Last updated: January 26, 2024Spice things up with your sub by adding figging to your BDSM punishment playbook. It’s an unusual yet very thrilling practice that can bring new joy to old play.
Figging is an ancient erotic act that uses ginger to create painful sensations, mostly inside the anus of the sub. Even though it’s generally a bad idea to stick any food up your bum, it’s relatively safe to make an exception for ginger. If you’re willing to try out this punishment, this article will provide everything you need for an effective and safe play. So, what else are you waiting for? Let’s get the ball rolling and help you get your partner gingered!
As we suggested before, you can be forgiven for knowing little or nothing about figging. You’re probably among those persons who discovered the activity through E.L James’ “50 Shades” series. It’s also possible that you learned about it through porn. Regardless of what you had read or seen, it’s not safe to perform figging without knowing exactly what it is.
Basically, figging is the act of inserting peeled ginger root, carved to mimic an anal plug, into the anus. It’s usually used in BDSM as a punishment for a disobedient sub thanks to the painful sensation it brings. There’s more to learn below.
Since you read where we used “ancient” to describe figging, we know that you’ve been itching to know what that is all about. Of course, the practice didn’t come to exist without some history of its own. It’s mostly believed that figging came into existent as an act used by masters to punish female slaves in ancient Greece. The masters were said to have inserted ginger roots inside the slaves’ anus or vagina.
Besides the Greeks, the Romans also borrowed from the playbook a little later. England also joined the club during the Victorian times when English masters employed ginger as punishment. Thanks to BDSM, figging is being popularized today as a punishment that involves a dom and a consenting sub.
Even though we’ve hinted a few times what figging does to the body, let’s give you some more information. Figging creates a burning sensation with increasing intensity in the anus. Although the effects are quite strong, they’re short-lived. Forget about how painful the practice can get, it doesn’t cause any lasting harm.
Yes, we know that we said figging is a relatively safe practice but that’s not without conditions. To avoid any trouble from figging, there are some very important steps that you must take. Below, we’ll discuss some safety tips that you must adhere to before getting down to business:
Since you’ll be sticking a (food) item up someone’s ass, it’s only smart to ensure that they’re not allergic to it. If your partner has a ginger food allergy, you need to consider alternative BDSM punishments because figging won’t work in such a situation.
Besides, ginger irritates some people’s skin, leaving them with rashes. Surely, that raises a safety concern. To ensure safe BDSM figging, the receiving partner must not be allergic to ginger. According to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS),
allergic reactions can be very serious
Trusted Source
Food allergy
- NHS
A food allergy is when the body’s immune system reacts unusually to specific foods. Allergic reactions are often mild, but they can sometimes be very serious.
www.nhs.uk
and that’s not a smart risk for anyone to take.
The ginger root check is about ensuring that your BDSM tool is peeled to the smoothest level it can be. If the ginger root is not peeled well enough, you and your partner may get into trouble later on. Essentially, ensure that the ginger root you’re using has no thin or extra sharp part.
Not only should you check for the smoothness of your ginger root, but you should also check if the item is still in a good condition or not. You shouldn’t go anywhere near one that is bad or even close to going bad. Also, try to buy the biggest piece of ginger on offer. This will make it much easier for you to carve the item into a butt plug-like shape that’s a little wider than your thumb.
Before we go any further, let’s mention that figging is not for everyone. Your partner may not like the idea of ginger being up their ass. Since this is BDSM and not abuse, you need to get your partner’s explicit consent to go ahead with the activity. Never practice figging bondage with your partner without consent because abuse has no place in BDSM.
As reported by Global News, Trusted Source BDSM is about consent and communication – not abuse, say adherents - National | Globalnews.ca Jian Ghomeshi’s admission that he engages in rough sex has Canadians hearing a term that many may be unfamiliar with – BDSM. We explain what BDSM involves and what draws adherents to this kind of sex. globalnews.ca BDSM is about communication and consent, not abuse.
Now that you know the safety steps that you must take before practicing ginger root BDSM, let’s get you preparing for the ginger bondage below:
The first step in preparing for BDSM figging is washing and peeling your ginger root. Certainly, you don’t want to have a dirty item up your ass so you won’t be inviting infections. Frankly, any portion of a dirty ginger root is an infection waiting to happen so you’ll do well to wash the item thoroughly.
Another thing you want to do is peel the ginger root properly. In fact, we recommend that you make the root as smooth as possible to get rid of every lump and bump that may end up cutting you. As you peel the item, your hands can get oily pretty quickly so you may need to wear gloves if you aren’t cool with that.
After you’re done with the exercise, you should wash your hands thoroughly because touching your eyes with ginger oil residue can cause irritation.
After you’re done washing and peeling your ginger root, the next line of action is carving a butt plug shape out of it. Remember that we advised you to choose the largest piece of ginger root around because that makes carving easier. You’ll need a peeler or even a sharp knife to carve the ginger into the shape of a butt plug, preferably about 10cm by 3cm.
Proceed to carve a shallow groove toward the base. This move ensures retention in the anus and shapes the tip into a smooth curve to allow easy insertion. Also, carve out a flared base or some sort of handle to prevent the makeshift toy from being sucked up into your anus.
Fermenting, as we noted above, is optional in the preparation for BDSM figging. This process involves placing the ginger root in a zippered plastic bag and proceeding to squeeze out any air. It’s then refrigerated for about 4 to 6 days. With time, it may develop a bit of mold which you can simply peel it.
In our opinion, fermenting is unnecessary but you can choose to do it if you’re willing to up the ante.
After getting the tool prepared, it’s punishment time. Below, we’ll walk you through inserting and using the ginger root in the right way:
As soon as you’re satisfied with the smoothness of your ginger “butt plug”, you can insert it and start playing. Don’t mistake this for the typical anal plug that you’ll need to lubricate. The ginger “plug” instead uses its oils to lubricate your anus and ease insertion. All you need to do is wet the ginger suppository with water and insert it into your anus up until the groove.
Additionally, you should perform the insertion process slowly to avoid a situation where the shaft breaks. If you had never had something up your ass before, a high-quality anal training kit can come in handy and help you settle into the anal play life.
Now is time to let the burning sensations of the ginger root sit. Five minutes into the figging play, the sub will start to writhe around as the wild sensations take effect. It usually takes about half an hour before sensations begin to subside as the juices dry up. We advise that you remove the makeshift plug after 20 minutes of insertion.
No problem if you want the punishment to be longer. All you need to do is lightly peel the already used piece of ginger root again and reinsert it. The discomfort will intensify if the sub contracts their sphincter muscles. As the dom, you can also effect this by squeezing their bum together.
You can even incorporate figging spanking into the punishment to heighten the sensations. If your partner is on the receiving end, you can bend them over your lap and spank them for more intense stimulation. While at it, you can get a well-designed face strap-on to silence the sub.
You can even find a way to restrict your sub’s movement while the ginger root sits in their anus. We found the Bondage Boutique Extreme Expandable Spreader Bar to be a popular choice for such a purpose. The adjustable metal spreader bar features a padlock system for secure bondage activity. The cuffs are also adjustable to help you tailor the play to suit you.
Or better still, invest in a complete package that has various bondage tools to apply while the ginger root does its work. That can be a trustworthy option such as the Lovehoney All You Need Bondage Kit. It contains a total of 20 sexy and bondage accessories designed to enhance couples’ play. Specifically, the kit is loaded with bondage gear, sex toys, and sensory tools, for complete coverage.
Do you remember how your daddy used to reward you as a kid for being a good boy or girl after you had realized your mistakes? Well, you can do the same for your sub if they had been acting well. Once the ginger root is out, you can replace the burning sensations with pleasure. You can perform oral sex on them and watch them scream in pleasure.
After a scene of figging, we cannot overemphasize how important it is to engage in aftercare. As the name suggests, the care comes after the punishment session. The aim is to ensure that the sub recovers from the experience physically and mentally. Remember that this is a BDSM activity; not an abusive one.
The aftercare can include rinsing the sub’s skin to get rid of the ginger oil and relieve the burn. In case of irritation, you can add aloe to the affected parts to soothe them. You and your partner can also cuddle up under the duvet to ensure complete mental recovery.
We understand that you may still have some unanswered questions but we’ll try our best to answer them below:
We may have been writing about only anal in nearly all instances in this article but the truth is, figging is not limited to anal. By all means, you can decide to try other methods. There are vaginal figging, urethral figging, and clitoral figging too. The preparation for these figging methods is the same as that of the anal figging.
Regardless, we still advise that the ginger root for vagina figging has a handle or a bulbous end that can be grasped to make maneuvering easier. For clitoral figging, you can carve a divot on a ginger root so that it can be placed over your dom’s clitoris. You can up the ante by attaching a tender clit clamp to their clitoris to create a stronger sensation.
Of course, clitoral figging is not as intense as getting ginger root in pussy or anus. Not only are the anal and vaginal canals more sensitive than the flesh, but they can also hold the ginger in place for extra sensation.
The simple answer is yes, ginger can get stuck. However, the situation is avoidable. As we already mentioned before, you must carve a shape featuring a flared base from the ginger root. The carved neck should also be able to withstand the sphincter’s pressure. If you still somehow found yourself with a stuck ginger root, you should squat and do as if you were pushing it out in the bathroom.
Yes, you can move away from the top-bottom dynamic of partnered figging and go solo. Solo figging will involve you focusing on your sensation. This can be a nice option to explore before inviting a partner to the party.
Even though the original and best material for figging is ginger, there are alternatives that you can go for in case you can’t find a ginger root or you want to try something new. The materials you can use to substitute ginger include peppermint oil, toothpaste, Tiger balm, and stinging nettles. We don’t recommend any of them so we’re just going to advise you to proceed with caution.
While there are notable BDSM punishments, there are also less known ones such as figging as we’ve explained in this article. The burning sensation of a skinned piece of ginger up your partner’s anus can be the perfect punishment for them after breaking your cherished rules.
Even though the idea of BDSM figging may excite your sadistic ass or provide an opportunity for you to repent as a sub, we must mention that it isn’t for everyone. If you’re allergic, you must stay away from this anal sex punishment as we advised earlier in this article. Also, we understand that you might want to make the punishment to be very intense but you must never sacrifice safety for anything.
