Recipe
Fenugreek seed tea
- Herb:
- Fenugreek Trigonella foenum-graecum
- Method:
- Herbal infusion (tea)
- Plant part:
- Fruit
About 20 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Coarsely crush a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds in a mortar.
- Add 250 ml of water, bring to the boil and simmer 5 minutes.
- Take off the heat, cover and steep 10 minutes, then strain.
- Drink warm, with honey and lemon to taste; the infusion is bitter-sweet with a maple-syrup scent.
Extraction
- Herb:
- 1 teaspoon (about 4 g) of seeds per 250 ml
- Solvent:
- crush the seeds, boil for 5 minutes, steep for 10 minutes
- Shelf life:
- drink within 12 hours
- Target compounds:
- mucilage (galactomannans) and bitter saponins pass into water; sotolon provides the aroma
Notes
A traditional drink per EMA HMPC for temporary loss of appetite. People with diabetes on medication: fenugreek can deepen the drop in blood glucose — monitor values and talk to a doctor. In pregnancy only culinary amounts.
Why it works
The seeds hold up to 45 % mucilage of galactomannans, which swells in water and slows carbohydrate absorption in the gut; bitter saponins and the alkaloid trigonelline shape the taste. The meta-analysis by Neelakantan et al. 2014 (10 trials in diabetics) found lower fasting glucose and HbA1c after fenugreek, but the effect came at 5 g of seed daily and more, and the trials were small and heterogeneous. A tea from one teaspoon is therefore a traditional drink, not an antidiabetic.
Literature
- Neelakantan N, Narayanan M, de Souza RJ, van Dam RM (2014): Effect of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) intake on glycemia: a meta-analysis of clinical trials. Nutrition Journal 13:7 — 10 studies in people with diabetes; reduced fasting glucose and HbA1c at doses of 5 g and above.
- EMA HMPC: Trigonellae foenugraeci semen — European Union herbal monograph — Traditional use for temporary loss of appetite and externally for mild skin inflammation.
Related
Fenugreek — Herb card
Herbal infusion (tea) — Processing method detail