Health and Medicines

Methi, or fenugreek, is a green vegetable known for its medicinal properties in India. Methi is grown in the winter season (rabi) in India and is resistant to frost. It's leaves and stems are cooked as a vegetable while the yellow seeds are used as spices in other dishes. Methi seeds are also used to make chutneys, pickles, curries, or are crushed into powder. Methi is most well-known for its curative properties in diabetes. A teaspoonful of methi seeds, 50 to 100 gm, can be taken daily by diabetics with a glass of water or milk.

Methi seeds give a nice scent to cooked dishes, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. A herbal medicine company, Indus Biotech, is working on a pharmaceutical based on methi seeds extract for diabetes patients. According to the Ayurveda, methi seeds lower blood sugar, increase the appetite, aid digestion, relieve flatulence and acidity, and are useful in controlling heart disease. A paste made from methi seeds is good for the skin, and was used in ancient times for leprosy sufferers.