Figging 101: From Ancient Punishment To Modern Pleasure

Don't feel bad if figging is new to you, or if the only place you've encountered it is porn or E.L. James' "50 Shades" novels. It's a niche BDSM activity, but a devoted group of kinksters swear by it. Figging blends anal play with a punishment element in a way you won't easily forget, and this post walks you through trying it safely.

You're in good company if you've never come across figging before, but it's actually got a surprisingly long backstory. According to popular lore, it began as a punishment inflicted on female slaves in Ancient Greece. The Romans later adopted the practice, and Victorian England picked it up too, using ginger as a disciplinary tool.

Psst, if you're hunting for more kinky inspiration, check out our handy BDSM checklist.

No actual figs involved, oddly enough — the term traces back to "feaguing," a technique farmers once used, inserting ginger or another vegetable into a horse's anus to make it carry its tail higher. The practice spread widely before eventually being outlawed.

Now that you've got the backstory on this old-school punishment, you might be wondering why it's showing up on Love Curi. Turns out, some particularly adventurous folks (take this test to find out if kinky sex appeals to you) incorporate figging into their BDSM scenes! It's frequently used as a punishment within consensual kink dynamics, transforming what was once a literal punishment into a form of erotic play.

Get more ideas for BDSM punishment.

If this all feels like a lot, you might find BDSM for beginners a gentler starting point instead — it's built for people with little or no BDSM experience, or anyone who prefers a lower-intensity approach. You can also read our introduction to BDSM.

Prepare for Figging

Track down some ginger at your local farmer's market, grocery produce aisle, or Asian market. Grab the largest piece you can find. Ginger is typically sold as a "hand" since it can resemble one, and you'll want a "finger" large enough to carve into something resembling a butt plug, a bit wider than your thumb (you can size up later if you get into anal training). Picking a piece with an extra finger attached gives you a built-in handle, saving some effort.

Read More: What Is A Butt Plug & What Does It Do?

Peel the ginger using a sharp knife or peeler — it's fibrous, so take your time. Trim away any lumps or bumps as you go.

Ginger is potent and fragrant, and the oils will coat your hands during peeling and carving. Gloves are an option if you'd rather avoid that. If you skip them, wash your hands thoroughly before touching your eyes, since the oil can irritate them. Rubbing on some coconut oil before your regular soap-and-water wash can help strip the ginger oil from your skin.

Once peeled, shape it. A rounded, tapered tip makes insertion smoother.

Leave a narrower "neck" near the base, but don't carve it too thin — you still need room for a flared base. Create that by cutting a shallow groove around the ginger. The neck needs to stay thick enough to survive insertion, removal, and play without snapping — aim for at least 1/2 inch wide. If your piece doesn't already have a natural handle, just keep the base wider than the neck so you have something to grip.

Fermenting

Some especially sadistic players like to intensify figging by fermenting the ginger first. Seal it in a zippered plastic bag, squeeze out the air, and refrigerate for 4 to 6 days. Once you spot a little mold forming, pull it out and peel it the same way described above.

Alternatives to Ginger

People have experimented with plenty of substitutes for ginger, including:

• Toothpaste
• Peppermint oil
• Tiger Balm and similar creams
• Stinging nettles

Proceed carefully, though — risk comes standard with most kink activities, which is exactly why sticking to BDSM rules matters.

A heating or cooling lube also works well for sensation play that's a notch gentler than full figging.

Insertion and Playtime

Once your ginger "plug" is carved and ready, you can insert it. Saliva works fine as lubrication for some people, though the ginger's own oils already ease things along. Push it in until you reach the neck/groove, which anchors it in place — go slowly so the shaft doesn't snap.

Take it easy, especially if you're newer to anal masturbation.

Don't panic if you don't feel much right away — it can take a few minutes to kick in. Once the juices dry out, the sensation fades. Some people even pull the ginger out mid-scene and peel off another layer to refresh the burn! Expect the sensation to last anywhere from 5 minutes to 1.5 hours, and keep in mind ginger's oil content varies naturally, so intensity differs piece to piece.

Anything that makes the person wearing the ginger clench will ramp up the sensation. If you've inserted ginger into your partner's anus, having him masturbate can heighten the burn. Spanking is another option — bend your partner over a lap for spanking, or step things up with a flogger or cane.

Related: Erotic Spanking: The What, Why & How

Some players push things further by removing the ginger and moving straight into anal sex while everything's still irritated. If that's on the table, it's worth prepping for anal sex ahead of time.

Balancing punishment with reward is another strategy — if your submissive seems to be nearing their limit, switch to something pleasurable, like oral sex.

Find 10 more ideas to dominate your man.

Fresh ginger stings noticeably more than older ginger, and everyone's tolerance differs — any nearby cuts will also make the sensation sharper. Having a safe word ready is essential for pausing or ending kinky scenes, and if you're the one in the dominant role, honoring your submissive's safe word is non-negotiable.

Read more in this post about BDSM safety.

Once you're done, remove the ginger and toss it out.

Aftercare matters once a scene wraps up. Even if the ginger's sting wasn't as intense as expected, sub drop can still hit afterward.

Learn more about BDSM aftercare along with sub drop and dom drop.

Rinsing your skin helps clear away ginger oil and cool the burn. Aloe — fresh from the plant or straight from a bottle — can soothe any lingering irritation. Done carefully, figging shouldn't leave lasting damage.

Figging clearly isn't for everyone, but it might appeal to your sadistic side or give a submissive a way to "atone." Even though the whole point is intensity, sticking to sensible safety practices keeps it as safe as this kind of play can be.

Learn more about anal play and safety.

What If The Ginger Gets Stuck?

You can lower the odds of the ginger getting stuck by carving a solid flared base and a neck sturdy enough to resist the pressure of your sphincter, the ring-shaped muscle sealing off your anus [1]. That said, the risk never fully disappears. If it does happen, squat down and bear down like you're using the bathroom to push it out — act quickly.

Getting it out yourself means skipping an awkward trip to urgent care.

Vaginal and Clitoral Figging

Anal isn't the only option — figging works vaginally too. Preparation is largely the same, though the base matters less here since the vagina ends at the cervix (barring a full hysterectomy), which stops anything from traveling further in. Still, a bulbous end or handle makes it easier to maneuver.

Some people even carve entire ginger dildos for thrusting.

You can also carve a smaller piece with a divot shaped to rest over the clitoris. Shape it like a wedge, point the narrow end toward the mons pubis, and tuck the sides beneath the labia.

Clitoral figging tends to feel milder than insertion, since that flesh is less sensitive than the anal or vaginal canal. You can also hold a piece of ginger in place during vaginal or anal sex for an extra layer of sensation.

Resources

Since figging has built up a decent following within BDSM circles, there's no shortage of tutorials, discussions, and videos from experienced kinksters online. Here are a few worth checking out.

Morgan Thorne has a Youtube video that teaches all about figging.

Franklin Veau is a respected kinkster who wrote a how-to on figging.

There's a podcast about figging and other botanical sex on Pleasure Mechanics.

Dr. Mark Griffiths discusses figging and a related activity known as rhapanidosis on his blog.

This article on Alt.com explains how figging enhances sex.

Elizabeth Black details her experience with figging on SexIs.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ #1 – What does figging feel like?

The burn from ginger takes a moment to build. It starts cool, then shifts into a tingling sting thanks to its gingerol content. Gingerols belong to a compound family called vanilloids [2], which also includes capsaicin — hence the connection between the two [3]. Capsaicin is famously what makes peppers spicy [4], while gingerols deliver ginger's kick [5] — and the burn during figging.

Since the oil can spread to sensitive spots like your eyes and face if you're not careful, wash your hands thoroughly after handling it, so only the intended body part feels the heat.

FAQ #2 – How do you prepare the ginger?

Cut a finger off the ginger root, peel it (a peeler or knife both work), then shape it with a narrower neck and a wider base.

FAQ #3 – Can you use items other than ginger root?

Yes. Peppers and oils like peppermint have both been used. Just be cautious — undiluted oil can blister skin, so diluting with water is smart. Powdered ginger mixed into lube also makes a workable paste, and Tiger Balm or similar muscle creams are another option.

FAQ #4 – Is figging safe?

Figging and the other techniques mentioned here aren't medically endorsed, and misuse carries a real risk of injury to your genitals or anus. That said, plenty of kinksters have used ginger root for figging without lasting harm.

FAQ #5 – What are the risks of figging?

Figging carries some genuine risk despite feeling manageable to most who try it — everything from cutting yourself while shaping the ginger, to getting the oil in your eyes, to irritating the anal or vaginal canal, to the ginger getting lodged inside. To avoid that last one, keep the base wide enough that it can't slip fully in, and long enough to grab onto for removal.

Unlike some other figging materials, ginger doesn't actually cause burns — in fact, "fresh juice of ginger has been shown to treat skin burns" [6].

That said, carving too thin a neck risks snapping the ginger, leaving part of it stuck inside. Going slowly during insertion helps prevent that from happening.

FAQ # 6- Why do people engage in figging?

It's most often used as a BDSM punishment. That said, some people simply enjoy proving they can handle the discomfort. Masochists in particular tend to get something out of it! And believe it or not, some people find the sensation genuinely pleasurable — some women even report it heightening arousal and pushing them toward orgasm.

November 9, 2020