The efficacy and effects of fenugreek

Fenugreek is a medicinal herb that is quite common in our daily life. We can eat fenugreek appropriately. Since many people don’t know much about fenugreek, let’s take a look at it below.

[Other names] Fenugreek (Hou Ningji's "Pharmacopoeia"), bitter bean ("Yinshi Zhengyao"), fenugreek ("Bencao Yuanshi"), Huba ("Bencao Qiuzhen"), quarter bean ("Northeast Medicinal Plant Records"), Xiaomuxia, coumarin ("Xinjiang Chinese Herbal Medicine Handbook").

[Source] It is the seeds of fenugreek, a plant of the leguminous family. In autumn, when the seeds mature, the whole plant is harvested, the seeds are beaten, impurities are removed, and the seeds are dried.

[Original form] Fenugreek, also known as: rue (Shengjing Tongzhi), vanilla, bitter grass, bitter flower vegetable, alfalfa.

[Habitat distribution] It is cultivated in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Henan, Anhui, Zhejiang, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu and Xinjiang in my country. It is mainly produced in Henan, Anhui, Sichuan and other places; it is also produced in Yunnan, Shaanxi and Northeast China.

[Properties] The seeds are slightly oblique square or rectangular, 3 to 4 mm long, 2 to 3 mm wide, and about 2 mm thick. The surface is yellow-brown to reddish-brown and smooth. There is a deep oblique groove on each side, and the hilum and micropyle can be seen where the two oblique grooves meet. It is hard and not easy to break. The seed coat is thin, and a circle of endosperm can be seen inside the longitudinal section. After soaking in water, the endosperm becomes mucous. The cotyledons are slightly asymmetrical and light yellow. The radicle is curved, hypertrophic and long. The endosperm occupies a large area in the cross section, with two oblong cotyledons and a round radicle at one end. It has a faint odor, a unique aroma when crushed, and a light and slightly bitter taste. The best ones are large, full and free of impurities.

[Chemical composition] The seeds contain gentianine, papain, cholecalciferol, fenugreek alkaloids and other bioalkaloids. The sapogenins are mainly diosgenin, yamgenin, a small amount of diosgenin and a trace amount of tegusapogenin. Flavonoids such as vitexin, vitexin-7-glucoside, arabinoside of orientin or isoorientin, glucose-rhamnose disaccharide of flavonoids, quercetin, luteolin, etc. have also been isolated.

[Pharmacological action] Fenugreek is generally believed to have no pharmacological action; however, some people have reported that it can reduce the duration of nerves in neuromuscular specimens, while first reducing and then increasing the duration of muscles. The oil in the seeds contains lactogenic components, which do not contain iodine, nitrogen, or sulfur and have no sex hormone-like effects. The seeds after de-oiling contain 50% indigestible mucilage, so they have certain laxative effects. The seeds also have a mild nematode effect.

[Preparation] Fenugreek: Pick out impurities; wash with water and dry in the sun. Stir-fry fenugreek with salt: Take clean fenugreek, spray it with salt water and mix well. Simmer for a while, stir-fry until it sounds and turns yellow, then take it out and let it cool. (For every 100 catties of fenugreek, use 2.5 catties of salt and appropriate amount of water to dissolve it)

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter, warm.

[entry into meridians] Enters kidney and liver meridians.

【Functions and indications】Replenishes kidney yang, eliminates cold and dampness. It is used to treat cold hernia, abdominal and flank distension, athlete's foot due to cold and dampness, low back pain due to kidney deficiency, and impotence.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoct in water, 1 to 3 qian; or make into pills or powder.

【Note】 Those with Yin deficiency and excess fire should not take this medicine.

【Storage】 Store in a dry place.

[Additional prescription] ① To treat bladder gas: Fenugreek, fennel seeds, and peach kernels (fried with bran) in equal parts. Make half of it into pills with wine paste, and the other half into powder. Take fifty to seventy pills each time, on an empty stomach with salt and wine before meals; disperse with hot rice drink and take it with pills alternately, take on an empty stomach, one to two doses a day. ("Compendium of Materia Medica")

【Discussions by various scholars】 ① "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Fenugreek is a medicine for the right kidney gate of life. It is suitable for those who are deficient in primordial yang, with latent cold qi, and cannot return to the original yang. Zhang Zihe's "Rumen Shiqin" says that someone was suffering from blindness and wanted to eat bitter beans, that is, fenugreek. He took it frequently and within a year, he had a slight pain in his eyes, as if a worm was crawling into the canthus, and gradually his eyes became clearer and he recovered. This is also because of its function of benefiting the gate of life, so-called benefiting the source of fire to eliminate yin."

[Clinical Application] Used to prevent and treat altitude sickness: Dry the bitter bean leaves and grind them into powder, then make pills with honey. Each pill contains about 2 grams of the raw drug. ㈠For preventive use, 2 pills per person, taken with boiled water; 62 people were observed, 21 of them showed no reaction after taking the medicine, and 41 people still had reactions. ㈡ For therapeutic use, the daily dose is 8 to 12 grams, taken for 3 consecutive days; 108 people were observed, and the total effective rate was 28.4%; 15 people developed side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea after taking the medicine, but they were all mild and disappeared after taking it after meals or stopping the medicine for one meal. This product is quite effective in improving one or two single symptoms. For example, 68.5% of patients’ sleep condition improved after taking the medicine. Therefore, it can be inferred that bitter bean has a certain inhibitory effect on the central nervous system. There is little change in pulse and respiration.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

Through the detailed introduction of this article, I believe everyone has a certain understanding of the functions and effects of fenugreek. The several functions and effects introduced in the article are relatively common. I hope everyone can remember them and they will be helpful in your life.