Fenugreek (methi) is an annual herb with dark green compound leaves and strong odor. Its seed is brown in color and has a typical odor. The seeds are enclosed in pods. The leaves and seeds are edible part of the plant which has both nutritional and medical value. Its seed is a hard lentil. Its color is dark fawn and has an astringent aroma.Fenugreek seed contains five percent bitter fixed oil.
The oil has a strong celery-like odor. The seed helps maintain blood glucose levels in non-insulin dependent diabetic patients. It is also used with buttermilk in the treatment of dysentery.
The plant is annual, approximately two feet high, with cream-colored, pea-like flowers that produce slender, four to six-inch pods. Each pod contains 10 to 20 small,
hard, yellowish-brown, curved seeds with yellow interiors. The seeds contain vanilla-scented coumarone and are high in mucilage (40 percent). The scent and taste of these seeds are a combination of celery and maple,,,
