"Sycamore Tree Benefits: Discover the Importance of Sycamore for Health and Environment"

The sycamore is a sacred tree for the Pharaohs, as it was also mentioned in many holy books. The sycamore is called in hieroglyphics (Nohi). We often see engravings of this tree on the walls of the tombs of the ancient Egyptians, and the goddesses (Nut, Hathor, Knight) emerged from inside it, as goddesses of mercy, compassion, care, and protection of the dead. Archaeologists have also found many Pharaonic tombs that contained special baskets filled with dried sycamore fruits, along with some sycamore leaves inside the coffins of some of the dead.

It is worth mentioning that many drawings and engravings of sycamore trees are found on the walls of many of the tombs of Beni Hassan, especially those dating back to the Twelfth Dynasty (around 1730 BC). Among the masterpieces of these drawings is the painting engraved on the walls of the tomb of Princess (Teti) in which she stands praying in front of the sycamore tree of life. Evidence of the importance and benefit of the sycamore is that King Osiris was buried inside a coffin made of sycamore wood.

The Pharaohs knew the therapeutic properties of the milky substance that flows naturally or through cracks at the end of the sycamore fruit and used it as an ointment to treat skin diseases, especially psoriasis, and snake bites and stings . Meanwhile, sycamore fruit was included in the Pharaonic recipes to treat cases of gum inflammation and constipation, and sycamore juice was included in one of the papyrus leaves to treat liver diseases, intestinal infections, and scurvy ( a disease resulting from a deficiency in the body’s intake of vitamin C) .

Ibn Sina said:

(Sycamore has a very strong laxative and blood-dissolving power in its milk. It is said that the milk of this tree is an effective adhesive for difficult wounds, and also dissolves difficult tumors. It is beneficial for chills, and is also beneficial for insect stings as a drink or ointment.)

Ibn al-Baytar said:

(Sycamore is nourishing and beneficial for a cold stomach).

Sultan Ashraf Yusuf Al-Turkmani said:

(Sycamore is useful for treating difficult tumors, it sticks to wounds, the juice of its leaves removes tattoo marks, and heals boils).

Nutritional benefits

Among its varieties: the Roman (Turkish Astronomical) which is the main variety in the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the other type is the Kalabi (Arab local) and its fruits are smaller than the Roman type. Unfortunately, despite scientific progress and the abundance of various researches, whether in many faculties of agriculture or pharmacy, Arab scientists have not been exposed to further research and knowledge about the nutritional importance of sycamore fruits, and they have been satisfied with passing over these fruits as they generally contain carbohydrates, fats, some mineral salts, and others. In this book, we demand from all male and female graduate students in the faculties of agriculture, pharmacy, home economics, and nutrition institutes the necessity of shedding more light on the nutritional importance of sycamore and conducting the necessary laboratory research to determine the most important nutritional components and active substances.

Therapeutic properties

A medical study published at the International Dermatology Conference held in Paris in 1980 confirmed that the milky juice of ripe sycamore fruits has great therapeutic efficacy for many skin diseases, most notably psoriasis, ringworm , and scabies, by using it as a topical ointment. When this milky juice was analyzed, scientists found that it contains a strong natural type of antibiotic capable of killing germs with certainty, in addition to other substances that have great and clear efficacy in helping to speed up the healing of wounds, ulcers, and minor burns . While eating sycamore fruits orally helps a lot in treating liver diseases, cleansing the stomach and intestines, and quickly getting rid of intestinal infections, constipation, and infections of the mouth and digestive system .

It is prescribed to treat cases of

Digestive and liver problems, mouth infections and sagging gums, scabies, ringworm, psoriasis, wounds and pimples.

Internal uses

For digestive system and liver infections: drink one cup of sycamore juice daily on an empty stomach, or eat the equivalent of five fresh berries.

For intestinal flu, constipation and flatulence, eat ripe sycamore fruits after washing them well.

For mouth infections and sagging gums, chew sycamore fruits for as long as possible. You can benefit from sycamore juice by using it as a mouthwash 2 to 3 times a day.

External uses

- For all skin diseases and superficial wounds.. Slices of ripe sycamore are used topically as compresses in the evening before bed, securing them well with a gauze bandage.

For scabies, ringworm, psoriasis and ulcers,  the milky liquid sap of sycamore is used as a topical ointment 2-3 times daily.