Fenugreek seeds helping keep sugars in check
For the last two months I have been running a test on fenugreek seeds.
Back in India, one of the traditional remedies has been to eat fenugreek seeds. In the local language, Hindi, they are known as Methi Seeds.
What do I do?
Every night I take a spoonful of the seeds and soak it in water. Every morning first thing after I wake up and check my fasting sugars, I eat these soaked seeds. They can be bitter but over time you adjust to them. I just drink all the water and chew up the soaked seeds. Sometimes I need more water to push them down.
Results
I feel like my post breakfast sugars are down from where I used to be. My feeling is a drop of about 10-20 point.
Hypothesis
I suspect that the fenugreek seeds probably have some vitamins or minerals that help, but a lot of the help is from the fact that they are so high in fiber. Eating lots of natural fiber in the morning helps the gut get used to consuming sugars slowly. Also I end up drinking atleast a big glass of water. I have hear that consuming lots of water in the morning is also beneficial for sugar control.
Suggestions
You might want to give it a try. I know there are some Fenugreek tablets available in the health store, but I think going to the natural source is probably better. I bought my seeds form a local Indian Grocery store. If you do not have one close by, you can check online. Buying the seeds from other places might be a pricey endeavor.
Back in India, one of the traditional remedies has been to eat fenugreek seeds. In the local language, Hindi, they are known as Methi Seeds.
What do I do?
Every night I take a spoonful of the seeds and soak it in water. Every morning first thing after I wake up and check my fasting sugars, I eat these soaked seeds. They can be bitter but over time you adjust to them. I just drink all the water and chew up the soaked seeds. Sometimes I need more water to push them down.
Results
I feel like my post breakfast sugars are down from where I used to be. My feeling is a drop of about 10-20 point.
Hypothesis
I suspect that the fenugreek seeds probably have some vitamins or minerals that help, but a lot of the help is from the fact that they are so high in fiber. Eating lots of natural fiber in the morning helps the gut get used to consuming sugars slowly. Also I end up drinking atleast a big glass of water. I have hear that consuming lots of water in the morning is also beneficial for sugar control.
Suggestions
You might want to give it a try. I know there are some Fenugreek tablets available in the health store, but I think going to the natural source is probably better. I bought my seeds form a local Indian Grocery store. If you do not have one close by, you can check online. Buying the seeds from other places might be a pricey endeavor.
Comments
I have used it with a coffee grinder today.
Since most people can not chew that stuff i dont think it will work.
Plus it appeared i was passing seeds whole when i didnt grind it.
It is used in some places to treat diabetes, but I'd be really watchful!
http://www.lumc.edu/health/kbase/htm/mdx-/amci/0060/mdx-amci0060.htm
http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2005/01/01/4193.html
a post after long time i guessafter completion of experiment. I use Fenugreek(methi seeds) powder and seeds almost everyday yes it helps putting down BS. Its good for sugars as well as cholestrol . It actually wash out any blockages in body when used in delayed periods it helps. It also help in Arthritis my granny use methi ke laddu in winters.
Let me put down how I use it almost daily in my diet.
1) I use rotis(indian bread) with 5kg of wheat 1/2 kg of soyabean and 100gm of methi seeds. The powder made from this is used to make rotis at my home. you cna add channa powder also its called missi roti if you know but channa atta makes roti hard and i don't like that flavour so i stick to soyabean methi and wheat combo.
2) I usually eat sprouts in breakfast and in whatever combination of sprouts i am using I add 2 tsp of methi too and its easy to eat with them. I boil the sprouts with little salt and find it delicious.
Well beside Methi there are other herbs that good too I found cinnaon doing wonders.
I drink cinnamon tea twice morning and evening. taking 2 inch of cinnamon and boiling it in 2 cups to make 1 cup add some tea leaves(best is green tea) otherwise regular black tea also works well just add 1 cardamom to it and it would be yummie to drink i found cinnamon brings down my sugars to 20-30 points.
give a try and lemme know how its working for you!!!
regards
daibetic moments
I don't know if you still monitor this blog after all this time, but I just came across this.
I have T2 diabetes and about a 1.5 years ago, I came across the benefits of Fenugreek. All my "mallan" aunties used to tell me about this but I just used to "pooh pooh" their suggestions believing that Western doctors knew better. I used to be on a cocktail of pills all this time (about 8 years).
Anyway, I started taking fenugreek just the way that you mentioned, soaking the seeds the night before and then chewing them and drinking the water the next morning before breakfast. Never liked the taste. But finally settled on a teaspoon of fenugreek powder in hot water every morning and a teaspoon of fenugreek powder in cold water in the evenings. I have been doing tis for the past 1.5 years.
AMAZING!!!....my fasting blood sugars have dropped drastically.
Before, even with the pills, I used to average a reading of 11-13 pts (Canadian Standard for an average fasting reading should be around 6-7 pts.). All the doctors have done is to increase the dosage of pills more and more. Now...I am averaging a decent 7-9 pts fasting!!!.
AND...I have dropped my medication to 2 pills of Metformin a day...thats it!!! The same doctors are amazed and they simply believe that I am exercising more and eating better...thats it.I know better and I know that I have not really eaten better...I mean I am.. but I know where what is really helping.
Just so you will know and can pass this on to anyone else.
Cheers.
Now I am back on the fenugreek/methi seeds and things are a lot more stable, as is my brain :-)
just typed in a query on methi and was amazed at the amount of info. I don't have diabetes but may be heading towards it so thought for starters I would just soak up the methi seeds in the night and drink up the water in the morning. then top up the glass and drink it once more in the afternoon. after that I plant the seeds in the garden and in a few days use up the tender shoots of methi leaves in any vegetable that I make. maybe in the future I may have to eat the seeds. My mum used to do this and also have the methi powder. thanks again for all the info
i'm looking into bitter melon, it is nasty but i'm trying out various ways to prepare it.
I tried one teaspoon fenugreek with my my meal, When I check the BS after 2hrs -I cannt belive my eye it was 108 , before using fenugreek it usually 180 to 200
See below:-
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these symptoms of lactic acidosis: weakness, increasing sleepiness, slow heart rate, cold feeling, muscle pain, shortness of breath, stomach pain, feeling light-headed, and fainting. Stop using metformin and get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:
feeling short of breath, even with mild exertion;
swelling or rapid weight gain; or
fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms.
Less serious side effects may include:
headache or muscle pain;
weakness; or
mild nausesa, vomiting, diarrhea, gas, stomach pain.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
I know you may have been only trying to help, yet perhaps the "drugs system" has got you trusting it too much. When they really ultimately exist to make money out of trusting people like you.
Fenugreek & Cinnamon work wonders, from nature!
& we should thank God for that!
There's no end to the studies on these herbs for controlling blood sugar, all showing positive results when taken sensibly as part of a balanced diet.
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http://www.all-about-beating-diabetes.com/fenugreek-for-diabetes.html
www.springerlink.com/content/u26k04v3177487g1/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11868855
Can i take the fenugreek seeds soaked without grinding them.
Mohan
Eating whole seems to just bring the whole thing out the other end :-)
Recipe for Methi Kootu:
One can get a bunch of methi/ fenugreek leaves from an indian grocery store and make a simple kootu/indian recipe. In a sauce pan, add a spoon of cooking oil,fry half a teaspoon of mustard until it splutters then add half a teaspoon of red-gram/bengal-gram, fry them till they are light brown. Add a pinch of hing, teaspoon of turmeric, a bunch of curry leaves and a green/red chilli. Then add the completely washed/chopped methi leaves [cut & throw away 2 inches of roots] and also add a tablespoon of moong-dal/green-gram [looks yellow!], boil them in a cup of water, until the green gram looks cooked [may take 10 min]. Season with little salt and serve with rice/bread. Tastes delicious.
I eat dinner by 7 pm and no rice or wheat only vegetables and a high protien [ fish or chicken peice]basically an European dinner.
Definately no sugar,fruits after 6 pm.
Last week I went to my indian friends for a normal indian dinner and in the morning 8.5 sugar diabetic; I ate smaosas @ 8 pm, rice and puri @ 930 and kheer @ 10 pm.i am not a doctor but a maintennece engineer and i am just trying to find out why my white friends who are much heavier than me have no no diabeties.
Srinivas
sonia
I have started giving a ayurvedic Jamun and karela syrup for my husband for controling the sugar. Is it safe and what kind of dinnner we can give please suggest.
A simple strategy would be to add 50% buckwheat flour to 50% wholegrain wheat flour. Combining the two, as a bonus, would also give you a complete protein meal as wheat by itself is an incomplete protein.
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1. This amino acid may stimulate the secretion of insulin from your pancreas.
2. Another duty is to reduce insulin resistance. As a result, you may have low blood sugar levels.
II. Another components inside fenugreek seeds are alkaloids such as gentianine, trigonelline, and carpaine.
III. There is another component, called fenugreekine, which can lower your blood glucose levels through several mechanisms:
1- First, it may slow down the absorption process of carbs.
2- Second, it may interfere by inhibiting the glucose transport.
3- And the last and important action is by delaying your stomach emptiness.
As a result, you may have less sugar in your blood stream.
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I have just been diagnosed with high blood sugar and this info will help me.
I am working on alternative way to control my 5 years-old Diabetes II. Just try bitter melon last couple days and thinking about cinnamon, fenugreek seeds, ginseng, and others. So many options to try. If I change one method at a time, which will take very long to get a meaningful conclusion. Can you share what other have you try and what is the results? Thanks.
ctu
Great blog, Having studied in US, I never credited Ayurveda I have tried some off and on methi seeds to fix my diabetes type II with no consistent results. I am diabetic for 7 years type II. My A1C last 8.5 October 2012
I take:
Metformin 1000 twice daily
Glipzide 10 twice daily
Januvia 10 once daily
Medicine for thyroid ( just new addition in Nov 2012)
Lisinopril 10 for Blood pressure
My PCP told meI that I need to take Insulin or I will evaporate from earth soon. (Nov 2012)
Hmmm, after reading comments here I decided to seriously, give Ayurvedic/Naturopathy treatment a chance before going insulin route.
I hate eating bitter Methi seeds, so I blended AMLA powder, Jamun and Karela powder and Methi seed powder Half a tsp each( all available in Indian Grocery stores) Mix in warm water and blend it with Magic Bullet blender ( This blender was sitting in home for 2 years with no use) )(Not a blender salesman- just in case if you have ideas ) .
I let mixture stand for 3 - 4 hours and filter with a strainer. (I do not like too much fluff).
I Warm the liquid mixture in microwave in a cup and have it with my breakfast and Lunch. (Caveat: I am eating Poultry, meat and eggs, small amount of vegetables cooked regular Indian style and some Daal (lentils) again typical Indian style.
I am not taking this Elixir at Dinner time YET!! AMAZING...zing result Blood sugar- Fasting, Dropped from 180-200 to 135 average (High 169 lowest 110)
Blood Sugar 2 hours after lunch
Dropped from 220 to 130 Average ( High 154 lowest 95).
I have stopped taking Lisinprol for Blood pressure and Thyroid medicine. I have also dropped! glipizid 10 mg in morning. I am experimenting with dropping other medicines and observing how my Blood sugar reacts
I am walking 2-5 miles a day. Full disclosure: I Drink Bacardi White Rum with water 3-4 oz every night. (Leaving that as last experimental factor) ( No NOT encouraging anyone to drink)
I am not done yet it has been only 4 weeks. My regimen is very tight.
Moral of story : IT is NOT MD doctor who can help us it is what we EAT (PERIOD). I would encourage all to keep experimenting and refuse to follow your PCP or MD specialist blindly and take insulin or a cocktail of Pills.
Yes, on other hand go see an Endocrinologist as well a Dietician and chart a plan to attack Diabetes.
I think Doctors never share the secret code - DIABetes: Do It Again, Better, Eats
My best wishes to all who want to conquer this Super junk called Diabetes.
Does eating rice causes more rise in blood sugar.
does steam boiling and throwing away the water from the rice reduces the carbohydrate (sugar) from the rice
I am consuming 500 mg metforming after lunch and dinner and and aspirin 81mg along with indapamide 1.5mg will the Fenugreek seeds cause any further thinning of the blood
will the Fenugreek reduce my post dinner blood sugar which was 282mg last night even after taking one metforming tablet. (i have discontinued taking gliclazide 80mg one and half tab once in the morning and half in before dinner) as my HBA1C has dropped from 9.6 to 8.4 first and then after two months it came down to 6.5)
then i thought of discontinuing gliclazide as my A1C has come down to normal range.
Please guide me whether I shall continue taking gliclazide because the doctor says that the improvement in the A1c is due that only.
My other question is could you please let me know any treatment for albumin in the urine where in all my chemistry results for urea creatinine are normal. in the 24 urine collection test it was revealed that the albumin content was 1.54gms which is quite higher although we did the sonography of the kidney and the report says its very much normal. my diabetes is quite under control and it is not more than 6 MONTHS old. blood pressure is 135/80 mm hg
Kindly advice me
Best regards.
Endocrinologist Anastassios Pittas, MD, MSc, and colleagues at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston
According to Pittas, metformin lowers A1C levels by an average of 1.5 percentage points; sulfonylureas lower A1C levels by an average of 1.5–2 percentage points; and thiazolidinediones (TZDs) reduce A1C levels by an average of 1–1.5 percentage points.
http://docnews.diabetesjournals.org/.../4/10/1.2.full
Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) menthioned about Fenugreek that if people knew the benifits of Fenugreek, It will be sold equivalent to gold.
Carbos push your BSL like hell.
Diabetes 2 former (hopefully) sufferer.
I would like to know if a diabetic wants to have fenugreek tea instead of water, how many times should it be consumed and how to prepare the tea. Can someone please help me on this!!!!
I would like to know if a diabetic wants to have fenugreek tea instead of water, how many times should it be consumed and how to prepare the tea. Can someone please help me on this!!!!
5monthes ago I found out that I have diabetes my fasting blood glucose used to be 9 to 10 mmol /L , is started my diet. And doing some exercise it dropped down to 7.1 mool /L , aa magic event happened when I visited home Mediterranean. Country , I was advices to boil a bunch of olive oil leaves ( 30 leave with 2 c of water for 15 minutes , drink one cup deforestation bed. And the second cup when I wake up before freak fast , result after 10 day , my blood sugar drop down to 5.1 mmol /L
now I left my country I bring with me 2 kg of fenugreek pounder. Every morning when I wake up I mixed 3 teaspoon. With half teaspoon of cinnamon. Prouder in a big cup of water. And I add one teaspoon of fresh olive oil , now my fasting blood sugar is 6 mmol/L
I have gone through bypass surgery almost two years before, and using CLOPIVAS AP75 every afternoon. To control the sugar level can I use this methi seed ?
Boil tea leaves. A cup of tea.
Add one table spoon kalonji oil
Drink one cup in morning during breakfast and at night
Check sugar levels
If sugar levels drop to good level then after 20 more days one can take sugar/sweets in small quantities.
Amol Chavan
plz take 125gram fenugreek and 250gram coriondor seeds,fry these seperately and make powder form and store in a box,then take 2 tsp and 200 ml water boil it and drink three time one hour before food for one month then check ur blood sugar.and do janana mudra and sigara mudra at morning and evening u will be cured from initial stage type 2 diabetic.
marvellous