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HERB ALLEY
Fenugreek Seeds
(Trigonella foenum-graecum)
COMMON NAMES: Fenugreek.
MEDICINAL PART: Seed.
DESCRIPTION: Fenugreek
is an annual plant widely cultivated for both medicinal and culinary uses.
A long taproot sends up a round stem with few branches. The leaves
are trifoliate, on hairy petioles, with obovate leaflets. In June
and July, axillary, sessile, yellowish flowers appear. The fruit
is a 16-seeded, compressed. malodorous legume.
PROPERTIES AND USES:
Expectorant, mucilaginous, restorative. Fenugreek is one of the oldest
medicinal plants, dating back to the ancient Egyptians and Hippocrates.
Large amounts of the decoction are given to strengthen those suffering
from tuberculosis or recovering from an illness. It can also be taken
for bronchitis or fevers and gargled for sore throat. Fenugreek has
at times been, and sometimes still is, considered an aphrodisiac.
Make a poultice of pulverized seeds for gouty pains, neuralgia, sciatica,
swollen glands, wounds, furuncles, fistulasm tumors, sores, and skin irritations.
PREPERATION AND DOSAGE:
Decoction: Use 2 tsp
seed with 1 cup cold water; let stand for 5 hours. Then heat and
boil for 1 minute. Take 2 to 3 cups a day. Improve the taste
with peppermint oil, lemon extract, honey, or sugar.
The Herb Book by
John Lust
