I have been reading with interest the frequent references to fenugreek.  The
latest one indicated that it contains coumarin.  Well, that really peaked my
interest so I did a short lit search.  As an aside it may interest some to
know that coumarin is found in a number of plants (I had no idea).  ex:  sweet
clover, tonka beans.  I also learned that fenugreek is a basic ingredient of
curry powder - which I think many of you knew but was new to me.

There is definitely growing interest in fenugreek as a therapeutic agent,
though I could not find a study targeting it as a galactagogue.  Most of the
studies (medline search notes 77 studies, many are recent) are from India -
understandably and some European countries.  There is some evidence it may be
useful in NIDDM (non-insulin dep diabetes) and in certain types of heart
disease, and hyperlipidemia.   Note - I purposefully left the mesh headings at
the end of the abstracts because I though you might find it interesting to see
the areas of research with fenugreek.

I could not find direct reference to fenugreek containing  coumarin, though
the following research article alludes to such an association by targeting
whether or not it impacts platelet aggregation and fibrinogen.    If the read
is a little too dry for you just skip to the last line. This conclusion would
lead me to believe that the coumarin or coumarin like compound that is present
is not potent enough to impact coagulation time or to be of concern clinically
- this assumes the study is a sound one of course.

TITLE: Effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) and fenugreek (Trigonella
foenumgraecum L.) on blood lipids, blood sugar and platelet aggregation in
patients with coronary artery disease.AUTHORS: Bordia A; Verma SK; Srivastava
KCAUTHOR AFFILIATION: Department of Medicine, R.N.T. Medical College, Udaipur,
India.SOURCE: Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 1997
May;56(5):379-84CITATION IDS: PMID: 9175175 UI: 97318216ABSTRACT: In a
placebo-controlled study the effect of ginger and fenugreek was examined on
blood lipids, blood sugar, platelet aggregation, fibrinogen and fibrinolytic
activity. The subjects included in this study were healthy individuals,
patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), and patients with non-insulin-
dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) who either had CAD or were without CAD. In
patients with CAD powdered ginger administered in a dose of 4 g daily for 3
months did not affect ADP- and epinephrine-induced platelet aggregation. Also,
no change in the fibrinolytic activity and fibrinogen level was observed.
However, a single dose of 10 g powdered ginger administered to CAD patients
produced a significant reduction in platelet aggregation induced by the two
agonists. Ginger did not affect the blood lipids and blood sugar. Fenugreek
given in a dose of 2.5 g twice daily for 3 months to healthy individuals did
not affect the blood lipids and blood sugar (fasting and post prandial).
However, administered in the same daily dose for the same duration to CAD
patients also with NIDDM, fenugreek decreased significantly the blood lipids
(total cholesterol and triglycerides) without affecting the HDL-c. When
administered in the same daily dose to NIDDM (non-CAD) patients (mild cases),
fenugreek reduced significantly the blood sugar (fasting and post prandial).
In severe NIDDM cases, blood sugar (both fasting and post prandial) was only
slightly reduced. The changes were not significant. Fenugreek administration
did not affect platelet aggregation, fibrinolytic activity and fibrinogen.MAIN
MESH HEADINGS: Coronary Disease/*blood
Diabetes Mellitus, Non-Insulin-Dependent/*blood
*Plant Extracts
*Plants, Medicinal
*Spices ADDITIONAL MESH HEADINGS: Arachidonic Acids/metabolism
Blood Glucose/drug effects
Blood Platelets/metabolism
Comparative Study
Coronary Disease/complications
Diabetes Mellitus, Non-Insulin-Dependent/complications
Drug Interactions
Epinephrine/pharmacology
Lipids/blood
Placebos
Platelet Aggregation/drug effects
Support, Non-U.S. Gov't PUBLICATION TYPES: CLINICAL TRIAL
CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL
JOURNAL ARTICLE CAS REGISTRY NUMBERS: 0 (Arachidonic Acids)

Also of interest is the work done on fenugreek and it's potential as an
allergen.

TITLE: Allergy to fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum).AUTHORS: Patil SP;
Niphadkar PV; Bapat MMAUTHOR AFFILIATION: Institute of Science, Bombay,
India.SOURCE: Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 1997 Mar;78(3):297-300CITATION IDS:
PMID: 9087156 UI: 97242100ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Allergic reactions after
consumption of spices are well- known. In Asia, fenugreek seeds are consumed
as spices and also as medicines. Literature survey carried out does not reveal
reports of allergic reactions to fenugreek. In our survey carried out on
patients with food allergy, we found two cases of severe allergy to fenugreek.
METHODS: We report here two cases of immediate allergy following ingestion,
inhalation, and external application of fenugreek seed powder. In the first
case, inhalation of the fenugreek seed powder resulted in rhinorrhea,
wheezing, and fainting. The second case was of a patient with chronic asthma
who developed numbness of head, facial angioedema, and wheezing after
application of fenugreek paste to her scalp as a treatment for dandruff. Skin
scratch test was performed with fenugreek and other members of the Leguminosae
family as fenugreek also belongs to Leguminosae. Objective evidence of the
reaction was obtained by conducting double-blind placebo-controlled challenges
(DBPCFC). For detecting IgE binding by immunoblotting method, the proteins of
the fenugreek extract were resolved using sodium dodecyl sulphate
polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: Skin scratch tests for the
patients revealed strong sensitivity to fenugreek and chickpeas. None of the
controls showed such response with fenugreek extract. During DBPCFC, both
patients showed > 20% drop in peak flow rate after consumption of fenugreek
and chickpea. Immunoblots demonstrated binding of specific IgE from the
patients' sera with the protein from extracts between 20 kD to 70 kD bands.
CONCLUSION: This case report has enlarged the list of food allergens with the
addition of fenugreek.MAIN MESH HEADINGS: Food Hypersensitivity/*etiology
Spices/*adverse effects ADDITIONAL MESH HEADINGS: Adult
Case Report
Dyes
Female
Food Hypersensitivity/diagnosis
Human
IgE/metabolism
Immunoblotting
Indicators and Reagents
Middle Age
Peak Expiratory Flow Rate
Protein Binding
Rosaniline Dyes
Seeds/immunology
Skin Tests
Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

TITLE: Anaphylaxis to curry powder. AUTHORS: Ohnuma N, et al.SOURCE: Allergy.
1998 Apr;53(4):452-4. No abstract available.CIT. IDS: PMID: 9574894 UI:
98234193
Abstract not available.

The article ref below sounds interesting but the abstract is not yet available
- also I don't know what access the rest of you have but even though I have
access to 2 med libraries I doubt that this particular journal is available.
Maybe one of you "rich" Lactnet doctors could order this article though
medline and share  your interpretation (smile).

TITLE: Therapeutic potentials of fenugreek. AUTHORS: Puri DSOURCE: Indian J
Physiol Pharmacol. 1998 Jul;42(3):423-4. No abstract available.[MEDLINE record
in process]CIT. IDS: PMID: 9741661 UI: 98412692

JoAn Muncie, MS, RD, LD
student of lactation