Fenugreek – the grassy plant known since an extreme antiquity. It was used as spice and applied in traditional medicine in extensive territories from China to Greece. Initially wild-growing, this plant is cultivated in India and Asia. The fenugreek perfectly grows also in the territory of Russia, having learned about its useful properties, perhaps, and you want to grow up it on the personal plot.
Description of a fenugreek
Full name of this one-year legume – a fenugreek hay. The fenugreek on clay soils grows, prefers the hilly terrain. In some countries it was used as the ornamental plant having pleasant and peculiar aroma, in Ancient Greece it was cultivated as vegetable, and the Indian priests used it in the magic ceremonies, there this plant is known as spice under the name "Shambala". The upright stalk with troychatoslozhny leaves can reach up to 60 cm in height. In bosoms of leaves the white-yellow or yellow flowers growing one by one or in pairs are located.
Fruits have triangular shape and represent the beans reaching in length up to 20 cm, in them there are from 20 to 30 seeds of brown color in which almost all useful properties of a fenugreek are concentrated. Therefore in traditional medicine they found the broadest application. Collect seeds at the end of summer early autumn when they already become dry. Use them for preparation of curative infusions, broths, powders and liquid extracts. The dried-up young leaves of a fenugreek use as seasoning and add to tea.
A half of substances of which seeds consist fibers, 30% - slime make, the rest – protein, sugar, lecithin, linolenic and linoleic acids, nukleproteina. Except them, contain in seeds of a fenugreek: phosphorus, инозитфосфат magnesium and calcium, coumarin, alkaloid тригонеллин, steroid connections and also steroid sapogenina - янтогенин, диосгенин, etc.
The fenugreek has contraindications to application, it can't be given to children up to 16 years and also to use during pregnancy and a lactation.
Useful properties of a fenugreek
The Indian physicians investigated the chemical composition of seeds of this plant and found out that medicines on their basis reduce sugar level in blood, their reception brakes an age degeneration of muscular tissues and contributes to the harmonious physical development at early age.
The use of seeds of a fenugreek contributes to normalization of weight at the fatigue accompanied with a body weight loss or, on the contrary, at the obesity accompanying diabetes.
Broths and tinctures from seeds of a fenugreek possess toning work of heart as properties, have hypotensive and diuretic effect. They reduce the level of triglycerides and cholesterol, raise a tone and working capacity, have anti-androgenic hormonal activity. This good means for treatment of anorexia and physical exhaustion. Outwardly it is possible to apply broths as lotions as anti-inflammatory and wound healing means.