HOMOEOPATHIC USES OF FENUGREEK
Botanical name
Trigonella foenum- graecum Linn
Synonymous
Glycine labialia Linn
Common names
Bengali
Methi
English Feugreek
Hindi
Methi
Sanskrit
Methika
Tamil
Vendayam
Occurrence & Distribution
Originally found beside the Black
Sea, fenugreek is widely grown annual in India ,
North Africa, and the United
States
Wild in
Kahmir, Punjab ,
and the upper Gangetic plains. Widely cultivated in many parts of India
Description
An erect
aromatic annual herb, 30- 60 cm tall. Leaves pinnate, 3- foliate. Leaflets
obscurely dentate, oblanceolate- oblong, 2.0 -2.5 cm long. Flowers
axillary , 1 or 2, white or yellow- white. Pods beaked, turgid, 3- 15 cm long.
Seeds 10- 20 , oblong with a deep groove across one corner, greenish brown, 2.5
-5.0 mm x 2.0- 3.5 mm
Flowers
during January and fruits in March
Part used
Seeds and
leaves. Seeds are picked when ripe in August and September
The pods are
stripped away and the seeds are made in to a liquid extract or tincture, or
ground and sold as powder or tablet form
Chemical
constituents
The
endosperm of the seed is rich in galactomannam. Young seeds mainly contain
carbohydrates and sugar. Mature seeds yield amino acids and fatty acids on
hydrolysis. Carotene, vitamins, saponins, viz. graecunins H-N, being glycosides
of diosgenin differing in the sugar units attached, fenugrin B, and sapogenins,
such as diosgenin, gitogenin, neogitogenin, homoorientin, saponaretin,
neogigogenin, and tigogenin, vicenins 1 and 2 , vitexin and isovitexin,
yamogenin and its tetrosides B and C , trigonelloside C, 3, 26 – bisglycoside
, flavones- C- glycoside- vitexin- 2’ – O- p- coumarate, the alkaloids,
trogonelline, and choline besides 7- acetoxy-4- methyl coumarin, furastanol
glycosides, kaempferol, luteolin, quercetin. Leaves give saponins viz,
diosgenin, and is glycoside, graecunin B , graecunins A and C, gitogenin,
togogenin, kaempferol, quercetin and b- sitosterol
Therapeutic
uses
Seeds- mucilaginous, demulcent, diuretic, tonic,
carminative, emenagogue, astringent, emollient and aphrodisiac. Useful
remedy for fatigue, weight loss colic, flatulence, dysentery, diarrhea,
anorexia, cough, dropsy, enlargement of liver and spleen, rheumatism,
lymphatism, rickets, anemia, and diabetes
Fenugreek
lowers blood sugar level in Type 2 diabetes mellitus, reducing resistence to
insulin and removing excess triglycerides in the blood. The fibre and saponin
in fenugreek are known to reduce cholesterol and blood lipids
Leaves-
Cooling and mild aperients , found useful in the treatment of
external swellings and burn.
HOMOEOPATHIC USES-
DIABETES- A specific remedy for diabetes.
Mother tincture prepared from the seeds are given 10-15 drops a dose thrice
daily , controls diabetes and reduces sugar in blood and urine. Also controls
poluuria
CAUTION
Fenugreek is
not toxic and is considered completely safe
It contains
steroid compounds and should not be taken by children before they reach puberty
Pregnant and
breastfeeding women should not take more of the spice than is normally found in
food
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