← The ApothecaryMoraceaeleaves, roots, fruitsFact-checked 24 October 2026

Mistletoe fig

Ficus deltoidea

Also calledMas cotek (Malay) · Pokok suji (Indonesia)

A small epiphytic fig of Southeast Asia, mas cotek, whose leaves and roots are used in Malay and Indonesian traditional medicine for diabetes, high blood pressure, gout, wounds and especially women's health: post-natal recovery and regulating periods. Laboratory and rat studies show glucose-lowering effects, but the only human trial found no effect on blood sugar, and a rat pregnancy study raised concerns about fetal bone development.

What it is used for

Blood sugar and diabetes
Limited
Extracts inhibited carbohydrate-digesting enzymes and stimulated insulin secretion in cells and lowered blood glucose in diabetic rodents. The single randomised trial (30 adults with prediabetes, 1,000 mg/day leaf extract for 8 weeks) found no significant change in fasting glucose or insulin.¹
Cholesterol
Limited
In the same small prediabetes trial, total and LDL cholesterol fell in the Ficus deltoidea group.¹
Irregular or absent periods
Traditional
Powdered roots and leaves are used in Malaysian ethnomedicine to regulate the menstrual cycle; some varieties stimulate uterine contractions in experiments, and an extract protected the rat uterus against bisphenol A damage. No clinical studies.^2,3,4
High blood pressure
Traditional
Leaf, fruit and root decoctions are used for hypertension; untested in people.¹
Gout
Traditional
A recorded traditional use of the decoction; untested.¹
Wounds and cuts
Traditional
Used for wounds, rheumatism, toothache, headache, colds and sore throats in Malaysian ethnomedicine; untested clinically.²
Pregnancy and after birth
Traditional
Post-natal recovery is a major traditional use of the powdered roots and leaves in Malaysian ethnomedicine. No clinical studies.^2,4

How it is prepared

decoction

Leaves, fruits or roots boiled in water, the traditional preparation.

Blood sugar and diabetes · High blood pressure

dry extract / capsule

Standardised leaf extract.

Only clinical trial (Kalman et al., as reviewed by Adam et al. 2026): 1,000 mg/day leaf extract for 8 weeks.

Blood sugar and diabetes

Amounts are as recorded by the named source, not a recommendation.

Safety

Pregnancy: Avoid
Breastfeeding: Insufficient data

Interactions with medicines

diabetes medicinesMinorNot studied in people; insulin-secretagogue and glucose-lowering effects in animals suggest possible additive effects.
drugs metabolised by the liver (CYP enzymes, P-glycoprotein substrates)MinorIn pregnant rats the aqueous extract changed expression of liver drug-metabolism and transporter genes (e.g. Abcb1a, Gstt1, Cyp27b1); human relevance unknown.

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Do not use if

Pregnancy: some varieties stimulate uterine contractions and fetal skeletal changes occurred in rats

Side effects

Small, non-significant weight gain and no serious adverse events in the 8-week trial

Toxicity

In pregnant rats given 250–2,000 mg/kg aqueous extract (var. kunstleri) from gestation days 6–20 there was no overt maternal toxicity apart from increased liver weight, but fetuses showed more extra ossification centres, incomplete frontal-bone ossification and missing hyoid bodies at several doses.

In the healing traditions

Southeast Asian (Jamu, Thai, Philippine…)
Mas cotek (Malaysia) / pokok suji (Indonesia)
Decoctions or infusions of leaves, fruits and roots for diabetes, hypertension, gout and post-partum recovery; powdered roots and leaves for wounds, rheumatism, toothache, headache, colds, sore throat, post-natal recovery and regulating the menstrual cycle.

Active compounds

vitexin, isovitexin: C-glycosyl flavonoids of the leaves (roughly 1.5–4% of methanol extracts); thought to be the main antidiabetic constituents, but poorly absorbed in rodents
3β,11β-dihydroxyolean-12-en-23-oic acid: triterpene that inhibited PTP1B, an enzyme that dampens insulin signalling
phenolic acids, tannins, triterpenes: other constituents

History

Mas cotek is a long-standing Malay and Indonesian household remedy for diabetes and women's health. It has been studied extensively in the laboratory, but reviewers note it remains a regional plant with only one clinical trial and no validated, marker-standardised extract.

Sources

Reference, not prescription. Nothing here is medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and be dangerous in pregnancy; tell your doctor or pharmacist about anything you take.