Role of Mulberry and Figs As Antioxidants and Hypolipidemic Agents

Family Moraceae comprises over fifty genera and nearly 1400 species distributed in temperate, tropical and subtropical regions of America, Africa, Asia and Australia, including such important groups as Artocarpus, Morus and Ficus. Ficus, the fig genus, alone consists of over 800 species. Many Ficus spp. had been widely used in folk medicine, ancient and medieval medicaments for treatment of cancer,inflammation and as antioxidants. Ficus sycomorus L. was used by Ibn sina as poultice of fresh/dried fruit for splenomegaly treatment. Morus fruits, roots and bark have been used in folk medicine (especially in Chinese medicine) to treat diabetes, hypertension, anemia and arthritis. The plants under investigation are : Morus alba L., Morus nigra L. , Ficus sycomorus L., Ficus lyrata Warb. , Ficus religiosa L., Ficus racemosa L., Ficus mysorensis Roth., Ficus macrocarpa Hugel, Ficus microcarpa L. and Ficus cunninghami Miq. These plants are evaluated as antioxidants and hypolipidemic agents.