Fenugreek
Parts Usually Used
Seeds
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
A native to southestern Europe and west Asia, used for forage and formerly in medicine and having seeds used in cooking. Needs full sun and rich soil. Fenugreek is an annual plant widely cultivated for both medicinal and culinary uses. A long taproot sends up a round stem with few branches. The leaves are trifoliate, on hairy petioles, with obovate leaflets. In June or July, axillary, sessile, yellowish flowers appear.
The fruit is a 16-seeded, compressed, malodorous legume. These are small, pale, reddish-brown seeds with small pods.
Where Found
Cultivated
Medicinal Properties
Seeds: expectorant, demulcent, emollient, fegrifuge, carminitive, nutritive, tonic, mucilaginous, restorative, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, stimulant Aerial parts: antispasmodic
Biochemical Information
Biotin, choline, inositol, iron, lecithin, mucilage, volatile oils, PABA, phosphates, protein, trigoneline, trimethylamine, and vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12, and D. Rich in phosphates, lecithin, nucleo-albumin, iron, vitamins A and D (similar in composition to cod liver oil).
Legends, Myths and Stories
Fenugreek is one of the oldest medicinal plants, dating back to the ancient Egyptians and Hippocrates. ” In ancient Egypt, fenugreek was used to ease childbirth and to increase milk flow. Today, it is still taken by Egyptian women for menstrual pain and as hilba tea to ease stomach problems of tourists. Introduced into the southern provinces of China, the beans were in use as a medicine since the time of the Tang dynasty.
Best known in India and among the people around the Mediterranean Sea, the seeds have a flavor somewhat like maple sugar and an extract is used to make artificial maple flavor. Fenugreek is an ingredient in chutneys and used in some curry blends. The roasted seeds are used as an adulterant and as a coffee substitute. Burkill stated, “The seeds, after roasting, are eaten in Egypt, and in ancient Egypt were regarded as medicinal and were used in religious rites.
” A study in India involving insulin-dependent diabetics on low doses of insulin, pulverized fenugreek seeds were shown to reduce blood sugar and other harmful fats. The authors of the study suggest adding fenugreek seeds to the diets of diabetics. In recent years, fenugreek is used as a beverage. Used in Europe in many veterinary preparations.
Uses
Historically, herbalists used fenugreek for a wide variety of ailments, including coughs, colds, flu, fevers, allergies, bronchitis, emphysema, and sore throats, for which it was prepared as a gargle. Traditional practitioners also recommended it for digestive complaints such as dyspepsia, flatulence, stomach ulcers, and intestinal inflammation, believing it served as a bulk laxative and intestinal lubricant.
In nineteenth-century medicine, it was included in commercial tonic preparations, such as Lydia Pinkham’s vegetable compound, and was employed as a general restorative for convalescents, debility, and anemia. Folk traditions attributed aphrodisiac qualities to the herb and used it in attempts to manage diabetes, pellagra, rickets, dropsy, cystitis, and eye conditions, as well as pain associated with headaches, migraines, toothaches, menstrual cramps, gout, and sciatica.
Externally, pulverized fenugreek seeds were traditionally prepared as poultices to soothe skin irritations, wounds, boils, sores, and dandruff. Beyond its medicinal history, fenugreek held extensive culinary applications. The ground seeds served as a primary ingredient in curry blends, pickling brines, and marinades, while the sprouted seeds were consumed as a salad vegetable.
Additionally, the oil was used as a maple flavoring agent in baked goods and syrups.
How Sold
Seed sold in whole or powder form.
Warning
A uterine stimulant; should be avoided during pregnancy. The aerial parts may be used during labor. Insulin-dependent diabetics should seek professional medical advice before using fenugreek as a hypoglycemic.
Bibliography
, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973. , West Nyack, NY, 1987. The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY.
copyright 1974. The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , by Dr. A. , 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 Old Ways Rediscovered , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, published from 1954, print 1988 Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements , by James F.
D. and Phyllis A. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Magic of Herbs in Daily Living , by Richard Lucas, Parker Publishing Co. (1988). Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary , 15th Edition, F. A. Davis Company, 1915 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988.
, Special Sale Catalog, 1996 The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974