Syrup of figs is a formerly proprietary preparation for use as a laxative, now widely available commercially and also easy to make at home. Its ingredients include figs and dried senna pods, both known for their laxative properties, as well as water, sugar and lemon.[1] The syrup was invented in 1879 by Richard E. Queen[2] and immediately sold to the California Fig Syrup Company of Reno, Nevada, which manufactured and marketed it thereafter.[3]
The product was the subject of a lawsuit, Clinton Worden Company v. California Fig Syrup Company, which was decided in favor of the syrup company by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1905.[2]