Ethnopharmacology and Antimicrobial Properties of Ficus Racemosa and Ficus Hispida: A Comparative Review

Background: Antimicrobial resistance keeps rising around the world, turning into one of the most serious health concerns of our time. This trend has pushed researchers to take a fresh look at medicinal plants as new sources for antibacterial agents. Within the huge range of Ayurvedic plants, Ficus racemosa L. (Udumbara) and Ficus hispida L.f. (Kakodumbara), both from the Moraceae family, have always played important roles in traditional Indian medicine and have been described in classics like the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita. Objective: This review sets out to compare the ethnopharmacological uses, phytochemical makeup, and Ficus racemosa bark contains leucocyanidin glycosides, tannins, β-sitosterol, lupeol, and quercetin. All these show solid antibacterial activity. Ficus hispida bark has β-sitosterol, hispidin, bergapten, psoralen, tannins, and phenanthroindolizidine alkaloids. These compounds feature antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing effects. Extracts from both species can inhibit gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Methanolic bark extracts from both show strong inhibition of S. aureus and E. coli. Known antimicrobial activities—especially against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus—of these two closely related species. Methods: The search pulled information from PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and traditional Ayurvedic texts published up to 2025. Conclusion: Both species have promising phytochemicals that support their use as antimicrobial agents in traditional treatments. Direct comparisons through in vitro and in vivo studies, and digging into their mechanisms, will help confirm and distinguish each species’ antibacterial strength.