Age Ayurveda Nighantu Ayurvedic practitioner? List or verify your practice

Fenugreek Herb

Trigonella foenum-graecum

Fenugreek Herb (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is a plant drug, also called Methika, Bahuparni and Dipani. Flavone C-glycosides (vitexin, orientin) are absorbed intact via SGLT1 transporter with moderate bioavailability (20-35%). Leaf saponin content is lower than seeds, resulting in less GI disturbance.

Key facts
Botanical nameTrigonella foenum-graecum
FamilyFabaceae · other entries in this family
OrderFabales
Also known asFenugreek Herb, FenugreekHerb
Taxon identifiersGBIF 5360475 · Wikidata Q133205 · NCBI Taxonomy 78534
Names in other languages
Sanskritमेथिका (methikā), बहुपर्णी (bahuparṇī), दीपनी (dīpanī), मेथिनी (methinī)
Hindiमेथी (methī)
Tamilவெந்தயம்

Sources: Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I Vol II, monograph 48 METHĪ (Trigonella foenum-graecum Linn.), Sanskrit: Methini; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I Vol II, monograph 48 METHĪ (seeds of Trigonella foenum-graecum Linn.), Hindi: Methi; also Flowers of India (Fenugreek) in Devanagari: 'Hindi: मेथी Methi'.; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I Vol II, monograph 48 METHĪ, Tamil: Mendium, Ventaiyam; Flowers of India (Fenugreek) in Tamil script: 'Tamil: வெந்தயம் Vendayam'.; Flowers of India, Fenugreek page, Sanskrit list in Devanagari: बहुपर्णी Bahuparni, बहुपत्रिका Bahupatrika, चन्द्रिका Chandrika, गंधबीज, गंधफल; Rāja Nighaṇṭu (13th c.) via wisdomlib s.v. Methikā: 'Methikā is another name for Methī, also identified with Trigonella foenum-graecum Linn.'; Śyainika-śāstra uses methikā-cūrṇa (powdered Methi) for the same plant.; Rāja Nighaṇṭu (13th c.), quoted at wisdomlib s.v. Dīpanī: 'Dīpanī is another name for Methī, also identified with Trigonella foenum-graecum Linn.'; Monier-Williams: 'Dīpanī f. Trigonella Foenum Graecum'. Flowers of India also lists 'dipani' among the Sanskrit names on its Fenugreek page.. How we source.

The evidence at a glance

12papers on this site for this drug, published 2011 to 2025, 10 with a DOI.

  • 1Randomised controlled trials
  • 9Other clinical studies and reviews
  • 2Laboratory and animal studies

A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Each paper is listed with what it measured on the page below. See the research index for how papers are tiered.

Names and identification

LanguageName
EnglishFenugreek Herb

What is it made of?

The marker compounds are listed under Dosage forms and preparation, below.

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Fresh leaves (culinary/medicinal), Dried leaf powder (Kasuri Methi), Capsule (leaf extract), Tablet, Tea/infusion, Tincture

Standard Dosage: Fresh leaves: 10-30g in cooking; Dried leaf powder: 2-5g twice daily; 500mg standardized leaf extract capsule twice daily; infusion: 3-5g dried leaf in hot water

Optimal Timing: With meals for glycemic modulation; dried leaf tea after meals as digestive; fresh leaves consumed as part of meals

Storage: Fresh leaves: refrigerate in perforated bags. Dried leaves: airtight containers, dark, cool, and dry place. Protect from moisture - dried fenugreek leaves absorb moisture rapidly, becoming limp and losing aroma.

Marker Compounds: Vitexin, Orientin, Isovitexin, Chlorogenic acid, Diosgenin (trace, lower than seed), Trigonelline (lower than seed), Iron content

Synergistic Combinations

  • With fenugreek seeds for comprehensive metabolic support
  • Traditionally combined with Gudmar (Gymnema) to support healthy glucose metabolism
  • With Tulsi for immune-metabolic combination
  • With Curry leaves for iron-rich nutritive formulation

Published research

Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.

Randomised controlled trials1

  1. Rao A, Steels E, Inder WJ and others. 2016. Testofen, a specialised Trigonella foenum-graecum seed extract reduces age-related symptoms of androgen decrease, increases testosterone levels and improves sexual function in healthy aging males in a double-blind randomised clinical studyThe aging male : the official journal of the International Society for the Study of the Aging Male. PMID 26791805 · doi:10.3109/13685538.2015.1135323

Other clinical studies and reviews9

  1. Akhtar H, Ali YA, Wei CR and others. 2025. Bioactive Potential and Health Benefits of Trigonella foenum-graecum L.: A Comprehensive ReviewFood science & nutrition. PMID 40918167 · doi:10.1002/fsn3.70887
  2. Skrzypiec-Spring M, Pokrywka A, Kuliczkowska-Płaksej J and others. 2025. Withania somnifera and Trigonella foenum-graecum as ingredients of testosterone-boosting supplements: Possible clinical implicationsAdvances in clinical and experimental medicine : official organ Wroclaw Medical University. PMID 38628109 · doi:10.17219/acem/185743
  3. Visuvanathan T, Than LTL, Stanslas J and others. 2022. Revisiting Trigonella foenum-graecum L.: Pharmacology and Therapeutic PotentialitiesPlants (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 35684222 · doi:10.3390/plants11111450
  4. Bahmani M, Shirzad H, Mirhosseini M and others. 2016. A Review on Ethnobotanical and Therapeutic Uses of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graceum L)Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine. PMID 25922446 · doi:10.1177/2156587215583405
  5. Ouzir M, El Bairi K, Amzazi S. 2016. Toxicological properties of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum)Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association. PMID 27498339 · doi:10.1016/j.fct.2016.08.003
  6. Yadav UC, Baquer NZ. 2014. Pharmacological effects of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. in health and diseasePharmaceutical biology. PMID 24102093 · doi:10.3109/13880209.2013.826247
  7. 2012. Fenugreek PMID 31644133
  8. Tomczyk M, Zovko-Koncić M, Chrostek L. 2012. Phytotherapy of alcoholismNatural product communications. PMID 22474979
  9. Baquer NZ, Kumar P, Taha A and others. 2011. Metabolic and molecular action of Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek) and trace metals in experimental diabetic tissuesJournal of biosciences. PMID 21654091 · doi:10.1007/s12038-011-9042-0

Laboratory and animal studies2

  1. Erten F, Er B, Ozmen R and others. 2025. Effects of Integrated Extracts of Trigonella foenum-graecum and Asparagus racemosus on Hot Flash-like Symptoms in Ovariectomized RatsAntioxidants (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 40227409 · doi:10.3390/antiox14030355
  2. Kumar A, Singh VK, Kayastha AM. 2023. Molecular modeling, docking and dynamics studies of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) α-amylaseJournal of biomolecular structure & dynamics. PMID 36369783 · doi:10.1080/07391102.2022.2144458

Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.

Consult a qualified vaidya before acting on anything here. Ayurvedic practice is prescribed to a person, not to a condition: the same dravya is given, withheld or substituted depending on your constitution, your agni, the season and what else you are already taking. A page cannot know any of that. Self-prescribing from a reference is how the wrong preparation, the wrong dose or the wrong anupana gets used.

Educational reference only. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to take anything. Traditional uses and research findings are reported as published, not as claims about what any product does. If you take prescribed medication, raise any interaction with the prescriber rather than acting on a page. See our editorial standards.