ABSTRACT
In spite of the remarkable advancements in medicine and combinatorial drug development, use of herbal plants for treating or preventing various diseases is being enormously practiced due to their vast nutraceutical properties and safety aspects. A wide range of medicinal plants have shown the potential to be frequently used in therapeutics. Among them fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) has a long history as both a medicinal and culinary herb from the ancient world. Fenugreek is a famous spice in human food and its health-promoting properties have long been reported when it is taken as food supplements, or medicinal remedies. Its non-nutritive secondary metabolites, also known as phytochemicals present in seeds, leaves, stems, and mucilage of fenugreek, have been described to have several medicinal applications. Apart from the traditional medicinal uses and therapeutic effect, fenugreek is found to have many pharmacological properties such as being hypocholesterolemic, anti-diabetic, anti-arthritic, anti-carcinogenic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and having hepato-protective effects which are reviewed in detail in this chapter.
