Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” He was an essential figure in the history of medicine because he was among the earliest to assert that natural processes caused diseases. The idea of what we eat and drink impacting our health is widely accepted. For centuries, cultures consumed botanicals as part of their everyday diet to positively affect their health. Now, with science, we have taken ancient botanicals and created nutraceuticals. Trigogen® is a perfect example of these scientific advancements.
Fenugreek Seeds: The Past
Fenugreek’s use dates back as far as six thousand years. Its historical uses include treating burns, inducing childbirth, mummification, infections, fevers, increased breast milk production, and respiratory and intestinal issues (soothing). Fenugreek has also been used for its unique aroma and flavor in foods such as curry powders, pickles, and pastes. Fenugreek’s use in foods is widespread in Indian and Middle Eastern cultures.[i]
Fenugreek Seeds: The Present
Recent scientific research has uncovered the fantastic health benefits of fenugreek in new and pressing areas of health. Gencor Pacific, through proprietary extraction processes and clinical studies, has harnessed these benefits to create standardized extracts of fenugreek such as Libifem®, Testofen®, and the newcomer Trigogen®.
Libifem®
Studies with Libifem® have revealed its wide-ranging benefits for women’s health, including menopause, sexual health, and body composition.
- Menopause Study: Libifem® has shown significant reductions in symptoms of hot flashes and night sweats, along with improvements in physical, psychosocial, and sexual functioning.[ii]
- Sexual Health Study: Results from this study showed that taking 600mg of Libifem® significantly increased estradiol, sexual desire, and arousal.[iii]
- Body Composition, Strength, and Power Study: Taking 300 or 600mg of Libifem® daily significantly improved athletic performance, endurance athletes, and increased metabolism and sports performance in women.[iv]
Testofen®
Studies with Testofen® show that this patented fenugreek extract (standardized to a proprietary matrix of saponin glycosides) naturally boosts testosterone levels, supports healthy sexual desire and vitality, and increases muscle mass and power in men.
- Andropause Study: Taking 600mg of Testofen® daily reduced the symptoms of andropause, improved psychological, bodily, and sexual sub-domains, improved sexual health (arousal, desire, activity), and increased free and total testosterone levels.[v]
- Exercise Performance Study: Results from this study showed a dose-dependent improvement in lower body strength (300mg and 600mg Testofen® daily). At a dose of 600mg daily, Testofen® showed an increased lean mass, decreased fat mass and body fat, increased functional threshold power, and increased free testosterone levels compared to the placebo.[vi]
- Libido Study: This study showed that taking 600mg of Testofen® daily improved physiological aspects of libido, increased sexual arousal and orgasm, improved quality of life (muscle strength, energy, well-being), and increased sexual function in men.[vii]
- Anabolic Study: Testofen® use over eight weeks increased free testosterone levels, reduced body fat, and increased lean body mass at 600mg daily.[viii]
Trigogen®
Trigogen® is an excellent example of how utilizing different extraction processes and standardizations can achieve different proven health benefits from the same botanical. Trigogen® utilizes a proprietary extraction process using ethanol and water to obtain the precise levels of the plant alkaloid trigonelline. For those unfamiliar with trigonelline, it has been studied for its benefits for blood sugar and central nervous system conditions. It has hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, neuroprotective, sedative, memory-improving, and antibacterial/viral activities.[ix]
- Blood Sugar Study: The latest study completed with Trigogen® shows that taking 250mg twice daily helps reduce fasting blood sugar levels and improve 2-hour postprandial (after a meal) glucose response.[x]
Impaired glucose tolerance and fasting glucose are both associated with pre-diabetes. With the increasing numbers of people with blood sugar control issues, Trigogen® offers a new and refreshing approach to tackling what many consider a growing global epidemic.
References
[i] MYSPICER.COM website, The History of Fenugreek, https://www.myspicer.com/history-of-fenugreek/, March 4, 2014, accessed July 3, 2024
[ii] Steels, E., Steele, M.L., Harold, M. and Coulson, S., 2017. Efficacy of a proprietary Trigonella foenum‐graecum L. de‐husked seed extract in reducing menopausal symptoms in otherwise healthy women: a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled study. Phytotherapy Research, 31(9), pp.1316-1322.
[iii] Rao, Amanda, et al. “Influence of a specialized Trigonella foenum‐graecum seed extract (libifem), on testosterone, estradiol and sexual function in healthy menstruating women, a randomised placebo controlled study.” Phytotherapy Research 29.8 (2015): 1123-1130.
[iv] Rao A., Calyton P., (2023). Frontiers in Sports and Active. 5.
[v] Rao A, Steels E, Inder WJ, Abraham S, Vitetta L. Testofen, a specialised Trigonella foenum-graecum seed extract reduces age-related symptoms of androgen decrease, increases testosterone levels and improves sexual function in healthy aging males in a double-blind randomised clinical study. Aging Male. 2016 Jun;19(2):134-42. doi: 10.3109/13685538.2015.1135323. Epub 2016 Jan 20. PMID: 26791805.
[vi] Rao, Amanda J., Alistair R. Mallard, and Ross Grant. “Testofen®(Fenugreek extract) increases strength and muscle mass
[vii] Steels, E., Rao, A. and Vitetta, L., 2011. Physiological Aspects of Male Libido Enhanced by Standardized Trigonella foenum-graecum Extract and Mineral Formulation. Phytotherapy Research, Vol. 25, 1294–1300. doi: 10.1002/ptr.3360
[viii] Wankhede S, Mohan V, Thakurdesai P, Beneficial effects of fenugreek glycoside supplementation in male subjects during resistance training: a randomized controlled pilot study, Journal of Sport and Health Science (2015), doi: 10.1016/j.jshs.2014.09.005.
[ix] Zhou J, Chan L, Zhou S. Trigonelline: a plant alkaloid with therapeutic potential for diabetes and central nervous system disease. Curr Med Chem. 2012;19(21):3523-31. doi: 10.2174/092986712801323171. PMID: 22680628.
[x] Pickering E, Steels E, Rao A, Steadman KJ. An Exploratory Study of the Safety and Efficacy of a Trigonella foenum-graecum Seed Extract in Early Glucose Dysregulation: A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. Pharmaceutics. 2022 Nov 14;14(11):2453. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14112453. PMID: 36432644; PMCID: PMC9698270.