Talk:Fenugreek


Hypoglycemia Risk - Mechanism?

Source 4 specifies: "Several coumarin compounds have been identified in fenugreek seeds, as well as a number of alkaloids (eg, trigonelline, gentianine, carpaine), including the alkaloid hydroxyisoleucine, which is considered to stimulate insulin secretion." (The drugs.com source)


Helpful data to include, especially for further researching the potential side effects. Bromallium (talk) 20:49, 2 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Dubious effects on metabolic syndrome

This revert was justified because the review authors describe in the results and conclusions the study's "significant limitations" which include 1) low quality of the included research, 2) vast heterogeneity of the data analyzed, 3) heterogeneity of the subjects having various disorders of metabolic syndrome, which is a complex of several subdiseases, and 4) extreme range of doses and durations used in the studies included (25 to 60000 mg/day and durations of dosing for 2 to 144 weeks). Not assessed or discussed are dietary and lifestyle factors impossible to control unless the subjects in the underlying studies were in a controlled environment (such as a hospital clinical trial unit).

These variations and limitations in study design and error control emphasize the overall variable, poor quality of dietary supplement and food studies of fenugreek or any dietary element. Reaching a conclusion for the article "that fenugreek could meaningfully " affect biomarkers of metabolic diseases is misleading and not a conclusion that any reputable clinical organization would state - see top of left pyramind, WP:MEDASSESS.

For the encyclopedia - which should be presenting clear facts supported by scientific consensus (not available for any review on fenugreek) - such limitations warrant the review not be included in the article. Zefr (talk) 17:48, 9 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  • The authors acknowledge the limitations of the study, but I think this should be included in the research section because it points to research being done and research which should be continued. --Ben Best:Talk 13:39, 11 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

This article is currently very far from scientific literature on the effects of fenugreek

It makes a few patently false claims like "there's no good evidence that fenugreek increases milk production"

Anyone who's taken a cursory look will not only see studies but meta analyses on fenugreek doing just that. One of many examples: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320315882_Effectiveness_of_fenugreek_as_a_galactagogue_A_network_meta-analysis

If your argument is there other studies that were unable to show a correlation then you have to at the very least change the statement to it not being "no good evidence" but rather it is scientifically controversial as to whether it increases milk production.

Fenugreek has also been shown to independently cause hormone changes in men as shown in other scientific studies (namely increased testosterone, measured directly in some and measured as increased performance in weight lifting).

As it stands this article is written very contradictory to the general scientific understanding of the effects of fenugreek.

I would have made some changes myself, but I'm on mobile and it's too much effort to add references on a smartphone 2A00:5400:F006:A424:1:1:18C3:89FC (talk) 12:10, 26 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

If you have a WP:MEDORG national guideline or WP:MEDRS review in a reputable clinical journal (a 7 year old publication in Phytotherapy Research does not meet MEDRS), please provide it for review here. Use of fenugreek to treat any medical disorder is WP:FRINGE. As it stands, the article is accurate according to mainstream clinical literature and scientific consensus. Zefr (talk) 18:21, 26 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not sure on what grounds you've chosen to disregard that study (and I'm not sure why you think 7 years old is significant enough to mention, that's not even old). The scientific literature is even more convincing for the case that fenugreek can play a role in controlling blood sugar levels in people with diabetes:
1. Neelakantan et al. (2014) - Published in Nutrition Journal:
This meta-analysis of 10 clinical trials found that fenugreek seeds significantly reduced fasting blood glucose, 2-hour post-load glucose, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c).
2. Gong et al. (2016) - Published in Journal of Ethnopharmacology:
This meta-analysis of 12 studies concluded that fenugreek significantly improved fasting blood glucose, 2-hour post-load glucose, and HbA1c in people with both prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
3. Dutta et al. (2017) - Published in Phytotherapy Research:
This systematic review and meta-analysis of 18 clinical trials found that fenugreek had a significant effect in reducing fasting blood glucose and HbA1c.
4. Zhu et al. (2021) - Published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine:
This meta-analysis of 14 randomized controlled trials showed that fenugreek supplementation significantly decreased fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR).
5. Rafraf et al. (2022) - Published in Phytotherapy Research:
This systematic review and meta-analysis of 20 randomized controlled trials found that fenugreek supplementation significantly reduced fasting blood glucose, insulin levels, and HOMA-IR in people with type 2 diabetes.
You might not like the state of the scientific research in this area and claim that more research is needed to be more certain of the claims, but to flatly say there's no evidence supporting the claim that this substance could have benefits or effects on the human body is just plain false.

2A00:5400:F006:A424:1:1:18C3:89FC (talk) 15:35, 27 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Make up your mind!

Wikipedia: “no good evidence indicates that fenugreek is effective or safe for this use,nor is it useful in traditional practices for treating dysmenorrhea, inflammation, diabetes, or any human disorder”

Also Wikipedia: “A risk of hypoglycemia exists, particularly in people with diabetes”

Can you make up your mind? Either it works, or it doesn’t! 2600:100A:B11C:C494:DCE1:CCD3:9614:5CB6 (talk) 04:50, 4 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

A risk of hypoglycemia is an adverse effect. See the 'Research' section - there are no WP:MEDRS sources to indicate uses in evidence-based medicine. Zefr (talk) 05:02, 4 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

No significant clinical evidence of fenugreek's therapeutic properties?

How can you say that no significant clinical evidence suggests that fenugreek has therapeutic properties when multiple high-quality clinical trials have demonstrated the significant antidiabetic effects of fenugreek: [1], [2], [3], [4].

Fenugreek has also shown efficacy in treating PCOS: [5], [6], [7], [8].

In addition, fenugreek has shown efficacy in enhancing male reproductive health and testosterone levels: [9], [10], [11], [12]. ComeAndHear (talk) 21:32, 7 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The statement about "no significant clinical evidence" is correct. Not one of those sources would satisfy the definition of a WP:MEDASSESS clinical practice guideline or systematic review in a quality clinical publication.
As one source stated, there was "variation in dosages and extracts used, small sample sizes, and the heterogeneity of study characteristics," among other deficiencies in experimental design, which apply generally across fenugreek studies of human health or disease. Zefr (talk) 21:51, 7 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]