Fennel contains antioxidants that protect your body's cells and help prevent diseases, such as cancer. Fenugreek with its squarish seeds, shows promise medically for treating diabetes. Fennel is a safe herb, but fenugreek does not mix well with certain medications. The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center cautions that fenugreek might stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells in certain people. Therefore, if you have a history of cancer linked to hormones, avoid fenugreek. Don't take either fennel or fenugreek if you are pregnant.
Fennel
Fennel, or Foeniculum vulgare, is a herb with long stalks and feathery, dark-green fronds. You can use it fresh in salads or you can cook the fennel bulb as a vegetable. The seeds have a sweet taste and are good for digestion when chewed after meals. Fennel is known as a carminative -- a plant that relieves intestinal gas.
Fennel Toxicity
Fennel has several helpful chemicals, but don't eat too much of this herb. Fennel contains the antioxidant flavonols quercetin and kaempferol. The phenolic acid in fennel, caffeic acid, may help prevent skin cancer. It also contains the terpenes limonene and camphor, which are responsible for the plant's delicate licorice smell. Fennel contains carotenoid tetraterpenes, which are pigments of beta-carotene, a form of vitamin A. According to MayoClinic.com fennel may cause galactorrhea. In this condition, your body produces a lot of the hormone prolactin, causing fluid to leak from breast nipples. It can occur in both men and women. See your doctor immediately if you have this symptom.
Fenugreek
Trigonella foenum-graecum, or fenugreek, is a common culinary herb used in Asian and Mediterranean dishes. It also is a healing herb used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine. You can buy the seeds to use for cooking, or you can purchase capsules of the herb. Fenugreek may lower your blood sugar if you have type 2 diabetes by causing the pancreas to secrete more insulin. Fenugreek might also lower cholesterol. One of the main chemicals in fenugreek is 4-hydroxyisoleucine, an amino acid.
Fenugreek Toxicity
Fenugreek interacts with some cardiac drugs. Don't take fenugreek if you are on the drug warfarin. The herb can make you more prone to bleeding, which could be dangerous medically. Since fenugreek lowers blood sugar, do not eat it if you are prone to hypoglycemia or if you are on glucose-lowering medication.
References
- "Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition"; Indian Herbs and Herbal Drugs Used for the Treatment of Diabetes; Manisha Modak, Priyanjali Dixit, Jayant Londhe, Saroj Ghaskadbi and Thomas Paul A. Devasagayam; May 2007
- "Journal of the American College of Cardiology"; Use of Herbal Products and Potential Interactions in Patients With Cardiovascular Diseases; Ara Tachjian, M.D., Viqar Maria, MBBS, and Arshad Jahangir, M.D.; February 2010
- "Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry"; The Role of Herbs and Spices in Cancer Prevention; Christine M. Kaefer and John A. Milner; June 2008
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: About Herbs: Fenugreek
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Quercitin
- MayoClinic.com: Galactorrhea -- Causes
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