SHOP PRODUCTS
Houzz Logo Print
eukofios

Revenge of the murdered tree: a case of ficin dermatitis

eukofios
17 years ago

This week, I saw someone who had what looked like poison oak covering his face and hands. There were large streaks of rash, with blisters of fluid and peeling skin. Most of his face was peeling, and many streaks on his hands and arms.

Initially, he thought that it was due to ivy that he pulled up during the weekend. He was certain, however, that there was nothing but ivy in the ivy, and he was sure that there was no poison oak around (poison oak, but not poison ivy, grows in this area).

With further questioning, it turns out that he had cut down a fig tree at the same time. He stated that the sap was dripping from the broken branches (clear sap, not milky latex). He was splattered with the sap on his hands and arms, and his face had been brushed with the leaves.

I wish I had a camera there - it was not a pretty site.

Anyway, despite reading about ficin dermatitis in the past, I had never taken it seriously. But this guy was a mess.

Googling on "ficin dermatitis" - not much to be found. Below is a link. There is also a comment about psoralens in the fig sap - substances that are activated by sunlight to cause a dermatitis reaction as well. That may explain the extreme facial dermatitis.

Probably, he happened to be sensitive to the fig sap, and most people would not have the same reaction. But apparently, it can happen to someone who is in the right situation and is sensitive to the effects.

I wanted to share this with other fig enthusiasts.

The take home lessons are, (1). Try not to get fig sap on you when pruning, especially large amounts of pruning; (2) wash your hands after pinching fig shoots (I usually use a kitchen shear to do this, & run them through the dishwasher afterwards to reduce spreading of FMV, but sometimes just use a thumbnail). Shower after more extensive pruning; (3) Never, never, cut down a fig tree.

People have safely eaten figs for thousands of years, so I dont think that the figs themselves are a problem.

Ciao

Daniel.

Here is a link that might be useful: page down to the ficus carica section

Comments (4)

Sponsored
Pristine Acres
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars46 Reviews
Leading Northern Virginia Deck/Patio Specialist- 10X Best of Houzz!