अमूर्त

A Review on: Pharmacological action of Fenugreek

Gayyur Fatima, Talib Mehdi *, Lubaba Zehara

A fenugreek seed is one of the most ancient medicinal herbs. Trigonella foenum graceum is traditional herbs belong to family Leguminosae. The seed and leaves are well known medicinal applications. It is native to the eastern Mediterranean but is cultivated worldwide. This plant has medicinal alkaloids, steroid compounds, and sapogenins and many uses have been mentioned for this plant in traditional medicine. It is also containing protein, fats and fibre. This plant has been used to ease childbirth, to aid digestion, and as a general tonic to improve metabolism. Trigonelline is considered as the most important metabolite of fenugreek, which is very effective in treating diabetes and decreasing blood cholesterol. Important chemical constituent of Fenugreek seeds including steroidal sapogenins, Diosgenin constituents has been found in the oily embryo of fenugreek seeds. Pharmacological action of fenugreek are antioxidant action, gastroprotective activity, appetite stimulation and antirheumatism. Many studies have been performed on the therapeutic effects and identification of chemical compounds of this plant. In this article, the most important biological effects and reported compounds about fenugreek seed are reviewed and its therapeutic applications are investigated.