fenugreek
Trigonella foenum-graecum · Accepted scientific name
Scientific literature: Very Extensive (1654 studies) · ★★★★★
Fenugreek, scientifically known as Trigonella foenum-graecum, is a versatile medicinal herb valued for centuries in traditional healing. Rich in bioactive compounds, this plant offers diverse health benefits, ranging from regulating blood sugar levels to improving digestion. Its potent seeds and leaves serve as vital therapeutic agents in global wellness.
Names
Common Names
- Fenugreek
- Greek hay
- Greek-clover
- Sickle-fruit Fenugreek
- sicklefruit fenugreek
Regional and Traditional Names
Spanish:
- Medicago foenum graecum
- Fenogreco
- Foenugraecum officinale
- Chemen
- Buceras odoratissima
- Foenugraecum sativum
- Alhova
- Telis foenum-graecum
- Helba
- Buceras foenum-graecum
- Buceras foenum graecum
- Folliculigera foenum-graecum
- Trigonella foenum graecum
- Telis foenum graecum
- Folliculigera foenum graecum
- Cemen
- alholva
German:
- Bockshornklee
- Kuhhornklee
- Griechisch Heu
- Fenugreek
- Bockshornklee
- Griechischer Bockshornklee
French:
- Fenugrec
- Trigonella fœnum-græcum
- Fenu grec
- Trigonelle
- fenugrec
- Trigonelle fenugrec
Scientific Names
Accepted name
Trigonella foenum-graecumSynonyms
- Medicago foenugraeca
- Buceras foenum-graecum
- Foenum-graecum officinale var. gladiatum
- Buceras odoratissima
- Trigonella ensifera
- Trigonella haussknechtii
- Trigonella rhodantha
- Trigonella foenum-graecum subsp. indica
- Trigonella foenum-graecum subsp. culta
- Foenum-graecum officinale var. prostratum
- Trigonella foenum-graecum var. haussknechtii
- Foenum-graecum officinale var. rhodanthum
- Trigonella foenum-graecum subsp. jemenensis
- Trigonella tibetana
- Trigonella jemenensis
- Telis foenum-graecum
- Foenum-graecum officinale var. tibetanum
- Foenum-graecum officinale
- Foenum-graecum sativum
- Folliculigera graveolens
Taxonomical Classification
This plant, known scientifically as Trigonella foenum-graecum, belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta. Within the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae, it is classified under the order Fabales and the family Fabaceae. It is further categorized under the genus Trigonella.
| Rank | Classification | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae | WCVP |
| Phylum | Streptophyta | WCVP |
| Class | Equisetopsida | WCVP |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | WCVP |
| Order | Fabales | WCVP |
| Family | Fabaceae | WCVP |
| Genus | Trigonella | WCVP |
Distribution
This plant exhibits a specific distribution pattern across several regions of the European continent. In Northern Europe, its presence can be noted within the borders of Great Britain. Moving toward Middle Europe, the species is found throughout the country of Austria. It also inhabits parts of Middle Europe including Belgium and the territory of Germany. Finally, the geographical range extends through the Czechia-Slovakia region of Middle Europe.
| Region | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Europe | Great Britain | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Austria | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Belgium | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Czechia-Slovakia | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Germany | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Hungary | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Switzerland | WCVP |
| Southwestern Europe | France | WCVP |
| Southwestern Europe | Portugal | WCVP |
| Southwestern Europe | Sardegna | WCVP |
Plant Parts
This plant, commonly known as fenugreek, is a versatile medicinal herb where various components serve different purposes. The small, hard seeds are widely used in traditional medicine to regulate blood sugar and improve digestion. The fresh leaf is often consumed to add nutritional value to meals, while the dried leaves are utilized in various herbal preparations. In many culinary traditions, the plant is treated as a vegetable when harvested young, and the single seed represents the fundamental unit of its potent pharmacological properties.| Plant Part | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| seed | Journal of diabetes research (and other 20 sources) | ★★★★★ |
| leaf | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 7 sources) | ★★★★☆ |
| fruit | Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| stem | Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Chemicals
Trigonella foenum-graecum has 287 reported phytochemicals identified across 29 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include DIOSGENIN, Flavonoids, Saponins, 4-Hydroxyisoleucine, Trigonelline.
| Chemical | Supporting sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| DIOSGENIN | 20 supporting sources | ★★★★★ |
| Flavonoids | 16 supporting sources | ★★★★★ |
| Saponins | 11 supporting sources | ★★★★★ |
| 4-Hydroxyisoleucine | 9 supporting sources | ★★★★☆ |
| Trigonelline | 9 supporting sources | ★★★★☆ |
| Galactomannan | 6 supporting sources | ★★★☆☆ |
| Phenols | 5 supporting sources | ★★★☆☆ |
| quercetin | 5 supporting sources | ★★★☆☆ |
| Ash | 4 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Tannins | 4 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
DIOSGENIN
- Dr. Duke
- New biotechnology
- Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
- BMC genomics
- Food & function
View 15 additional sources
- Frontiers in plant science
- Nature communications
- International journal of experimental diabetes research
- Steroids
- Lipids
- Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity
- Plant physiology and biochemistry : PPB
- BioMed research international
- Phytochemical analysis : PCA
- Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society
- Planta medica
- Molecular biology reports
- Acta pharmaceutica (Zagreb, Croatia)
- Biomedical chromatography : BMC
- Pharmaceutical biology
Flavonoids
- Genes
- Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences
- Critical reviews in food science and nutrition
- Saudi journal of biological sciences
- Nutrients
View 11 additional sources
- BMC complementary and alternative medicine
- Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
- Current diabetes reviews
- Frontiers in plant science
- Phytotherapy research : PTR
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
- F1000Research
- Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening
- Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
- Pharmaceutical biology
- Journal of food science
Saponins
- Dr. Duke
- Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences
- Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry
- Critical reviews in food science and nutrition
- Saudi journal of biological sciences
View 6 additional sources
- Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
- Phytochemical analysis : PCA
- Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening
- Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
- Pharmaceutical biology
- Journal of food science
4-Hydroxyisoleucine
- Dr. Duke
- New biotechnology
- European journal of pharmacology
- BioDrugs : clinical immunotherapeutics, biopharmaceuticals and gene therapy
- Metabolic syndrome and related disorders
View 4 additional sources
- Human & experimental toxicology
- Biomedical chromatography : BMC
- Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters
- Diabetes
Trigonelline
- Dr. Duke
- Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine
- Journal of ethnopharmacology
- International journal of experimental diabetes research
- Frontiers in plant science
View 4 additional sources
- Natural product research
- Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society
- Metabolic brain disease
- Biomedical chromatography : BMC
Galactomannan
- Dr. Duke
- New biotechnology
- The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology
- Journal of toxicology
- Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
View 1 additional sources
- Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
Phenols
- Dr. Duke
- Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences
- Journal of ethnopharmacology
- Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
- Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
quercetin
- Dr. Duke
- Microorganisms
- Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society
- Molecular biology reports
- Analytical chemistry
Ash
- Dr. Duke
- Scientific reports
- Mini reviews in medicinal chemistry
- International journal of food science
Tannins
- Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences
- Saudi journal of biological sciences
- Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
- Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
Activities
Trigonella foenum-graecum has 739 reported activities identified across 29 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antidiabetic, Antibacterial, Hypoglycemic, Anticancer.
Most Reported Activities
| Activity | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| Antioxidant | Dr. Duke (and other 17 sources) | ★★★★★ |
| Antidiabetic | Dr. Duke (and other 16 sources) | ★★★★★ |
| Antibacterial | Dr. Duke (and other 10 sources) | ★★★★★ |
| Hypoglycemic | Dr. Duke (and other 8 sources) | ★★★★☆ |
| Anticancer | Dr. Duke (and other 5 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| Anticarcinogenic | Dr. Duke (and other 5 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| Hypolipidemic | Dr. Duke (and other 5 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| Antifungal | Journal of biomolecular structure & dynamics (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Antimicrobial | Dr. Duke (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Hepatoprotective | Dr. Duke (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
Medicinal Uses
Trigonella foenum-graecum has 148 reported medicinal uses identified across 29 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include cancer, inflammation, diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance, Alzheimer's disease.
Most Reported Uses
| Use | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| cancer | Alternatives to laboratory animals : ATLA (and other 9 sources) | ★★★★☆ |
| inflammation | Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.) (and other 7 sources) | ★★★★☆ |
| diabetes mellitus | Chinese journal of integrative medicine (and other 6 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| insulin resistance | Human & experimental toxicology (and other 5 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| Alzheimer's disease | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| antidiabetic | Frontiers in plant science (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| blood glucose | Drug research (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| dyslipidemia | Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| hyperglycemia | Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| antioxidant | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
Preparations
| Preparations | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| extracts | BMC complementary and alternative medicine (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| seeds | Plants (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Decoctions | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Extracts | Heliyon (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Fenugreek extract diosgenin | Molecular biology reports (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Fenugreek leaf powder | Journal of medicinal food (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Methanolic Extract | BioMed research international (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Methanolic extracts | Pakistan journal of biological sciences : PJBS (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Trigonella foenum-graecum seed | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Vivabon syrup | Journal of chromatographic science (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |