मेथी दाना

Vapika herb library · No. 12 Trigonella foenum-graecum L. Family Fabaceae · Seed

Fenugreek seed

Fenugreek

मेथी दाना ਮੇਥੀ Sanskrit: मेथिका (Methikā), पीतबीजा (Pītabījā)

Small, hard, mustard-yellow seeds with a bitter bite and a smell of maple when toasted. Methi is the bitterness that balances the Indian pickle jar, and the leaves are a winter green in every Punjabi kitchen.

Settles Vata
Settles Kapha
Can raise Pitta

Dravyaguṇa · its qualities

How Ayurveda reads fenugreek

Rasa · taste: Pungent, bitter (kaṭu, tikta)
Guṇa · nature: Light, unctuous (laghu, snigdha)
Vīrya · potency: Heating (uṣṇa)
Vipāka · after digestion: Pungent (kaṭu)
Part used: Seed

Reviewed by the Vapika team.

In the tradition

Methikā is one of the oldest of Indian seeds; its Sanskrit name Pītabījā means simply "yellow seed". Fenugreek seed and its leaves are both in the texts, and both in the kitchen.

In Punjab, new mothers were traditionally given methi laddoos and methi porridge.

How Ayurveda reads it

Methi is pungent and bitter, light and unctuous, and heating, with a pungent after-digestion effect. It is described as settling Vata and Kapha, and able to raise Pitta.

It is classed as dīpana — kindling agni.

In the Indian kitchen

Seeds go into the tadka for dal and kadhi, into panch phoron, and into nearly every North Indian pickle, where their bitterness balances the oil and sour. Soaked overnight, a spoon of seeds and their water is an old morning habit. Fresh methi leaves make methi paratha and aloo methi; the dried leaves are kasuri methi.

How we use it

We use fenugreek seed, lightly roasted and ground, in our churnas, in small amounts. It is bitter, and it is there for balance rather than flavour.

Go gently if you are pregnant, or take medication for blood sugar or that thins the blood — ask your doctor before strong daily amounts. Some people who are allergic to peanuts or chickpeas react to fenugreek too.