Ficus hispida L.f.

Luwingan (Ficus hispida) is a tree up to 15 meters tall of the Moraceae family, widely distributed across tropical Asia, from China and India to Papua New Guinea and Australia. In India, this plant is specifically used as an antidiarrheal and liver-protective agent in traditional medicine. Other parts of this plant are also believed to relieve fever, boils, and jaundice.

This plant is commonly found in open areas. Favors locations with direct sunlight, riverbanks, and secondary forest. Grows in regions at elevations up to 1,200 m above sea level.

• Trunk smooth bark, brown to gray, latex-bearing, heavily branched.
• Leaves thin, pointed tip, flat base, toothed margins, rough hairy surface, brown.
• Flowers sessile/stipitate, compound, dioecious.
• Fruit round, clustered (10-20 fruits per bunch).
• Seeds small, flat-oval shaped, numerous, green when young and yellowish-brown when ripe.

• This plant can be propagated generatively (by seed) or vegetatively (by air layering and shoot cuttings).
• Shoot cuttings come from lateral branches, 4-12 cm long.

Alkaloids, terpenoids, tannins, phenols, saponins, anthraquinones, glycosides, sterols, amino acids, and flavonoids.

Treats fever, boils, psoriasis, lymphadenitis (swollen lymph nodes), hemorrhoids, jaundice, vertigo, diabetes, seizures, dysentery; acts as a laxative; hepatoprotective, antineoplastic, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and anti-inflammatory.

• Prepare luwingan fruit, wash thoroughly under running water.
• Slice the luwingan fruit and sun-dry until completely dry, or until the moisture content is below 10%.
• Grind into a powder.
• Store in a clean, airtight container.

Mongmong (Sumatra), Bisoro (Sunda), Luwing (Java), Ara luwing.