Fenugreek | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is a leguminous annual plant native to the Mediterranean region and South Asia, whose seeds and leaves are widely used as a spice, flavoring agent, and food ingredient. It imparts a characteristic slightly bitter, maple-syrup-like flavor and is extensively used in South Asian, Middle Eastern, and North African cuisines, as well as in food supplements for its purported blood glucose-lowering and galactagogue properties.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

At culinary doses, fenugreek is generally regarded as safe and has demonstrated a broad margin of safety in systematic toxicological reviews of standardized seed extracts. High-dose supplemental use may potentiate hypoglycemic effects in diabetics and interact with anticoagulants; concentrated preparations are contraindicated in pregnancy due to potential uterotonic activity. Cross-reactive allergies have been documented in individuals sensitive to other Fabaceae (legume) family members such as peanuts and chickpeas.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Fenugreek has no assigned E number; it is used as a traditional spice and botanical food ingredient in the EU. It falls under EFSA's botanical safety assessment framework (Regulation EC 1334/2008 for flavourings). EFSA's Compendium of Botanicals includes Trigonella foenum-graecum. No specific maximum use level established for culinary use.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Fenugreek (Methi) is recognized as a traditional permitted spice and condiment under FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. Defatted fenugreek seed flakes (FenuFlakes®) and defatted fenugreek seed powder were additionally approved as novel/non-specified food ingredients under FSS (Approval for Non-Specified Food and Food Ingredients) Regulations, 2017, approval dated 05.06.2025.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Fenugreek extract is separately listed in the FDA Substances Added to Food database, also with GRAS status as a natural flavoring substance. FEMA GRAS No. 2485.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Pregnancy — High-dose fenugreek has documented uterotonic properties that may stimulate uterine contractions, posing a risk of miscarriage or preterm labor; culinary amounts are generally considered lower risk but concentrated supplements should be avoided.

Lactation — While fenugreek is traditionally used as a galactagogue to boost milk supply, high supplemental doses have insufficient clinical safety data in lactating women and infants and should be used only under medical supervision.

Infants — Concentrated fenugreek supplements are not appropriate for infants; trace culinary use in weaning foods is unlikely to pose risk, but the seed's galactomannan and steroidal saponins have not been well studied at high doses in this age group.

Diabetes — Fenugreek's galactomannan fibre and amino acid 4-hydroxyisoleucine can lower blood glucose and may potentiate the effects of antidiabetic medications, significantly increasing the risk of hypoglycemia at supplemental doses.

Heart Disease — Fenugreek exhibits antiplatelet and mild anticoagulant activity and may interact with warfarin or other anticoagulant/antiplatelet medications commonly used in heart disease management, increasing bleeding risk.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FDA. Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) – Fenugreek. hfpappexternal.fda.gov
2FSSAI. List of product(s)/ingredient(s) applications Approved under Food Safety and Standards (Approval for Non-Specified Food and Food Ingredients) Regulations, 2017 – Status as on 04.12.2025, 2025. fssai.gov.in
3PubMed. Trends and current food safety regulations and policies for functional foods and beverages containing botanicals, 2024. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4PubMed. A systematic literature review of fenugreek seed toxicity by using ToxRTool: evidence from preclinical and clinical studies, 2019. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5EFSA. Safety assessment of botanicals and botanical preparations intended for use as ingredients in food supplements (EFSA Guidance), 2009. efsa.europa.eu

Independently researched5 citations