Fenugreek

Botanical Name: Trigonella Foenum Graecum

Common Name: Fenugreek, Greek Hayseed

Fenugreek for Lipid and Blood Sugar Control

Once again, modern science is shedding new light on a traditional folk remedy with delivers excellent health benefits to modern, active people. That remedy is Fenugreek, the seeds of Trigonella foenum-graecum. This tall annual herb is native to the Mediterranean, Ukraine, India and China. The plant bears pods filled with numerous light brown, diamond-shaped seeds which possess a sweet maple aroma, and are commonly used in cookery and flavoring.

The medicinal use of fenugreek seed was first mentioned 3500 years ago in the Egyptian Ebers Papyri. The seed is commonly used in Arabian, Greek and Indian medicinal traditions to treat congestion of the upper respiratory passages, control blood sugar, treat colic, flatulence, dysentery, diarrhea, indigestion with loss of appetite, diarrhea, chronic cough, and enlargement of the liver and spleen.

Today,modern science has revealed that fenugreek helps to control cholesterol and regulate blood glucose. Fenugreek seed lowers overall serum cholesterol, and reduces triglycerides. In one human study, 2.5 grams of fenugreek per day for 3 months significantly reduced these cardiac risk factors. These activities are linked to a group of soluble fibers, most notably galactomannans. The galactomannans also possess fat-sequestering properties, binding directly to dietary fat and reducing its absorption into the body. If you consume fenugreek or its extract with a meal, some of the fat from that meal will be eliminated from your body, without producing weight gain.

The glucose regulating, anti-diabetic properties of fenugreek seed are linked to a novel free amino acid, 4 hydroxyisoleucine. This compound stimulates insulin secretion, thereby limiting the extent to which blood glucose is elevated. 4 hydroxyisoleucine promotes insulin secretion and inhibits the rise of blood glucose, thus helping to stabilize blood sugar and reduce body fat production. In one human study, 15 grams of fenugreek daily significantly reduced glucose levels after meals.

Today fenugreek shows value as a heart-healthy, anti-diabetic agent with potential for weight control due to its content of fat-sequestering galactomannans and a substance called 4-hydroxyisoleucine.

Germany’s Commission E recommends a daily dose of 6 grams of powdered seed, which is best taken soaked in water or juice and then drunk. Fenugreek supplements vary. Some are capsules of powdered seed, while others are more concentrated extracts are standardized to 4 hydroxyisoleucine.

References:

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Bruneton J. Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants. 2nd ed., (Paris: Lavoisier Publishing 1993).

Evans,W.C., Trease and Evans’ Pharmacognosy, 13^th ed., (Philadelphia, Bailliere Tindall, 1989)

Wichtl M, Bisset NG (eds.). Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals. Trans from 2^nd German ed., (Stuttgart: Medpharm GmbH Scientific Publishers. 1994).

Blumenthal M, Goldberg A, Brinckmann J (eds). Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monographs. 1^st ed., (Newton, MA: Integrative Medicine Communications. 2000).

Bown, Deni. The Herb Society Of America Encyclopedia of Herbs & Their Uses. (1^st ed., (New York: Dorling Kindersley,1995).

Blumenthal M, Busse W, Goldberg A, Gruenwald J, Hall T, Riggins CW, Rister RS (eds.). The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. S. Klein, R.S. Rister (trans.). 1st ed., (Austin, TX: American Botanical Council. 1998).

Madar Z, Abel R, Samish S, Arad “Glucose-lowering effect of fenugreek in non-insulin dependent diabetics.” J Eur J Clin Nutr 1988 Jan 42:1 51-4

Bordia A, Verma SK, Srivastava KC “Effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) and fenugreek (Trigonella foenumgraecum L.) on blood lipids, blood sugar and platelet aggregation in patients with coronary artery disease.” Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 1997 May 56:379-84

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