Benefits & Uses
Fenugreek is a small seed with a big impact. It’s a healing herb, a food, and a spice all in one, with a history that stretches from ancient times to today.
Available in seed or supplement form, fenugreek is a versatile herb used in various ways. For thousands of years, women have used it to boost breast milk production, and it can also enhance your sex drive! Additionally, fenugreek supports healthy blood sugar levels, normalizes cholesterol, and reduces inflammation.
What Is Fenugreek?
Also known as “Greek hay,” fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) has aromatic, golden-brown seeds that have been used in both ancient and modern natural remedies. This medicinal plant originated in southern Europe, the Mediterranean, India, and parts of Asia.
Fenugreek leaves and seeds add flavor to Indian cuisine, and the ground seeds are a key ingredient in the spice blend garam masala. While the seeds taste bitter when raw, they mellow out when cooked, with a flavor described as a mix of maple syrup, brown sugar, and celery.
As a nutritional supplement, fenugreek is available in capsule, liquid extract, or tea form. Supplements provide a higher concentration of nutrients, whereas cooking with fenugreek seed or powder offers lower amounts of beneficial plant compounds.
Top 10 Fenugreek Benefits & Uses
This popular seed offers various health benefits and uses, from supporting breastfeeding women to relieving digestive ailments. Here are the top health benefits of fenugreek:
Stimulates Breast Milk Production
Women experiencing low milk supply often turn to fenugreek to help boost their production. Some researchers credit the phytoestrogens — plant compounds that mimic estrogen — in fenugreek for its positive effect on milk volume. Fenugreek tea can increase breast milk production and lead to infant weight gain, especially in the early postpartum period.
Spices Up Your Sex Life
Need a boost in the bedroom? The phytoestrogens in fenugreek have been found to improve both sexual function and libido in women and men. These compounds can mimic both female and male sex hormones naturally. Men with concerns over sexual function or erectile dysfunction can benefit from fenugreek supplements, which positively affect libido, increasing sexual arousal and orgasm. Men taking the herb reported increased muscle strength, energy, and well-being.
Counteracts “Low T”
Although testosterone decreases naturally with age, some men find that “low T” can affect their quality of life. Libido, muscle mass, bone mass, and even mood can all decline, and body fat can increase when testosterone levels drop below optimum. Fenugreek may help, thanks to its testosterone-friendly glycosides. Fenugreek seeds contain soluble steroidal saponins, which stimulate androgenic activity in men, making it a great natural alternative to medical hormone therapies.
Lowers Blood Sugar
Fenugreek may lower blood glucose levels, showing promise for people looking to manage diabetes symptoms or balance insulin levels. Individuals with Type 2 diabetes who took fenugreek seed powder soaked in hot water experienced lower fasting blood sugar and total blood glucose. The seeds’ high dietary fiber content and plant compounds may slow digestion, reduce glucose absorption in the gut, and improve carbohydrate and sugar metabolism, leading to better glycemic control.
Balances Cholesterol & Boosts Heart Health
Fenugreek may positively influence both LDL (low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol) and total cholesterol, helping to lower cardiac health risks. This herbal supplement may reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which is great news for heart health. Fenugreek’s steroidal saponins interact with the body’s bile salts in the digestive tract, lowering cholesterol and helping detox the body, particularly the kidneys, bones, and brain.
Soothes Inflammation
Fenugreek’s glycosides and steroidal saponins have anti-inflammatory properties. People often take fenugreek to reduce the redness, pain, and swelling caused by inflammation, and use it for ulcers, arthritis, and gout. The herb shows promise for reducing the discomfort of skin conditions like eczema. Ground into a paste, fenugreek may even soothe certain skin conditions when applied topically.
Eases Digestive Woes & Heartburn
Fenugreek may reduce the discomfort of acid reflux or heartburn. People with frequent heartburn have found relief by taking a fenugreek fiber product 30 minutes before meals. Fenugreek fiber is just as effective as over-the-counter antacids at relieving heartburn. The seeds’ water-soluble fiber may have a soothing effect on the stomach lining and relieve constipation. In modern Ayurvedic medicine, practitioners recommend fenugreek for digestive issues stemming from excessive kapha (phlegm) and vata (wind).
Influences Appetite
Fenugreek may help regulate and modulate appetite according to the body’s needs. Overweight people taking fenugreek extract tend to eat less dietary fat. Taking a fenugreek supplement may even offset the effects of a high-fat diet. On the flip side, this herb can also increase appetite. Fenugreek extract appears to increase food intake and motivation in some cases, making it useful in treatment programs for anorexia to help stimulate appetite for weight gain.
Boosts Exercise Performance
Since fenugreek acts as a natural testosterone booster in men, it makes sense that the herb might improve athletic performance as well. Men who took both fenugreek extract and creatine for eight weeks had improved strength for resistance-training exercises like bench press and leg press strength. Instead of consuming mass quantities of simple carbs, try fenugreek to boost exercise performance.
Eases Menstrual Cramps
Many women turn to fenugreek tea or fenugreek powder during their monthly cycle to ease and soothe menstrual cramps. Taking fenugreek also reduces the need for over-the-counter pain medication during menstruation. Natural herbs like fenugreek contain wonderful phytochemicals that work with your body to provide comfort and health with minimal side effects.
Fenugreek Nutrition
Packed with nutrients, fenugreek need not be consumed in large amounts to offer benefits. One tablespoon of whole seeds has 36 calories and provides the following:
2.73 grams fiber
2.55 grams protein
21.2 milligrams magnesium
19.5 milligrams calcium
3.72 milligrams iron
0.32 milligrams thiamine (B-1)
0.13 milligrams manganese
Both the seeds and the leaves of the plant are used in Indian and Southeast Asian dishes, including curries, dhal, chutneys, and even bread. Fenugreek also appears in Middle Eastern desserts and, in the West, lends its flavor to imitation maple syrup products (though pure organic maple syrup is a better option).
Fenugreek dosages vary based on the supplement’s potency and the therapeutic benefits you seek.
Fenugreek Side Effects & Precautions
Generally considered safe for adult use, fenugreek does have a few precautions and side effects. Side effects are usually minor and may include a “maple syrup” smell to sweat, urine, or breast milk; diarrhea; upset stomach including gas or bloating; and a worsening of asthma symptoms.
People with low blood sugar should be aware that fenugreek can make blood sugar drop too low, causing dizziness or fainting. People on blood thinners or with a history of any clotting-related or bleeding disorder should also avoid fenugreek. Avoid this herb during pregnancy, as it can stimulate uterine contractions.
In breastfeeding women, side effects can include nausea, vomiting, or decreased glucose levels in the mother and diarrhea in the baby, as well as a maple syrup odor to the baby’s urine.
Points to Remember
Fenugreek is a therapeutic herb with a long and rich history in alternative medicine and Mediterranean cuisine. It has a wide range of potential benefits and uses. Breastfeeding women use fenugreek to increase milk supply, men use it to boost testosterone, and both sexes may call on the herb to enhance libido. Fenugreek may balance blood glucose in people with high blood sugar and promote healthy triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Other potential benefits include reducing inflammation, relieving heartburn and digestive issues, regulating appetite, and improving exercise performance. A common ingredient in Indian cuisine and spice blends, fenugreek is generally safe to use with a relatively low incidence of side effects.
Have you tried fenugreek? Did you cook with it or take it as a supplement? Share your experiences and thoughts below!
