Advances on application of fenugreek seeds as functional foods: Pharmacology, clinical application, products, patents and market

Abstract

Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (fenugreek) is one of the oldest applied medicinal herbs. Significant pharmacological and clinical evidence have highlighted the medicinal application of fenugreek. Explore the current knowledge regarding the bioactivity (animal aspects) and clinical application of fenugreek and its bioactive components, as well as the products, markets and patents related to fenugreek. This review highlights the phytochemicals, bioactivity (animal aspects) and clinical application of fenugreek from recent literatures and products, markets and patents from database. Until now, more than 100 phytochemicals have been isolated from fenugreek seeds, mainly including polysaccharides, saponins, alkaloids, phenolic acids, and flavonoids. Fenugreek extract and its bioactive compounds showed excellent antidiabetic activity and anti-obesity activity in animal and human study. Although the fenugreek seed has been used as TCM raw materials for a long time of period in China, China is lacking the research of fenugreek in both depth and width.

Keywords:

• Fenugreek seeds
• foods
• bioactivity
• clinical application
• products
• markets and patents

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Abbreviations

CNKI	=	China National Knowledge Infrastructure
EMA	=	European Medicines Agency
GRAS	=	generally recognized as a safe food additive
HDL-C	=	high-density lipoproteins-cholesterol
HPLC	=	high performance liquid chromatography
LDL-C	=	low-density lipoproteins-cholesterol
NIDDM	=	non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
TLC	=	thin layer chromatography

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by Research Fund of University of Macau (CPG2014-00012-ICMS).