Before ancient Egyptians first used fenugreek for medicine, this plant was used as food for both humans and animals. The Latin name — foenum-graecum — means “Greek hay”. Fenugreek was sometimes added to animal fodder to hide moldy and spoiled hay.
Fenugreek’s seeds are prized in medicine and in cooking. The seeds are said to have a flavor somewhere between celery, nuts, and maple, but can be overpowering. Use with care when cooking — the seeds can leave other foods tasting bitter. You may find fenugreek used in East Indian, Pakistani, and African cuisines; the herb is native to western Asia and the Mediterranean. It was carried to Western Europe by Benedictine monks in the ninth century; it has been introduced to North America as well.
Medicinally, fenugreek has been used for a variety of ailments. The plant has been used as an expectorant, a laxative, a fever reducer, and a stomach reliever. Fenugreek has been touted as a natural remedy for diabetes, anemia, and rickets. External use of fenugreek in poultices has been suggested for boils, ulcers, and wounds.
But can one herb do so many things? Research suggests that fenugreek may indeed be useful in some of the above situations. The seeds contain as much as 30% mucilage — the thick, mucous-like slime may indeed make fenugreek useful in poultices for relieving inflammation. Internally, the mucilaginous seeds may be able to relieve ulcers and other stomach issues. Fenugreek tea is useful as a laxative and may help soothe a sore throat. Boil one ounce of dried fenugreek seeds in one pint of water. Your fenugreek tea may need a little peppermint extract or honey to improve the taste and smell of the herb.
If you are growing fenugreek, you’ll find between ten and twenty seeds in each curved seed pod. Harvest the pods when ripe, but before they become brittle and start to shatter. Take the seeds out of the pod and dry them in the sun.