Methi Seed Benefits: 7 Ways How Soaked Fenugreek Seeds Boost Your Health

Add as a preferred source on Google

The traditional ingredients in an Indian curry tadka include an item called methi seeds. Although less known than mustard seeds, having a taste less pleasing than most spices, and also deemed by many people as a non-essential part of their recipes, methi or fenugreek seeds do have a lot of benefits for the human body.

The plant is scientifically named 'Trigonella foenum-graecum', the word trigonella signifying a triangle - the shape of its flowers. While most of the plant parts are used in cooking or home remedies, this article will specifically talk about the benefits of the seeds when soaked.

What you need to do is take two to three teaspoons of methi seeds at night, soak it in half a cup of water, and leave it overnight. In the morning, you can chew the seeds or swallow them like pills with water.

Also, do not throw away the water. You can drink the water, which also has multiple benefits, as an alternative to chewing seeds.

If you want to eat soaked seeds but you forgot to soak them the night before, do not worry. Just put them in some boiling water for five to ten minutes and it should be ready.

Soaking the seeds does two things - it makes the seeds softer and easier to digest, and it also helps draw out all the nutrients in them. So, let's begin...

1. Digestion
2. Diabetes And Cholesterol
3. Weight Loss
4. Ageing
5. Skin And Hair
6. Reproductive Health
7. Other Benefits

1. Digestion:

An all-rounder in digestive problems, methi seeds help raise your appetite and strengthen the digestive system, are good for constipation due to their fibre content, and are also good for diarrhea because their husks tend to absorb excess water in the stool.

The fibres also act to form a protective layer around the inside of intestinal walls that provides relief from ulcer, inflammation, and heartburn.

2. Diabetes And Cholesterol:

Fenugreek can be used to stabilize blood sugar levels, especially in mildly diabetic patients. It works on insulin resistance, best when combined with some other ingredients. Of course, you should consult a doctor for the dosage.

It also improves your lipid profile by lowering bad cholesterol levels. Fenugreek contains choline that has the ability to eliminate the fat accumulated in the arteries.

3. Weight Loss:

An overall boost to your digestion and lowering of cholesterol have the contingent benefit of facilitating weight loss. It is said in Ayurveda that methi seeds have heating properties, which help you maintain or lose weight.

4. Ageing:

Methi seeds also contain the coveted antioxidants that protect cells and tissues from oxidative damage and thereby delay the ageing process.

5. Reproductive Health:

Fenugreek seeds are known to enhance the libido in both women and men. For men, it has been used to treat premature ejaculation and a low sex drive. For women, it has been used by pharmaceutical companies in producing contraceptives.

It is commonly believed, however, without evidence, that methi seeds help in breast enhancement due to diosgenin - a content substance similar to estrogen, the female hormone. Fenugreek is also largely used by lactating mothers to increase milk production.

Ayurvedic treatment also prescribes consumption of soaked methi seeds with sugar and milk to women, to help overcome symptoms of premenstrual syndrome before periods, and to help increase the blood flow and trigger uterine contractions during periods.

6. Skin And Hair:

Soaked methi seeds can be ground into a paste that you can apply on your face and scalp. Methi seeds have anti-inflammatory properties, which make it suitable to cleanse and soothe the skin.

For swellings, burning spots, boils, skin ulcers, and inflammatory conditions, it may be used as an ointment beneath the cotton bandage. These seeds are also useful in treating acne. Pimples form when skin pores are clogged up due to excess oil and dirt.

Methi seeds contain salicylic acid, which helps remove the clogging and their soothing quality makes it possible to peel them off the skin without burning the skin.

Methi paste, when taken orally, can work wonders to promote hair growth and when applied from outside along with shikakai powder, can cleanse the scalp. It can also treat dandruff and hairfall when made into a hair mask with other beneficial substances.

Thus, methi seeds help strengthen you from inside and beautify you from the outside.

7. Other Benefits:

Related to the property of delaying ageing, methi seeds may also be helpful for memory loss. Additionally, they might soothe your stress and anxiety, if brewed into a tea with honey, mint, basil, and lemon juice. The same tea will also fight a sore and itchy throat or a cold.

NOTE: To give you a fair warning, methi seeds do have some potential side effects. As they are water-absorbent in nature, you should make sure you keep yourself hydrated after you eat them. They are also known to absorb iron and should be avoided by people with iron deficiency or anemia.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.