Fenugreek

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Fenugreek is a popular spice, which grows almost everywhere in Bulgaria, but is most common in Northeastern Bulgaria. Well known as an indispensable ingredient in colorful salt, fenugreek has a pleasant and appetizing aroma. The fenugreek, also called Chimen is known by the Latin name Trigonella foenum-graecum. Fenugreek is an annual plant of the legume family. The real, widespread and popular spice fenugreek is prepared from the seeds of the plant.

The Latin name of the fenugreek Foenum graecum means "Greek hay". The homeland of fenugreek is the lands around the Mediterranean Sea. However, it is also well known in China, India and North Africa. The etymology is preserved in many languages, for example in English Greek hay, Slovak Senovka grécka, Croatian Grčko sijeno. The brownish-yellow seeds of barley contain essential oil with over 40 ingredients, which give the spice a specific, slightly bitter taste.

Types of fenugreek

Garden fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is an annual plant. The root is spindle-shaped. The stem is up to 1 m high, slightly branched. The leaves are triple, with stipules fused to the petiole. The flowers are pale yellow to yellow and are sessile in the axils of the upper leaves. Once they bloom, they form seed pods, the seeds have a specific smell when crushed (resembles freshly cut hay) and a bitter taste.

Polish fenugreek is an annual plant. The stem is smooth, up to 90 cm high with 5-7 branches, the leaves are trifoliate, elliptical oval, with a strongly serrated outer edge. The flowers are pale purple, gathered 30-35 in spike inflorescences, carried by long stalks. The peppers are short-ovate with 1-3 seeds. They are small, yellowish.

The field fenugreek has the same preferences and is grown as the garden fenugreek, but for its sowing more seeds are needed - for 100 sq.m - 200-250 g. The garden fenugreek and the field fenugreek cross easily, from which a hybrid is obtained. If you want the crop to be of only one species, then it is necessary to provide spatial isolation between the two of 500 m. Field fenugreek is not only a spice but also an insecticide and diuretic, as well as a very preferred honey plant. It is sown in March.

Garden fenugreek is also known as Greek barley. It is well known since ancient times, where the ancient Greeks and Egyptians used it as a medicinal and food plant. In Egypt, it was used for cult purposes in embalming the dead. In ancient China it was also used for medicinal purposes. Fenugreek was especially popular during the time of Charlemagne, when it was revered in the royal gardens.

Fenugreek composition

IN fenugreek are contained construction saponins, which are essentially derivatives of the aglycones gitigenin, yamogenin, diosgenin and tigogenin. Fenugreek also contains lecithin, phytin, choline and trogonelline. The individual parts of fenugreek contain up to 20-30% of mucous substances, which contain galactomannans and stachiosis.

Fenugreek in cooking

In addition to being an integral part of colorful salt, fenugreek is regularly used in the preparation of sausages, sausages, pastrami and other delicacies from meat and fish. Fresh fenugreek leaves and twigs serve as a good spice for local dishes. Fenugreek is very popular in Egypt, some Asian countries, and in our national cuisine it is often used. Fenugreek combines well with other spices such as savory, black and red pepper, parsley, dill, mint. It has the ability to easily absorb odors, so it must be stored separately.

If roasted, the seeds of barley acquire a characteristic aroma of nuts. In many countries, barley is used to kaiser meat - to make kaiser pastrami. This use is directly related to its strong antiseptic action. Small amounts of barley are found in almost every Indian curry. Aromatic seeds with a bitter taste are mainly an ingredient in the Bengal punch mixture. Barley is also present in the Georgian spice mix called kmeli-suneli.

Benefits of fenugreek

Fenugreek seeds were used as a spice and medicinal plant by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Due to its antiseptic action, barley has been used to treat wounds and abscesses, rheumatism, gout, eczema, and internally has been used to treat bronchitis and digestive problems. Chinese healers offered it to men with reproductive problems. In the Middle Ages it was also used as a medicinal plant.

Fresh fenugreek leaves and twigs are rich in essential oils, vitamins (vitamin C - over 120 mg%) and other valuable substances. The savory and fenugreek in the colorful salt have the ability to awaken the senses. With its strong scent, fenugreek is used in many aphrodisiacs, and in the past it was used to wake up unconscious people. Cumin also stimulates metabolism, lowers blood sugar. In addition, fenugreek improves appetite and restores the body's strength.

One of the ancients uses of fenugreek is an increase in libido. Mediterranean and West Asian cultures have included the herb in their diets for thousands of years to increase sexual desire. Recent studies show that fenugreek can increase libido in both sexes.

Fenugreek can be taken as a capsule or to boil in tea, or to grind the seeds and add to food or bread. A dose of 500 to 600 mg of fenugreek capsules per day is recommended to increase libido. As with any herbal supplement, you should consult your doctor to determine the right amount for you.

Fenugreek powder has long been combined with other soothing herbs to prepare paws and treat skin inflammations and injuries. Recent studies suggest that fenugreek may have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

People take fenugreek in various forms as an herbal supplement. Its most common form is a pill or capsule, but the plant can be made into tea or ground and combined with other ingredients to make a poultice and apply to injured skin.

Fenugreek seeds are commonly used as a supplement to control blood sugar, especially to prevent diabetes. It seems to alleviate problems with blood sugar metabolism. Let's look at some of the evidence behind this use of fenugreek.

The most well-known benefits of fenugreek are breast milk stimulation, stabilizing blood sugar levels, increasing testosterone and male libido, and treating inflammation.

Let's look at the benefits of fenugreek, along with research studies supporting these effects. Although there are a number of studies currently underway, we hope that scientists will continue to look at the effects of fenugreek and get a better idea of what makes this spice so useful.

Fenugreek is widely used as a galactagogue or breast milk enhancer. Breastfeeding women take fenugreek in pill form or drink it as a tea after giving birth.

While fenugreek seems to be an effective galactagogue, but it can have adverse effects if you take it during pregnancy. Most doctors advise women to take fenugreek supplements only after giving birth, not before…

People consume fenugreek for thousands of years and many believe that it has a wide range of benefits. Here are some additional benefits of fenugreek seeds:

- Balances cholesterol;

- Soothes upset stomach and digestive problems;

- Reduces menstrual cramps;

- Decreases appetite;

- Reduces weight;

- Maintains the health of the liver and kidneys;

- Soothes muscle pain;

- Reduces the temperature.

Can fenugreek seeds really achieve all this? There is currently little scientific evidence behind these presumed benefits, so much more research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of this herbal supplement.

Harm from fenugreek

In many large quantities of fenugreek can cause some adverse effects - bloating, diarrhea, gas and even allergic reactions. Pregnant women should be very careful with the amounts of fenugreek, because it can cause contractions. People who take medicines to lower blood sugar or slow down the blood clotting process should consult a doctor about intake of fenugreek.