Abstract

FENUGREEK: PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIONS

Dr. Ragni Sinha*, Prof. Dr. G. P. Rauniar, Dr. Dipesh Raj Panday and Dr. Sunil Adhikari

ABSTRACT

Background: Fenugreek’s leaves and seeds are used as daily spices in our recipies. It is also used as an ingredient in traditional medicine. Preliminary animal and human trails suggest possible hypoglycemic and antihyperlipidemic properties of oral fenugreek seed powder. Methods: The authors reviewed the available data regarding medicinal activities of Trigonella foenum-graecum both in human and non-human subjects searching the Google, HINARI, PubMed for articles published in English using keywords ‘Fenugreek’, ‘Trigonella foenum-graecum’, ‘Uses’, ‘Hypolipidemic effects’, ‘hypoglycemic effects’. Results: Phytochemically it contains trigonelline, sapogenins, 4-hydroxyisoleucine, diosgenin, aponins, etc. possessing hypolipidemic, antihyperdipidemic and many other properties. Conclusion: Lack of adequate better controlled human trials has limited use of fenugreek and still far from recommending it as an antihypercholesteric and antidiabetic agent.

Keywords: Fenugreek, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Antihyperlipidemic, Hypoglycemic.