Umbar / उंबर / Umbar / Ficus racemosa L.

  • Local Name: Umbar / उंबर
  • Common Name: Umbar
  • Botanical Name: Ficus racemosa L.

Status & Habitat

  • Habitat: Tree

  • Occurrence: Forests, Farm bunds, Hilly areas

  • Season of Availability: Spring and summer

  • Geography: Australia and tropical Asia

  • Method of Propagation: Seed and vegetative propagation

  • Part used for Propagation: Seeds and Stem cuttings

Edible Parts

  • Edible Parts: Fruits

  • Can be Eaten Raw: Yes

Method of Consumption

  • Raw: Yes

  • Ripe: Yes

  • Both Raw & Ripe: Yes

  • Dangerous Form to Consume: Other parts of the plant.

  • As Food: Fruits can be eaten raw and cooked as a vegetbale

  • As Medicine: Bark is rubbed to make paste and applied on mosquito bites and boils. Bark and leaves are infused to use as a mouthwarsh for gum diseases. Roots are used to treat dysentry and diabetes.

  • Cooking Without Prior Boiling: No

  • Boiling Before Cooking: Yes

  • Pickling: Yes

  • Brining: Yes

  • Fermenting: Yes

  • Drying for later Consumption: No

  • Overall Method: Fruits can be eaten raw.
    Gular ki sabji can be made:
    In a kadai, add oil, onions, garlic, mustard seeds, haldi, coriander and umbar fruits.
    Cover the kadai and let it cook for 15 mins.

Nutritional & Medicinal Benefits

  • Nutritional Benefit: High in minerals.

  • Medicinal Benefit: Treatment of stomach disorders, piles, diarrhea, uterine bleeding, wounds, constipation, anemia

Tribal Wisdom

  • Tribal Wisdom: Fruits can be eaten as a vegetable after the seeds have been discarded, and made into sabjis.

Recipes / Usage

  • Tribal Recipe / Usage: Rub the bark to make a paste, then apply it to boils or mosquito bites.