fenugreek

Fenugreek plants were used to help sick animals long before its seeds became a popular remedy for human ills. Early Greeks mixed the plant into moldy or insect damaged animal forage to make it more palatable, and in the process discovered that sick horses and cattle would eat fenugreek when they wouldn't eat anything else. The Egyptians and Romans adopted "Greek Hay" a name that evolved into fenugreek. Today the plant is widely used to flavor horse and cattle feed, and some veterinarians still use it to encourage sick horses and cattle to eat.

Ancient Chinese healers used fenugreek to treat fevers, hernia, gallbladder problems, muscle aches, and even impotence.

Fenugreek is the only healing herb ever used as a weapon of war. During the Roman siege of Jerusalem general emperor Vespasian ordered his troops to scale the city's imposing walls. The standard defense against this was to pour boiling water or oil on the attackers and their ladders. According to the "History of the Jewish War" by Jewish traitor Flavius Josephus, Jerusalem's defenders added fenugreek to the oil they poured on the Romans, making it more slippery.

Some of fenugreeks traditional uses have been supported by modern science, but its most important potential use has only recently been discovered, cholesterol control. Studies show fenugreek reduces cholesterol in dogs. The herb has not yet been tested in humans, but this finding warrants that such studies be done.

And for women's health—Almost a century after Lydia Pinkham's death, an animal experiment has lent some support to fenugreek's action as a uterine stimulant, especially during the late stages of pregnancy. Fenugreek seeds contain a chemical similar to the female sex hormone estrogen. Estrogen encourages the body to retain water, and one side effect of the Pill is bloating. Water retention means increased weight, so perhaps those Arab women who ate fenugreek to gain weight were on the right track.