Benefits
Testosterone levels in men
In a 12-week trial of 120 healthy men aged 43 to 70, 600 mg a day of the branded extract Testofen raised total and free testosterone more than placebo. A 12-week trial of a different extract found no significant rise in blood testosterone versus placebo. Pooled analyses found a small rise in total testosterone but no reliable rise in free testosterone, and the most recent rated the evidence very uncertain.
Blood sugar levels
Pooled analyses of randomized trials found that fenugreek seed lowered fasting blood sugar, HbA1c and after-meal blood sugar compared with control in adults with type 2 diabetes, mainly at medium or high seed doses. Most trials were of low methodological quality, the participants were under medical care, and fenugreek does not replace diabetes medicine.
Breast milk supply
Fenugreek is widely used to increase breast milk. The NIH LactMed review notes that one pooled analysis found a mild effect, another found no good evidence, and the effect may be mainly psychological. Safety data in nursing mothers and infants are thin, so talk with a doctor or lactation consultant first.
Sexual function in men
In a 12-week trial of 120 healthy men aged 43 to 70, 600 mg a day of the branded extract Testofen improved sexual function, including morning erections and frequency of sexual activity, versus placebo. A 12-week trial of a different extract in 95 men aged 40 to 80 found no significant change in libido questionnaire answers versus placebo. No study cited here tested women.
Mechanism of action
Hormone signaling (proposed)
The NIH LactMed review notes that some studies suggest fenugreek may increase insulin, prolactin and oxytocin secretion, one proposed explanation for its effects on milk supply and blood sugar. LactMed also notes the milk effect may be mainly psychological.
Soluble fiber at gram doses
The seed contains mucilage, a soluble fiber. LactMed describes cholesterol and blood sugar lowering at about 25 g or more of seed a day, amounts where fiber could contribute; the 600 mg extract doses used in testosterone trials supply very little fiber.
Clinical trials
Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of a standardized fenugreek seed extract (Testofen), 600 mg a day for 12 weeks. Primary outcome: Aging Male Symptom score. Funding is listed as Gencor Pacific (industry) in a later systematic review (Rao et al. 2016, Aging Male).
120 healthy men aged 43 to 70.
Aging male symptom scores fell more than with placebo. Sexual function improved, including morning erections and frequency of sexual activity, and total and free testosterone rose versus placebo. It is one branded extract tested by one research group.
Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of a fenugreek extract (TrigozimR) at 600, 1,200 or 1,800 mg a day for 12 weeks; all groups, including placebo, also received vitamins and minerals. Primary outcome: testosterone in blood and saliva. Plasma total testosterone and free testosterone index rose from baseline but not significantly versus placebo; saliva testosterone rose versus placebo; libido questionnaire answers did not differ from placebo. Financed by PurOmega Ltd.; the authors also declared funding from the contract laboratory Vitas, in which two authors hold stock (Lee-Ødegård et al. 2024, PLoS One).
95 men aged 40 to 80 who completed the trial.
The blood hormone result did not differ significantly from placebo, although a saliva measure rose versus placebo. Self-reported questionnaire answers did not change versus placebo, and no side effects were observed.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials of oral fenugreek preparations, with GRADE certainty ratings. Industry funding or company involvement was common across the included studies (Yang et al. 2026, Frontiers in Nutrition).
Adult men in 13 included studies; 6 contributed to the total testosterone analysis and 5 to free testosterone.
Fenugreek was linked to a small rise in total testosterone (SMD 0.25) but no significant change in free testosterone. No study was at low risk of bias, certainty was very low, and the authors concluded the evidence does not support testosterone-boosting claims.
Meta-analysis of clinical trials of at least 1 week comparing fenugreek seed with a control intervention. Significant effects on fasting and 2-hour glucose were found only in trials giving medium or high doses to people with diabetes, and most trials were of low methodological quality (Neelakantan et al. 2014, Nutrition Journal).
10 trials in people with and without diabetes; the effects came from trials in people with diabetes.
Compared with control, fenugreek lowered fasting blood glucose by 0.96 mmol/l (10 trials), 2-hour post-load glucose by 2.19 mmol/l (7 trials) and HbA1c by 0.85% (3 trials), with considerable differences between studies.