ABSTRACT
For centuries, fenugreek has been used in traditional medicinal systems in various forms such as powder, decoction, and oil with other ingredients. During the past few years, many new characteristics of physicochemical properties of fenugreek phytoconstituents have been reported. Concurrently, numerous formulations containing fenugreek constituents as a bioactive and medicinal ingredient have been developed. The fenugreek constituents were also reported as natural excipients: super-detergents, binders, emulsifiers, stabilizers, suspending agents, bioavailability enhancers, and polymers for sustained, controlled, and targeted delivery in oral dosage formulations. Fenugreek gum or seed mucilage is extensively reported for topical applications such as lung, nasal, ocular, vaginal, buccal, and wound graft delivery systems. In recent years, fenugreek has been explored to design and develop novel drug delivery systems, including nanoparticles. The present chapter reviews the published literature describing physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of fenugreek extract and constituents and their applications as active ingredients or excipients in modern formulation development.
