Compound or practice · Supplement
Fenugreek
A libido herb with reasonable sexual-function data and inconsistent testosterone claims — the effect people feel is desire, not androgens.
- Overall grade
- Grade C
- Last revised
- 2
- graded outcomes
- 0
- references listed
A structured monograph in Prometheus's bundled library. Its grades are the monograph's own reading of the evidence, not a peer-reviewed review.
2 at grade C — 2 graded rows
What is known
Each outcome with its grade (how strong the evidence is, A to D), the size of the effect where the entry records one, and how often studies agree.
- Sexual function / libidoEvidence grade C
Standardized extracts
Smallmixed
- TestosteroneEvidence grade C
Inconsistent
Unclearlow
What is uncertain
Read off the same rows as above. Nothing here is added that the entry does not itself record.
- Thin evidence: Sexual function / libido (grade C); Testosterone (grade C).
- Caution with Metformin: Additive glucose lowering.
Interactions
Documented pairings with supplements and medicines. A medicine on this list is a conversation for whoever prescribes it.
MetforminCaution
Additive glucose lowering.
The evidence in words
What it is
Fenugreek seed extracts (standardized to saponins/furostanols) are marketed for testosterone and libido.
How it works
Proposed to inhibit hormone-metabolizing enzymes and improve sexual function; the testosterone story is inconsistent across products.
What the evidence shows
Some standardized extracts improve sexual function, libido, and strength modestly; measurable testosterone increases are inconsistent and product-dependent. Better viewed as a libido/wellbeing herb than a reliable testosterone booster.
How to use it
500–600 mg/day of a standardized extract.
Safety & interactions
Generally safe; maple-syrup body odor is common, and it has mild glucose-lowering and antiplatelet effects. metformin — Additive glucose lowering.
Bottom line
Reasonable for libido and general vigor; don't count on the testosterone claims. Standardized extract, ~500–600 mg/day.
How it is used
As the entry records it, from the studies it summarises. Not a recommendation for you — doses that suit a trial population may not suit you.
- Standard
- 500–600 mg/day standardized.
Related reading
Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.
- Fenugreek for TestosteroneEvidence grade C — InconsistentEvidence grade C
- Fenugreek for Sexual function / libidoEvidence grade C — Standardized extractsEvidence grade C
- Fenugreek: dosage and how to take it500–600 mg/day standardized.Evidence grade C
- Fenugreek: side effects, safety & interactionsGenerally safe; maple-syrup body odor is common, and it has mild glucose-lowering and antiplatelet effects.Evidence grade C
Sources
This entry lists no references of its own.
Last revised . A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.