What are fenugreek's therapeutic uses?

Overview

For millennia, fenugreek has been used both as a medicine and as a food spice in Egypt, India, and the Middle East. It was traditionally recommended for increasing milk production in nursing women and for the treatment of wounds, bronchitis, digestive problems, arthritis, kidney problems, and male reproductive conditions.

Therapeutic Dosages

Because the seeds of fenugreek are somewhat bitter, they are best taken in capsule form. The typical dosage is 5 to 30 grams (g) of defatted fenugreek taken three times a day with meals. The one double-blind study of fenugreek used 1 g per day of a water/alcohol fenugreek extract.

Therapeutic Uses

Present interest in fenugreek focuses on its potential benefits for people with
diabetes or high cholesterol. Numerous animal studies and
preliminary trials in humans have found that fenugreek can reduce blood sugar and
serum cholesterol levels in people with diabetes. Like other high-fiber foods, it
may also be helpful for constipation.

Scientific Evidence

In a two-month, double-blind study of twenty-five individuals with type 2 diabetes, use of fenugreek, 1 g per day of a standardized extract, significantly improved some measures of blood sugar control and insulin response, compared with a placebo. Triglyceride levels decreased and HDL (good) cholesterol levels increased, presumably because of the enhanced insulin sensitivity. Similar benefits have been seen in animal studies and open human trials.

Safety Issues

As a commonly eaten food, fenugreek is generally regarded as safe. The only common side effect is mild gastrointestinal distress when it is taken in high doses.

Animal studies have found fenugreek essentially nontoxic, and no serious adverse effects have been seen in two-year follow-up of human trials. However, extracts made from fenugreek have been shown to stimulate uterine contractions in guinea pigs. For this reason, pregnant women should not take fenugreek in dosages higher than are commonly used as a spice, perhaps 5 g daily. Besides concerns about pregnant women, safety in young children, nursing women, and those with severe liver or kidney disease also has not been established. Because fenugreek can lower blood sugar levels, it is advisable to seek medical supervision before combining it with diabetes medications.

Important Interactions

If one is taking diabetes medications, such as insulin or
oral
hypoglycemic drugs, fenugreek may enhance their effects. This
may cause excessively low blood sugar, and one may need to reduce one’s dose of
medication.

Bibliography

Gupta, A., R. Gupta, and B. Lal. “Effect of Trigonella foenum-graecum (Fenugreek) Seeds on Glycaemic Control and Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.” Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 49 (2001): 1057-1061.

Leung, A. Y., and S. Foster. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics. 2d ed. New York: Wiley, 1996.