Fenugreek

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fenugreek
Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), illustration

Fenugreek ( Trigonella foenum-graecum ), illustration

Systematics
Order : Fabales (Fabales)
Family : Legumes (Fabaceae)
Subfamily : Butterflies (Faboideae)
Tribe : Trifolieae
Genre : Trigonella
Type : Fenugreek
Scientific name
Trigonella foenum-graecum
L.

The fenugreek ( Trigonella foenum-graecum ) is a plant and belongs to the subfamily of the Pea family (Faboideae) within the family of legumes (Fabaceae). It is closely related to the Schabzigerklee ( Trigonella caerulea ).

description

The fenugreek grows as an annual herbaceous plant that reaches heights of 30 to 80 centimeters. It forms a long tap root and fibrous side roots. The upright, round stems are branched.

The clover-like leaves are divided into a petiole and a split leaf blade. The leaf stalks are 6 to 15 mm long. The three identical, oblong-obovate, egg-shaped to oblong-elliptical leaflets have a length of 1.5 to 4 cm and a width of 0.4 to 1.5 cm. The edges of the leaflets are sawn from halfway to the ends. The simple, membranous stipules are fused with the base of the petiole.

The flowering period extends from April to July. The flowers are solitary or in pairs on short stems in the leaf axils. The zygomorphic flowers are small with double perianth . The hairy calyx is 7 to 8 mm long. The 13 to 18 mm long flower petals are cream light violet to pale yellowish-white and at the bottom. The hairy carpel contains many ovules .

Fenugreek forms long, narrow, horn-shaped legumes that are 7 to 12 cm long and 0.4 to 0.5 cm wide. They gave the plant its name. There are 10 to 20 seeds in them. The hard, elongated egg-shaped seeds are surrounded by a tough skin and are ocher yellow to light brown in color, sometimes with slightly reddish or greenish shades, and are 3 to 5 mm in length and 2 to 3 mm in diameter. When the seeds are ground they give off an intense smell. The fruits ripen from July to September.

Fenugreek, young plants

The whole plant has a strong odor. The fenugreek prefers locations with lots of sunlight and rather loamy soil. It also tolerates high soil salinity and drought.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 16.

Surname

The type of epithet foenum-graecum (Latin foenum graecum , also written "fenum grecum") means "Greek hay". Other common German names are cow horn clover, goat horn, deer hound herb, deer grains, fine Grete, Filigrazie, fīn gretslīn bōne, Schöne Margreth, Siebenzeit (s), Siebengezeugsamen, hour herb, methika and philosopher's clover.

Occurrence and cultivation

Fenugreek is distributed across southern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, China and Australia. Today fenugreek occurs wild in southern and central Germany . The main growing areas are Morocco and India. Smaller quantities are grown for still teas and other purposes in Germany (100 ha) and France (500 ha).

history

Fenugreek with pods

Prehistoric times and antiquity

Fenugreek was domesticated as early as the Chalcolithic , charred seeds come from Tell Halaf , for example . According to genetic studies, his domestication area is in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. An Iron Age Proof succeeded in Tell of Deir Alla in the Jordan Valley. It was also used in ancient Egypt , where it played a role in both herbal medicine and obstetrics, and religious practices . It is also listed on the species list of the herb garden of the Babylonian king Marduk-apla-iddina II (ruled from 721 BC). Fenugreek was also used early in gardening in the Chinese Empire .

middle Ages

Fenugreek was already cultivated on the Nile and in the Mediterranean area, and via ancient Greek and Roman medicine, it also reached the West, where it can also be found in the Lorsch Pharmacopoeia around 800 . To the north of the Alps, Benedictine monks tried to acclimate him in the monastery gardens. In the Capitulare de villis (written around 795) its addition is ordered by Charlemagne. Hildegard von Bingen calls it a remedy for skin diseases . From around 1200 to the 17th century, the plant and its medicinal uses are mentioned in a variety of publications, especially as a hair restorer.

The Islamic prophet Mohammed is said to have said: "If my people knew how much healing power there is in fenugreek, then they would buy it and weigh its weight in gold". In the Muslim culture, there are many other medical applications in addition to the above-mentioned, including fenugreek sprouts for hair loss in men, seeds for the treatment of diabetes mellitus or menstrual cramps . Arab doctors taught that after the application of boiled fenugreek seeds, dandruff and hair loss were reduced and the hair became more curly.

Modern times

Kneipp praised this medicinal plant on every occasion and campaigned for its cultivation. Kneipp: "Foenum graecum is the best of all the remedies I know of for dissolving tumors and ulcers." A fatty oil with triglycerides of linolenic, palmitic, linoleic and oleic acid can be obtained from the seeds of fenugreek. They contain lecithin and phytosterol, mucilage, saponins and sapogenins, vitamins A and D, phosphorus and choline , which allegedly counteracts fatty degeneration of the liver , has a positive effect on the metabolism and is supposed to prevent atherosclerosis.

By Father Kneipp , the use of fenugreek in was traditional medicine revived. The strong demand triggered renewed cultivation.

EHEC epidemic

In Germany, an EHEC epidemic occurred from the beginning of May to the end of July 2011 with 53 deaths and hundreds of sick people. Almost all of the people affected lived in northern Germany or stayed there temporarily. For the authorities and the majority of the scientists involved in the epidemic, organic fenugreek seeds, which were exported from Egypt to a German organic gardening company, are very likely to be the source of the pathogen.

use

kitchen

In the Middle East , North Africa and Spain , fenugreek is grown as a food or fodder and is roasted, cooked or consumed fresh. In addition, it is used as a spice, for example the seeds - like Schabzigerklee  - are used in South Tyrol as a bread or cheese spice. In Indian cuisine , both the seeds - sometimes as a component of curry powder - and the fresh or dried leaves are used in numerous preparations. Fenugreek seeds are part of the Bengali spice mix Panch Phoron . Fenugreek is part of the Turkish spice paste Çemen , which u. a. the dried meat specialty Pastırma coated. The seedlings are added to salads as a seasoning ingredient or consumed as sprouts. The intense smell of fenugreek is caused by the content of sotolon and can also be found in body odor and other body fluids after consumption.

Fenugreek seeds

Modern medicine

In a double-blind study with 50 Parkinson's disease patients treated with fenugreek extract, a significant decrease in individual symptoms could be found. The scientists involved suspect that fenugreek may be able to delay damage to dopaminergic nerve cells.

Fenugreek contains the amino acid histidine , which is said to counteract liver damage. As an infusion, it is mainly known in China, India and Tibet. It is used there as a cough suppressant and to cleanse the airways. It also contains diosgenin (see also Dioscorea villosa ), an active ingredient that may be used against colon cancer . In India, fenugreek seeds are used as an aromatic , carminative , tonic and aphrodisiac, and an infusion for cooling smallpox .

Fenugreek seeds are used in herbal medicine for mild diabetes or as an accompanying medication for severe diabetes mellitus . Fenugreek seeds are available as tea bags, as a powder or as ready-made editions. There are also food supplements with fenugreek seed powder or fenugreek seed concentrate on the market.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . 8th edition. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 . Page 586.
  2. ↑ Jürgen Martin: The 'Ulmer Wundarznei'. Introduction - Text - Glossary on a monument to German specialist prose from the 15th century. Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg 1991 (= Würzburg medical-historical research. Volume 52), ISBN 3-88479-801-4 (also medical dissertation Würzburg 1990), p. 128 (“fin gretzlin boenen”). With reference to Heinrich Marzell : Dictionary of German plant names. Leipzig / Stuttgart / Wiesbaden 1943–1979, Volume 4, p. 803 f.
  3. ↑ on motivation for naming, see Gundolf Keil: Fenugreek as an old hair restorer. In: Specialized prose research - Crossing borders. Volume 10, 2014, pp. 37-55, here: p. 39.
  4. ^ Daniel Zohary and Maria Hopf, Domestication of plants in the Old World, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 122
  5. ↑ http://openagricola.nal.usda.gov/Record/IND44164659  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / openagricola.nal.usda.gov  
  6. ^ R. Neef, Planten. In: Opgravingen te Deir Alla in de Jordaanvallei. Leiden, Rijksmuseum van Oudheden 1989, pp. 30-37
  7. ↑ http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3066115&partId=1&searchText=Merodach-Baladan+II&view=list&page=1
  8. ↑ Gundolf Keil : Fenugreek as an old hair restorer. In: Specialized prose research - Crossing borders. Volume 10, 2014, pp. 37-55.
  9. ^ Foods of the Prophet [Internet]. [cited 2011 Jun 12]; Available from: http://www.chishti.org/foods_of_the_prophet.htm
  10. ^ Arabic Medicine: Unique Properties of Fenugreek | Healthmad [Internet]. [cited 2011 Jun 12]; Available from: Archive link ( Memento from October 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  11. ↑ Sebastian Kneipp: Meine Wasserkurhttp: //vorlage_digitalisat.test/1%3D~GB%3D~IA%3Dmeinewasserkurdu00knei~MDZ%3D%0A~SZ%3D129~doppelseiten%3D~LT%3DMeine%20Wasserkur~PUR%3D , 10th edition, Kempten 1889, p. 129.
  12. ↑ Fenugreek seeds highly likely to be responsible for EHEC O104 H4 outbreak. ( PDF ; 48 kB) In: Federal Institute for Risk Assessment . June 30, 2011, accessed July 1, 2011 .
  13. ↑ King, L. et al. (2012): Outbreak of Shiga Toxin – Producing Escherichia coli O104: H4 Associated With Organic Fenugreek Sprouts, France, June 2011 . Clinical Infectious Diseases 2012, 54 (11): 1588-94. (PDF; 176 kB).
  14. ↑ Tracing seeds, in particular fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) seeds, in relation to the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O104: H4 2011 Outbreaks in Germany and France. European Food Safety Authority. .
  15. ↑ Bernd Appel, Gaby-Fleur Böl, Matthias Greiner, Monika Lahrssen-Wiederholt, Andreas Hensel: EHEC Outbreak 2011. Investigation of the Outbreak Along the Food Chain. Federal Institute for Risk Assessment. (PDF; 6.6 MB).
  16. ↑ J. Nathan, S. Panjwani, V. Mohan, V. Joshi, PA Thakurdesai: Efficacy and safety of standardized extract of Trigonella foenum-graecum L seeds as an adjuvant to L-Dopa in the management of patients with Parkinson's disease. In: Phytotherapy research: PTR. Volume 28, Number 2, February 2014, ISSN  1099-1573 , pp. 172-178, doi : 10.1002 / ptr . 4969 , PMID 23512705 .
  17. ↑ Diosgenin, a Steroid Saponin of Trigonella foenum graecum (Fenugreek), Inhibits Azoxymethane-Induced Aberrant Crypt Foci Formation in F344 Rats and Induces Apoptosis in HT-29 Human Colon Cancer Cells Abstract

Web links

Commons : Fenugreek  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Fenugreek  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations