistering, erythematous, non-pruritic, painful rash covering both arms circumferentially and the back of his neck. He sought medical advice as his ...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A few years ago I thought I had a staph infection because much of my body was blistering and with open wounds... after a couple of weeks, I figured out it was coming from the fig sap... it was horrible. I still break out, but I am alot more careful now.
Click to expand...
May I ask what the treatment was?
Oral steroids and what type of topical?
 
Figaholics said:
I have never smelled figs that smell like cat pee but have heard others say that for years and wonder why the different sensation.
Click to expand...
I just heard the cat pee - fig thing the other night and suddenly got worried, lol.

Certain boxwood varieties also produce a cat pee smell because of their volatile oils, and not everyone can smell those either. Sometimes they are not detectable unless you brush against or trim it, since it’s a defensive mechanism.

I have a highly developed sense of smell, but luckily haven’t run into this (yet).
 
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