Fenugreek is a leguminous spice used all around the world to magnify the sensory quality of the food. This clover-like herb is native to southern Europe, the Mediterranean region, and western Asia. It is an erect, loosely branched plant with trifoliate leaves and tiny white flowers that transform into pods upon reproduction, containing alkaloids and choline.
Fenugreek is employed as an ingredient in flavoring agents and spice blends in foods, tobacco, and beverages. Its extract is quite frequently used in the manufacturing of soaps and cosmetics. Apart from its culinary and commercial ventures, fenugreek has been used as a medicinal aid for centuries. Pharmacologically, it acts as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticarcinogenic, immunologic, and hypocholesterolemic. It helps in lowering extremely high blood sugar levels, increases milk production, boosts testosterone, reduces high cholesterol, encourages weight loss, and a lot more. It also aids in relieving the symptoms of cold, flu, sinusitis, asthma, constipation, pneumonia, and pleurisy.
A good load of active ingredients is responsible for the therapeutic efficacy of fenugreek. It contains steroidal sapogenins, furastanal glycosides, and alkaloids such as nicotinic acid, trimethyl coumarins, trigocoumarin, and trigonelline.