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The Wonders of Fenugreek from www.greenbush.net

Fast facts: increases breast size and health, minimizes symptoms of
menopause, relieves constipation, controls diabetes and blood sugar levels,
reduces cholesterol, soothes sore throat pain and coughs, eases minor
indigestion, relieves diarrhea, aids milk production in nursing mothers and
may help to prevent breast cancer.

From ancient times through the late 19th century, fenugreek played a major
role in herbal healing. Then it fell by the wayside. Now things are once
again looking up for the herb whose taste is a combination of  celery and
maple syrup. Modern scientific research has found that fenugreek can help
reduce cholesterol levels, boost breast size and firmness, control diabetes
and blood sugar levels, and minimize the symptoms of menopause. The ancient
Greeks fed this herb to horses and cattle. The Romans then started using it,
too, calling it "Greek hay." (In Latin, "Greek hay" is foenum-graecum, and
that evolved into "fenugreek.") As fenugreek spread around the ancient
Mediterranean, physicians learned that its seeds, like many seeds, contain a
gummy substance called mucilage. Mixed with water, mucilage expands and
becomes a gelatinous soother for irritated tissues.

In India, the herb was incorporated into curry blends. India's traditional
Ayurvedic physicians prescribed it to nursing mothers to increase their
milk.  In the middle east the herb was used by harem girls to make
themselves more alluring.  In American folk medicine, fenugreek was
considered a potent menstruation promoter. It became a key ingredient in
Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound -- one of 19th-century America's most
popular patent medicines for "female weakness" (menstrual discomforts).
Today, fenugreek is most widely used in the United States as a source of
imitation maple flavor. But this may change as its medicinal value becomes
better known.

Almost a century after Lydia Pinkham's death, scientists have confirmed that
fenugreek seeds contain chemicals (diosgenin and estrogenic isoflavones)
similar to the female sex hormone estrogen. Loss of estrogen causes
menopausal symptoms, so adding fenugreek to the diet helps to minimize them.
Estrogen can also cause breast swelling. "One woman told me her breasts grew
larger after she started eating fenugreek sprouts," says James A. Duke,
Ph.D., a botanist retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and author
of The CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. Dr.Duke has since investigated this
effect and has written about it in his book "The Green Pharmacy�.

This potential area for fenugreek is quickly cutting into the plastic
surgery business as more women find out about this little known herbal
beauty secret.  For centuries rumors have floated out of the Middle East
that harem women were fed fenugreek seed to make them more buxom. This turns
out to be more than mere hearsay. The seeds, in addition to female steroid
precursors, also contain compounds that increase the production of milk.
Since the seeds contain diosgenin and other plant phyto-estrogens Fenugreek
provides a mastogenic effect resulting in the growth of healthy breast
tissue.


Cholesterol buster ... and more

     Several studies have shown that fenugreek reduces cholesterol in
laboratory animals, and Indian researchers have shown the same effect in
people with high cholesterol levels. The people in one Indian study added
about four ounces a day of powdered fenugreek seeds to their diet for 20
days. During that time their total cholesterol levels and their levels of
low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol fell significantly. At
the same time their high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or "good") cholesterol
levels remained unaffected.
     "There's no question that fenugreek reduces cholesterol," says Daniel
B. Mowrey, Ph.D., director of the American Phytotherapy Research Laboratory
in Salt Lake City, Utah, and author of The Scientific Validation of Herbal
Medicine. Fenugreek also "has great promise in alleviating Type II (non-
insulin-dependent) diabetes," says Dr. Duke. And according to one study, it
may also help people with Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes. For ten days,
Indian researchers added about four ounces of powdered fenugreek seeds a day
to the diets of people with Type I diabetes, which requires daily insulin
injections. The injections, however, did not entirely eliminate a key sign
of the illness, sugar in their urine. With fenugreek added to their diet,
their urinary sugar levels fell by 54 percent. Fenugreek's soothing mucilage
can also help relieve sore throat pain, cough and minor indigestion.
"Because its mucilage expands in the gut, it also adds bulk to the stool,"
says Bernie Olin, Pharm.D., editor of The Lawrence Review of Natural
Products, a St. Louis-based newsletter that summarizes scientific research
on the medicinal value of herbs. "As a result, it can help treat
constipation and diarrhea."

To make a medicinal tea, gently boil two teaspoons of mashed seeds per cup
of water, then simmer for ten minutes. Strain and drink up to three cups a
day. To improve the flavor, you can add sugar, honey, lemon, anise,
cinnamon, licorice or peppermint.

Fenugreek is considered safe. But several of the conditions it helps --
diabetes, elevated cholesterol and menopausal symptoms -- require
professional care. If you'd like to use this herb in addition to standard
therapies, consult your physician.

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