"Predating even grains and pomegranates, the fig is considered by many to be the earliest higher plant cultivated by humankind. Valued since ancient times for its medicinal tradition as well as its dietary importance, the genus Flcus is one of the largest and hardiest genera of flowering plants, having evolved into over 800 species. Although the extraordinary mutualism between figs and their pollinating wasps has received much attention, the phylogeny of both partners is only beginning to be reconstructed. Figs, The Genus Ficus brings together histories, ancient and modern, to present an extraordinary profile of an extraordinary plant that offers an abundance of medical uses in addition to serving as both a delicacy and a diet staple in many regions across the world. Several chapters within the book are devoted to intensive study of different parts of the tree: fruits, leaves, bark and stem, roots, and latex. These chapters discuss the Ficus genus as a whole, and include the botany of those species that are the most pharmacologically relevant with regard to each of those parts. The authors, Dr. Ephraim Lansky, M.D., highly respected as one of the world's only physician pharmacognosists and Dr. Helena Paavilainen, a renowned researcher of historical ethnopharmacology, consider the chemistry and pharmacology of each part in selected Ficus species. They discuss modern, medieval, and ancient methods for extracting and preparing the medicinal components. Special attention is paid to the plants' propensity for fighting inflammation, including cancer. Their discussion of the trees' metabolic capacity for adaptation and efficient evolutionary patterns provides drug designers with an entirely novel approach to pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical development. "--Book jacket.