The seeds of fenugreek are the most valuable part of the plant and have long been used as a nourishing dietary spice in its native Middle East, India and the Far East. It is also an important constituent of curries. In traditional medicine, fenugreek has been used to treat a number of conditions including diabetes, sore throats, and in poultices used to treat sores and abscesses. Recent investigations into the medicinal properties of this spice suggest it is important not only as a preventive for chronic diseases such as diabetes, but also for enhancing normal physiological processes, especially with respect to athletic performance.

Important Phytochemicals

Antioxidants: Apigenin, coumaric acid, genistein, isoorientin, isoquercitrin, isovitexin, kaempferol, lignin, luteolin, orientin, phytic acid, quercetin, quercitrin, rutin, selenium, superoxide-dismutase, vitexin

Others: Diosgenin, fenugreekine, trigonelline

Medicinal Properties

Cardiovascular Disease and Blood Lipids
Fenugreek has a strong modulating effect on blood lipid levels and can substantially reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. In diabetics, who usually suffer lipid imbalances, it has demonstrated a remarkable ability to lower cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL levels while raising HDL levels. Another property of fenugreek is the reduction of platelet aggregation which, in turn, dramatically reduces the risk of abnormal blood clotting associated with heart attacks and strokes. Like most spices, fenugreek also contains many important antioxidants and has the added benefit of protecting other dietary and internally produced antioxidants from free-radical damage.

Diabetes
Fenugreek, which has comparable antidiabetic potency to cinnamon, is one of the most valuable spices for the control of glucose metabolism and thus the prevention and treatment of Type II diabetes. It has been shown to lower blood glucose levels of Type II diabetics by as much as 46 percent. As an added bonus, fenugreek seeds are very rich in a type of dietary fiber that modulates post-prandial blood glucose levels by delaying the absorption of sugar in the intestines.
Fenugreek is also effective against diabetes-related cataracts which occur commonly in diabetics.

Endurance
One of the greatest difficulties facing athletes who compete in endurance events is maintaining a readily available supply of energy in the body. In order to achieve this, muscle carbohydrate stores, in the form of glycogen, must be continuously replenished. In an event lasting more than one-and-a-half hours, glycogen stores become depleted, and for the remainder of the event the athlete has to rely on external sources of energy, such as high carbohydrate drinks, which are inferior to glycogen as an energy source. Post-event re-synthesis of glycogen is also very important, and the two hours immediately following prolonged exercise is the crucial time for this process to occur.
Fenugreek has been shown to have a strong effect on glycogen replenishment; increasing post-event re-synthesis by over 60 percent in some endurance athletes. While its effects on glycogen re-synthesis during an event have yet to be tested, fenugreek is likely to exhibit a similarly beneficial effect during, as well as after, exercise.

Hormones
Fenugreek is one of the richest sources of phytoestrogens and is thus a very useful spice for women who have low estrogen levels. Phytoestrogens are also thought to help protect against certain types of cancer, and fenugreek may well be proven to have anti-tumorigenic effects should this property be investigated in the future.  

Nutrients
Fenugreek is one of the richest sources of selenium, which is among the most important antioxidant micronutrients. When consumed regularly, selenium appears to have a protective effect against a range of cancers, including those of the colon, lung and prostate. Recent evidence also shows that selenium helps to prevent the progression of HIV and other chronic viral illnesses.