1

Recently I was told, by a friend, that taking fenugreek tablets would increase stamina and assist in weight loss.

I am unsure of this claim. I had a quick look on Google but there is a lot of (contradictory) information.

Is there any scientific basis for this claim?

Improve this question

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

No, there is not enough evidence for this claim, according to the NIH:

What the Science Says

  • A few small studies have found that fenugreek may help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

  • There is not enough scientific evidence to support the use of fenugreek for any other health condition.

Sources

Fenugreek. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Web site. Accessed at www.naturaldatabase.com on August 18, 2009.

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L. Leguminosae). Natural Standard Database Web site. Accessed at www.naturalstandard.com on August 13, 2009.

Fenugreek seed. In: Blumenthal M, Goldberg A, Brinckman J, eds. Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monographs. Newton, MA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2000:130–133.

National Institutes of Health : Herbs At A Glance : Fenugreek

Improve this answer
3
  • This is a secondary source, and provides only vague references to support its claims. It would be better to link to those studies.
    – Oddthinking ♦
    May 30, 2014 at 10:18
  • While the National Institutes of Health is a secondary source, they are a well respected institution and I think their summary would be reliable than my own. The sources section seems fairly complete, so hopefully someone with more medical knowledge can use it to produce a better answer. I've updated the answer to include the sources.
    – Colin Pickard
    May 30, 2014 at 10:33
  • @ColinPickard : The question doesn't ask whether there's "enough scientific evidence to support the use" but asks for whether there's scientific basis. Drugs that are in phrase 3 clinical trials usually do enter those trials because there a scientific basis for believing that they work. At the same time those drugs don't have enough evidence to support their use by FDA standards. The standards of the NIH are unclear. As a result it's useful if you link to the concrete studies to summarize the evidence that's there instead of copying someone's judgement of "enough".
    – Christian
    Aug 27, 2014 at 14:18

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .