Fenugreek: Benefits, Uses, and Contraindications

For a very long time it was used only as animal feed but today the benefits it can bring to human health have been rediscovered. This is the fenugreek, a plant that takes its name from the habit of using it as livestock feed. Since it has been ennobled at the table, there are many uses for it, so if yours children, or an elderly relative, have appetite problems, and often refuse food, you must try fenugreek and you will see that the results will be immediate.

What

Native to the Mediterranean, North Africa, and Western Asia, this herbaceous plant grows up to 50 centimeters tall and grows in coastal and submontane environments. It has clover-like leaves, triangular yellow flowers, and long, thin, curved legume-like fruits. Its appetite-stimulating properties stem from the fact that Fenugreek contains saponins, a substance that is able to stimulate the sensation of hunger., even to women during breastfeeding, and protects the gastric mucosa, thus also promoting digestion.

Nutritional properties

Every 100 grams of this legume contains 323 calories. And also:

• 58,35 grams of carbohydrates
• 23 grams of protein
• 8,84 grams of water
• 6,41 grams of lipids

Fenugreek is rich in vitamins (A, C and B6) and minerals, of which every hundred grams contains:

• 1.228 milligrams of manganese
• 1.110 milligrams of copper
• 770 milligrams of potassium
• 296 milligrams of phosphorus
• 192 milligrams of magnesium
• 176 milligrams of calcium
• 76 milligrams of zinc

Benefits

To obtain these benefits, you can use it by eating its seeds directly, or by drinking infusions two or three times a day. Fenugreek is also one of the ingredients of curry. In addition to its function as an appetite stimulant, fenugreek also has other uses: lowers glucose and bad cholesterol, it is antianemic and antiulcerative, in fact it is also used as a protection for drugs that cause damage to the liver and ulcers, and it is considered useful for the prevention of colon cancer.. Nor should the aesthetic aspect be underestimated: it is a precious natural product for the leather, and we find it in firming, anti-wrinkle and anti-stretch mark creams.

• Highly recommended for stimulating the appetite, especially in children and the elderly.
• Its seeds have a function antioxidant and contribute to the production of red blood cells.
• Fibers aid good digestion and defeat the constipation
• Lowers cholesterol and triglycerides.
• It promotes insulin secretion.
• Protects cardiometabolic health.
• It fights ulcers.

Controindicazioni

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