METHI OR Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.), an important but little-known ingredient of the globally famous South Asian curries, is an annual legume crop and a traditional spice. Widely cultivated across South Asian nations as a spice, it is more well-known in other parts of the world as an annual forage legume crop.
The herbaceous plant has an indeterminate growth habit with trifoliate leaves and legume pods containing 10-20 golden brownish seeds. This plant species has been used both in ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine in treating a number of human diseases. Both leaves and seeds have rich medicinal properties due to the presence of steroidal sapogenins, alkaloids, complex carbohydrates (galactomannan) and essential amino acids (4-hydroxyisoleucine).
Due to the presence of such important phytochemicals, the seeds have been found to have significant properties in reducing blood sugar and blood cholesterol levels. As such, in addition to its traditional use as a spice and forage crop, the plant has attracted the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and functional food industries. Semi-arid and drier parts of the Philippines will be suitable for cultivation of this crop that has great demand in the international markets.
It will be great if the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture looked into the opportunity of growing climate resilient crops in the country under supervised trial.
—SAIKAT KUMAR BASU, Apt 6-409, 43 Street South, Lethbridge AB Canada T1J 4B3, saikat.basu@alumni.uleth.ca