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What Is Fenugreek?
What Is Fenugreek?
Fenugreek is a leafy green legume native to Eurasia and Africa that is widely used for its nutritional and aromatic value [1].
For almost six thousand years, traditional healers in Africa and Asia have claimed that it eases labor, alleviates digestive problems, and improves skin conditions such as boils, eczema, and inflammation [1, 2, 3].
Fenugreek goes by many names around the world. It is methi in Hindi, hulba in Arabic, moshoseitaro in Greek, uluva in Malayalam, shoot in Hebrew, and dari in Persian. Fenugreek is a common ingredient in spice powders in Indian cuisine. It is used fresh in salads and cooked or dried in other dishes [1].
Today, it is most often taken by athletes, diabetics, and people who struggle to maintain normal levels of fat in their blood [4].
Fenugreek Nutrition Facts
Fenugreek Nutrition Facts
Each tablespoon of fenugreek seed contains approximately 7 g of fiber, 3.6 g of protein, and 1.1 g of fats. It also contains many nutrients, including [1]:
1.7 – 6 mg of vitamin C
47.6 μg of vitamin B1 (thiamine)
0.04 – 0.05 mg of vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
0.84 mg of vitamin B3 (niacin)
0.08 mg of vitamin B6
0.33 mg of zinc
0.13 mg of copper
3.6 mg of iron
It may not sound like much, but those are significant amounts in terms of daily recommended intakes.
Consider, for example, that the National Institutes of Health recommends that adults should get between 8 mg (for a man) and 18 mg (for a woman) of iron in their diets per day. A single tablespoon of fenugreek seeds contains 20 – 45% of the daily recommended intake of iron [6, 7].
Fenugreek seeds also contain other nutrients (like carotenes, folate, and magnesium), but not enough to make a dent in recommended intakes [6, 1].
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