Pharmacosycea is one of six subgenera currently recognised in the genus Ficus. It was proposed by E. J. H. Corner in 1967 to unite section Pharmacosycea with Oreosycea.
Recent molecular phylogenies has shown that the subgenus is polyphyletic. Section Pharmacosycea is a sister taxa to the rest of the genus Ficus, while section Oreosycea is itself polyphyletic.[1]
Section Pharmacosycea is Neotropical. Cornelis Berg recognised two subsections: Bergianae and Petenenses.[4]