FENUGREEK (METHI

                                                FENUGREEK (METHI

                                                      (Trigonella foenum-graecum)

Synonyms : Fenugreek and Greek hay.

Fenugreek is an annual herb (Trigonella foenumgraecum family Leguminosae) with alternate leaves on a long petiole, each consisting of three ovate leaflets up to 0.6 m high. The flowers, solitary or in pairs, have a creamy white corolla with a posterior triangular petal. The fruit is an elongated arched pod, containing 10-20 very hard seeds with light brown tegument marked with slanted groove, some what flattened, resembling triangle.

         The plant grows widly and is cultivated especially in India, both as a spice and as a forage crop. This plant is also cultivated for the production of steroid in temperate countries.

Chemical constituents :

The seeds contain saponins, which on hydrolysis yield 1-2% of sapogenin (diosgenin and trigafoenosids, foenugraecin) and trigonellin.

         The seeds contain volatile oil with main constituents having sesquiterpenes hydrocarcons, alkanes and lactones, Rich in proteins (30%), lipids (7%) C-flavonoids and many sterols, abundant carbohydrates, fibres (cellulose, hemicelluloses), mucilage and soluble galactomannan.

Health Food :

Used as an ingredient of curry power and many spice blends and other food products, which include alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages frozen dairy desserts, meat and meat products throughout the world.

           As herb health food to facilitate weight gain, in France as well as in Germany and as spice in India. It is also used as a demulcent, emollient and in treatment of indigestion, diabetes and hypercholesterimia.