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Blog - Fenugreek Materia Medica

Written by apothecary intern Suzy R. 

The herb goddess of femininity

Wise tales say it will make you curvaceous and voluminous. Belly dancers used to use it to accentuate their curves for dancing.

In ancient Egypt they used fenugreek as a uterine stimulant and to ease the pain of childbirth (1)

In the Middle East women traditionally took fenugreek to give them full breasts.

The Chinese use fenugreek to warm the kidneys and reproductive organs. It is used as a remedy for male impotence and to relieve abdominal pain. (3)

Fenugreek is one of the oldest known herbs used by Hippocrates and widely respected by both the east and west. (3)Native to Western Asia and the Middle East, Fenugreek grows to be about 1 to 2 feet tall. (2) It thrives in dry fertile soil and looks similar to clover in stature. (2)

I’m thoroughly impressed with Fenugreek!

Fenugreek is a very powerful and respectable herb. At the time of this study, I had an ongoing cold that ceased to end! I had tried nearly everything and still three months later I had a slight cough.

Fenugreek turned out to be my savor in more ways than intended.

From Garden Seed Supply

MY EXPERIENCES:

I made a daily tea with Fenugreek, licorice, and horehound. I steeped about 2 tablespoons of the mixture with 20 ounces of boiling water and let it steep for about 20 minutes.

I drank that mixture everyday, sometimes twice a day for two and half weeks. About a week into it I noticed my cough going away, my digestion was better and so was my skin.

A slight downside to the whole experience was the first week I noticed a difference in my weight. I didn’t relate it back to fenugreek; I thought maybe I was just eating too many carbs. After talking to my herbalist mentor and explaining my situation she said undeniably that it was related to the fenugreek. She said it was completely normal to gain weight when first taking fenugreek but then it would stabilize.

She was completely right, on week two the weight went away and it stabilized.

I finished off the blend, which ended up taking me about two and a half weeks. By the end of the two and a half weeks my cough was completely gone, I felt more energized and had a general sense of well-being.

 

MATERIA MEDICA: FENUGREEK

By Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thoméderivative work: Ninjatacoshell (talk) – Illustration_Trigonella_foenum-graecum0.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7632015

Latin nameTrigonella foenum-graecum

Family: Fabaceae family

Parts used: seed

Actions: nutritive, phytoestrogenic, restorative, stimulant, anti-inflammatory, aphrodisiac, emmenagogue,

Preparation and dosage:

  • Tea steep: 2 tablespoons in 20oz of water
  • Applied topically: crush seeds and use as a poultice.

Uses:

Fenugreek has been known to help to stabilize blood sugar levels and it contains six compounds within it that do that. (1)

It has a high amount of mucilage content which in turn helps to nourish and sooth the mucus membranes.

It helps to balance hormones, sooth the digestive system, help with stomach issues, and prevent fever. (3)

Topically Fenugreek is good for healing sores abbesses and boils.(3)

 

Sources:

1. Edwards, Gail Faith. Opening Our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs. Woodstock, NY: Ash Tree Pub., 2000. Print.

2. Mars, Brigitte. The Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine: The Ultimate Multidisciplinary Reference to the Amazing Realm of Healing Plants, in a Quick-study, One-stop Guide. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Pub., 2007. Print.

3.Tierra, Michael, and David Frawley. Planetary Herbology: An Integration of Western Herbs into the Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic Systems. Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus, 1988. Print.

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