Trigonella foenum-graecum
Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
It is Cultivated throughout India. It is propagated by seeds in farms as vegetable and pulse crop.
An aromatic, erect annual herb: leaves compound, 3-foliate, leaflets toothed; flowers white or yellowish-white. axillary. fruits pods. 5-7.5 cm long with long persistent beak; seeds oblong 10-20 Perpod, greenish-brown Flowering-fruiting after two months of farming.
Leaves and seeds contain a bitter principle trigonelline. Seeds contain lab proleins mucilage carbohydrates, vitamins_ II also contains diosgenin, gitogenin, neogetogenin, homoonentin.saponaretin, calcium, phosphorus, iron etc minerals and tngogenin Leaves contain vitamins, fibres,carbohydrate. minerals (iron, calcium etc.) protein. etc.
Leaves, seeds
Leaves - are bitter, stomachic, nutritive, refrigerant and aperient
Seeds - are bitter, mucilaginous, aromatic. carminative, tonic, demulcent, stomachic, stimulant,anthelmintic, thermogenic, galactagogue, astringent, emollient diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant. etc.
Leaves - are used as vegetable in general debility. promote healthy pancreas, anorexia, piles, leucorrhoea. dysentery.flatulence. sciatica, rheumatism, etc.
Seeds - are good for fever, asthma, colic, diarrhoea. agalactia, dyspepsia, dysmenorrhoea, anaemia,cancer, puerperal fever, tuberculosis, gout, rheumatism, promote healthy pancreas, anorexia, cough, bronchitis and colonitis. Externally in the form of poultices they are used for boils, abscess, pueralperal fever, after delivery and ulcers.