For millennia, people have used fenugreek as an important part of diet and medicine, but it has only recently been introduced to the West. Plants like fenugreek are not only nutritious: many studies suggest that they may provide numerous health benefits. Read more to learn about fenugreek’s effect on your health.<\/p>\n
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Fenugreek is a leafy green legume native to Eurasia and Africa that is widely used for its nutritional and aromatic value [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n For almost six thousand years, traditional healers in Africa and Asia have claimed that it eases labor, alleviates digestive problems, and improves skin conditions such as boils, eczema, and inflammation [R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Fenugreek goes by many names around the world. It is methi<\/i> in Hindi, hulba <\/i>in Arabic, moshoseitaro <\/i>in Greek, uluva <\/i>in Malayalam, shoot<\/i> in Hebrew, and dari<\/i> in Persian. Fenugreek is a common ingredient in spice powders in Indian cuisine. It is used fresh in salads and cooked or dried in other dishes [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Today, it is most often taken by athletes, diabetics, and people who struggle to maintain normal levels of fat in their blood [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Fenugreek oil <\/b>contains a high concentration of polyunsaturated fats<\/b> (approximately 84%). According to some studies, people who eat a higher proportion of polyunsaturated fats (compared to saturated and monounsaturated fats) may have healthier hearts and better blood vessel repair after injury [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Fenugreek is also rich in dietary fiber, which accounts for between 45 and 50% of the seeds by weight. Diets high in fiber support good overall health, aid digestion, and reduce blood fat and sugar [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Each tablespoon of fenugreek seed contains approximately<\/b> 7 g of fiber<\/b>, 3.6 g of protein<\/b>, and 1.1 g of fats<\/b>. It also contains many nutrients, including [R<\/a>]:<\/p>\n It may not sound like much, but those are significant amounts in terms of daily recommended intakes.<\/p>\n Consider, for example, that the National Institutes of Health recommends that adults should get between 8 mg (for a man) and 18 mg (for a woman) of iron in their diets per day. A single tablespoon of fenugreek seeds contains 20 – 45% of the daily recommended intake of iron<\/b> [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Fenugreek seeds also contain other nutrients (like carotenes<\/a>, folate<\/a>, and magnesium<\/a>), but not enough to make a dent in recommended intakes [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n According to some researchers, a number of the health benefits of fenugreek could be due to its saponins<\/b>. Many plants produce different saponins; plants use these soap-like compounds as weapons against disease and plant-eating animals. However, some herbivorous animals may learn that some saponins are healthy (or, at least, not dangerous) and will deliberately consume the plants that make them [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Some research suggests that certain saponins may help protect against cancer. People who eat a lot of safe dietary saponins tend to have lower cholesterol<\/a>, sugar, and fat in the blood and a lower incidence of blood clotting and kidney stones. And what\u2019s more, fenugreek contains steroid-like saponins that some researchers believe might form the basis for a testosterone boost [R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Trigonelline<\/b>, another compound of fenugreek, is an alkaloid with a structure very similar to vitamin B3. According to some studies, trigonelline could potentially have antibacterial, antiviral, fat-lowering, sugar-lowering, anti-tumor, and brain-protective effects [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Fenugreek is abundant in compounds with antioxidant activity. These include apigenin<\/b><\/a>, luteolin<\/b><\/a>, caffeic acid, and coumaric acid <\/b>[R<\/a>].<\/p>\nNutrition Facts<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Active Components<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
Saponins<\/b><\/h4>\n
Trigonelline<\/b><\/h4>\n
Antioxidants<\/b><\/h4>\n
Mechanisms<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n