Fenugreek Seed (Trigonella foenum-graecum)
An extract equivalent to 1-3 tablespoons of fenugreek seeds to the daily diet of diabetics significantly lowered blood sugars, HbA1C, triglycerides, and total cholesterol while raising HDL ("good") cholesterol, but most North Americans, Australians, and Europeans would find the bitter taste difficult. Encapsulated forms are most easily tolerated.
Poultices of fenugreek seeds are a traditional remedy for furuncles, boils, and eczema.
Fenugreek is frequently used by lactating women to increase milk supply. It is also used in cooking.
Cuisine
The cuboid yellow to amber coloured fenugreek seeds are frequently used in the preparation of pickles, curry powders, and pastes, and is often encountered in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent. The seeds are used as seasoning for many dishes or in powdered form to mix with rice, since the health benefits of added seeds (or leaves) to the diet, in moderate quantities, is considerable[citation needed]. The young leaves and sprouts of fenugreek are eaten as greens, and the fresh or dried leaves are used to flavour other dishes. The dried leaves (called kasturi methi) have a bitter taste and a characteristically strong smell.
Fenugreek green is a very popular curry cooked in the major sub-continental region of India and Pakistan, usually together with potatoes and/or spinach, and eaten with Roti or Naan (flatbread) and/or rice. It is usually eaten boiled in China, and central and Western Asia.
In India, fenugreek seeds are mixed with yogurt which is used as hair conditioner. It is also one of the ingredients of khakhra, a type of bread.
The name "fenugreek" or foenum-graecum is from Latin for "Greek hay". The plant's similarity to wild clover has likely spawned its Swedish name, "bockhornsklöver" as well as in German - "Bockshornklee" , literally meaning: "ram's horn clover".
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