Best Fenugreek Supplement

Fenugreek boasts a handful of potential uses, from increasing testosterone levels in men to improving lactation in new mothers and even controlling blood glucose among diabetics.1 2 In all likelihood, one of those is the reason you’ve sought out fenugreek in the first place. But there are several different doses and forms of this herbal supplement available, and knowing which one would work best for your needs can get confusing quickly.

That’s why our team decided to look at the science behind each of these claims and see what the market has to offer based on what the research says is possible for each specific use. We’ll offer a concise and understandable breakdown of how the supplements work and let you know how to choose the best one for your needs.

If you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick breakdown of our recommendations:

At Innerbody Research, we extensively test each health service or product we review, including fenugreek supplements. Our team has spent more than 830 hours studying testosterone deficiency, diabetes, and other aspects of human health that fenugreek may support. To augment this copious research, we ordered several of the top fenugreek supplements for ourselves, allowing us to report on various nuances of each company, from their customer service infrastructure to the size and even the taste of their products.

Additionally, like all health-related content on this website, this review was thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Medical Review Board for accuracy. We’ll continue to monitor the fenugreek landscape to keep this content current.

Over the past two decades, Innerbody Research has helped tens of millions of readers make more informed decisions about staying healthy and living healthier lifestyles.

Evaluating fenugreek wasn’t quite as straightforward as evaluating a supplement that has one clear goal; fenugreek has a handful of potential benefits that would each necessitate its own dose and, in one case, a different delivery mechanism than others.

We’ll break this down a bit further as we explore key factors like efficacy, cost, safety, and convenience to help you determine which form of fenugreek would be best for your needs.

Efficacy

Winner: VitaMonk FenuTrax

In several of the studies we looked at comparing different doses of fenugreek for various conditions, the effects appeared to be dose-dependent. In other words, more fenugreek resulted in a better result. As we’ll discuss in the safety section below, fenugreek can be tolerated at doses far higher than those currently available on the market. So, when we set out to evaluate these supplements based on efficacy, we looked at the lowest doses shown to be effective in studies and considered that higher doses would improve efficacy in most cases.

We also looked closely at saponin concentration in fenugreek extracts. It’s the saponins in fenugreek that are credited with the majority of the benefits people experience.3 Encapsulated powdered seeds don’t deliver anywhere near as much of this vital component as extracts do, so we easily ruled those out for most uses.

As a result, VitaMonk’s FenuTrax received our pick for efficacy thanks to its 500mg capsules containing a fenugreek extract standardized to 50-60% saponins. Swanson’s Testofen is a close runner-up, as Testofen is standardized to 50%, but Swanson only provides you with 300mg capsules.

You could also consider Anthony’s Organic’s fenugreek seeds to be an outlier for efficacy, as they’re brewed into a tea for a very specific use — increasing breast milk production — and it doesn’t make much sense to pit them against FenuTrax or Testofen in a head-to-head comparison.

Safety

Winner: Swanson Fenugreek Extract Featuring Testofen

Fenugreek is generally very safe, even at much higher doses than you see in these supplements. It may produce mild side effects like headache, dizziness, or gastrointestinal (GI) upset, but this is the case with a majority of supplements.4

While FenuTrax may be a little more concentrated than Testofen, its 50-60% range is less predictable than Testofen’s more stringent 50% concentration. Testofen has also been subjected to numerous clinical studies looking at its safety and efficacy, including one study on rats that used a human equivalent dose of around 15g/day for 90 days.5 That study showed no evidence of toxicity or adverse effects.

To approach the 1,000mg dose FenuTrax delivers in two capsules, you’d need to take three capsules of Swanson’s Testofen, but that’s a safety advantage. You can start with a lower dose here (300mg) than you could with FenuTrax, then titrate your way up as needed.

Cost

Winner: VitaMonk FenuTrax

A quick comparison of sticker prices might lead you to believe otherwise, but it turns out that VitaMonk’s FenuTrax offers the best deal among the fenugreek supplements in this guide. It’s true that Swanson offers a two-for-one deal on its fenugreek that brings the cost per bottle down to $15, but the amount of fenugreek in these bottles is not the same.

When we break down the prices of fenugreek supplements to compare the cost per gram of fenugreek, we see how much less expensive FenuTrax is than its competitors:

As you can see, what starts out looking like comparably priced products quickly turns into nearly double the cost for Swanson’s fenugreek. You can get around Swanson’s shipping costs by subscribing, but that only brings your cost per gram down to $0.83 — still markedly higher than VitaMonk.

Convenience

Winner: Swanson Fenugreek Extract Featuring Testofen

This was a close race between Swanson and VitaMonk, as both companies offer comparable convenience measures compared to the competition. Ultimately, Swanson’s flexibility and — believe it or not — superior smell won the day.

All the companies in our guide offer straightforward shopping experiences, but VitaMonk had the shortest shipping times, with our packages typically arriving within three days of purchase. Swanson came in just behind that at four days.

When you open a bottle of fenugreek capsules, you’ll quickly notice their earthy aroma. In most cases, it’s an unpleasant smell, but something about Swanson’s product smelled more like a rich tea than anything repelling.

The dosing between the Swanson and VitaMonk — and their respective capsule sizes — pushed Swanson over the finish line here. While taking two VitaMonk capsules to get a 1,000mg dose is relatively convenient, the lowest dose you can take is 500mg. Swanson’s capsules, which are a hair smaller than VitaMonk’s, are 300mg each. That may mean you need three capsules to approach VitaMonk’s dose, but it also means you can start at a lower dose to see how it works for you.

Studies into Testofen show efficacy for some needs at doses starting as low as 300mg, so you might find that’s all you need.38 You don’t have the same opportunity with VitaMonk.

Fenugreek is a legume, like beans and lentils, that’s used more as a spice than as the main ingredient in dishes. It contains numerous potentially beneficial compounds that facilitated its widespread use as a food additive and medicine throughout the ancient world. Today, fenugreek is still touted for its potential medicinal benefits, and it’s available in extracted forms that standardize the quantities of some of its more beneficial constituent parts.

In addition to extracted forms, fenugreek is also available as encapsulated powders and whole seeds, the latter of which can be brewed into a medicinal tea.

Saponins in fenugreek

Central to fenugreek’s effectiveness are saponins, compounds containing steroids that can exert certain effects.6 Taking capsules containing only fenugreek powder likely won’t give you an effective dose of saponins, which is why fenugreek extracts are more popular. But extracts can vary widely in quality and concentration, which means you run the risk of getting an extract that’s too weak for your needs.

When recommending an extract, we look for products that standardize their extract concentrations, and two such brand names come to mind when looking at the saponins in fenugreek extracts: Testofen and FenuTrax. Specifically, they standardize what they call “fenusides,” proprietary blends of specific saponins associated with fenugreek’s most potent effects.

Here’s how they differ:

• Testofen: Standardized to 50% fenusides, the subject of numerous human and animal studies
• FenuTrax: Standardized to 50-60% fenusides, no available research at this time

Between the two, Testofen is the one that boasts a respectable amount of research behind it. FenuTrax is a newer product and will likely see its own clinical research soon, but none has been published to date. That said, the potential to get an extra 10% saponins is hard to ignore when saponins are at the heart of fenugreek’s potential.

Research into fenugreek’s potential varies significantly, as it’s been studied for a wide assortment of uses, including:7

• Improving glycemic and lipid profiles
• Increasing testosterone levels
• Enhancing athletic performance
• Controlling blood sugar
• Fighting free radicals
• Preventing cancer
• Nurturing the GI system
• Reducing inflammation
• Boosting immunity
• Preventing obesity
• Protecting the liver and kidneys
• Improving cases of Parkinson’s disease
• Reducing anxiety and depression
• Increasing breast milk production in new mothers

Many studies have yielded positive results at varying doses. There are other avenues of research, as well, which shows how diverse a population interested in fenugreek can be.

Here’s a quick breakdown of known or suspected ways that fenugreek exerts its positive effects:

What dose of fenugreek should you take?

Fenugreek has so many potential uses, and the dose that’s best suited for you will change with your intentions. Here, we’ll look at the same four intended uses we discussed above to see what the research recommends for dosing:

For most potential users, fenugreek should be relatively safe. Studies rarely report adverse effects beyond mild headache, dizziness, or GI upset, all of which are extremely common in supplement research.4

A large review of literature related to fenugreek’s potential toxicity also proclaimed the supplement to be safe.20 Fenugreek has been tested at extremely high doses compared to what’s available on the market, including in one study that used both powders and extracts at equivalents approaching 15g of a high-potency extract daily for 90 days — with no reported adverse effects.5 To be fair, that study was conducted using rats and not humans, but similar results have come from human studies utilizing doses around and above those that are commercially available.

Because fenugreek can be used to help lower blood sugar, it may be dangerous for anyone susceptible to hypoglycemia. There may also be some cross-reactivity among those with peanut or chickpea allergies, so bring this up with your doctor if you’re considering a fenugreek supplement.21

Best overall and best budget pick

VitaMonk’s FenuTrax is a patented fenugreek extract intended to compete with the more well-known (and well-researched) Testofen. The advantage FenuTrax has over Testofen is in its extract standardization. Testofen is standardized to 50% fenusides (what the two companies call saponins), but FenuTrax delivers a standardized range from 50% to 60% fenusides. The result is a product that’s as strong, if not stronger, than Testofen.

For some, this range will pose a problem, particularly those who are trying to get an exact amount of fenusides per dose from their fenugreek supplement. But if the potential to get that extra 10% appeals to you, as it does to us, you’ll likely want to try FenuTrax.

FenuTrax isn’t VitaMonk’s only product. The company offers a slew of branded wellness supplements, including:

• Adaptogens
• Cortisol blockers
• Mitochondrial supports
• Essential amino acids
• Antihistamines
• Probiotics
• Joint supports

If you search for FenuTrax, you may come upon an alternate listing on Amazon that comes in a black bottle (as opposed to the white bottle on the VitaMonk website). The black bottle says “Extra Strength” on it, but this is merely a difference in how the bottles are labeled. Both are made by VitaMonk and contain the same substance at the same dose. The only real difference is that the black bottle contains 120 pills, whereas the white bottle contains 60 pills.

FenuTrax comes in 500mg capsules, offering a 1,000mg two-capsule dose. With up to 60% fenusides, that translates to 600mg fenusides per dose. Most supplements containing Testofen utilize two 300mg capsules per dose, resulting in about 300mg fenusides. So FenuTrax offers up to twice the fenusides per dose.

VitaMonk FenuTrax pricing

You can get VitaMonk’s FenuTrax from the VitaMonk website or from Amazon. Prices are better on Amazon, but we can’t attest to the authenticity of what you’ll find there unless you buy from the VitaMonk company store page. (Some Amazon sellers deal in counterfeit supplements, while others sell supplements that are far closer to, or even well past, the expiration dates you’ll see on bottles bought from a manufacturer.)

Prime members may get free shipping on VitaMonk purchases, but non-members pay $6.99 for shipping. Here’s how the costs break down:

One important difference between buying from VitaMonk directly and buying on Amazon is the return policy. VitaMonk products on Amazon are listed as non-returnable for food safety reasons, but VitaMonk.com offers a 60-day money-back guarantee. Some of fenugreek’s effects may be noticeable within two months, so that guarantee is well-timed. However, it’s not as long as guarantees by some other companies, like Swanson’s 100-day guarantee.

Best testosterone booster with fenugreek

As we’ve discussed, fenugreek is often used as a treatment for low testosterone to restore physical and sexual vitality in men. Research indicates that it should be effective in that role. But there are numerous other ingredients — some botanical, others that are vitamins and minerals — that have shown similar promise in clinical settings.

A cottage industry exists to combine such ingredients into supplements that might maximize a man’s chances of recovering testosterone levels. Among them, we’ve identified numerous high-quality options through the years, but we also found the field to be missing a truly comprehensive formula.

That’s what led us to create our own testosterone booster: Innerbody Testosterone Support. Each ingredient, including fenugreek, appears in doses that are as high or higher than those we’ve seen used in successful studies. Here’s a look at the full ingredient bill, along with citations related to each ingredient’s intended role:

• Fenugreek: 600mg1
• Ashwagandha: 600mg KSM-6622
• Maca: 2,000mg23
• Longjack: 400mg24
• Vitamin A: 750mcg25
• Vitamin D: 1000 IU26
• Vitamin K2: 75mcg27
• Zinc: 25mg citrate28
• Copper: 300mcg29
• Selenium: 20mcg30
• Black pepper extract: 5mg31

While we opted not to use a branded form of fenugreek extract in our supplement, we found a source for fenugreek that’s standardized to the same 50% saponins as branded Testofen. In doing so, we were able to control costs for the consumer without sacrificing efficacy.

Men specifically interested in fenugreek as a testosterone booster who also want to add other ingredients to their regimen would do well to consider Innerbody Testosterone Support. To learn more about how these ingredients support healthy testosterone levels and how this supplement compares to competitors, visit our comprehensive guide to testosterone boosters.

Innerbody Testosterone Support pricing

You can buy a single bottle of Innerbody Testosterone Support or subscribe to save an additional 15-40%. We offer three subscription tiers to provide you with a one-, three-, or six-month supply, depending on your preference. Here’s how it works out:

Shipping from Innerbody is always free, and the company provides a 30-day money-back guarantee. It’s one of the shorter guarantees among fenugreek sellers in this guide, but it’s not too far off from the standard among complex testosterone boosters.

Best money-back guarantee

There are certain situations in which brand-name loyalty makes sense. Advil is one; its candy coating makes it much tastier on the tongue than the average store-brand ibuprofen. Tylenol can’t boast the same, so you might be better off with the store brand.

Among fenugreek extracts, Testofen is a brand name that actually appears in a handful of well-designed studies looking into its potential. It’s standardized to contain 50% saponins in each dose, so you can rely on it to deliver the same amount of its active ingredient daily. That makes it superior to fenugreek extracts that don’t offer any kind of standardization.

You may be able to find some standardized extracts that aren’t brand-name Testofen, like VitaMonk’s FenuTrax. Some will boast standardization without using a brand name at all, like the fenugreek in Innerbody Testosterone Support. But it’d be understandable if you wanted to go with the most widely studied brand name on the market, which is Testofen.

And among the companies offering Testofen in a fenugreek supplement, Swanson has the best combination of dose and price, and it's delivered in a vegan capsule that makes it suitable for more people. Each bottle contains sixty 300mg capsules — the low end of the 300-600mg range we see used in Testofen studies. You can take one capsule to start, and if you find it works, you’re good to go. Otherwise, you can titrate up to two capsules. In contrast, FenuTrax’s 500mg capsules make establishing a lower effective dose less likely.

Swanson fenugreek pricing

Swanson offers two 60-capsule bottles for $29.99 for first-time buyers making one-time purchases. If you subscribe, you can lock in that deal for future purchases, as well. Here’s how it breaks down per dose based on whether you end up taking 300mg or 600mg:

Swanson has a $50 free shipping threshold for one-time purchases that drops to $35 for subscribers. Unfortunately, its Testofen is too inexpensive to reach either threshold, which causes you to incur a $7.99 shipping charge.

Swanson has the most impressive money-back guarantee in our guide, however. You can try its Testofen for up to 100 days before requesting a return, which should be enough time for you to see if it’s providing you with any positive effects.

Best for fenugreek tea

While capsules containing a dried fenugreek extract may be more common and provide a bit more flexibility in their application, fenugreek seeds have their own role to play in certain wellness approaches, most notably in support of breast milk production. This approach extends beyond just anecdotal application, as well. Our review of the research indicates that the scientific community prefers to use fenugreek tea, made from fenugreek seeds, when testing fenugreek’s potential to improve breast milk supplies.14

We prefer Anthony’s for whole fenugreek seeds because the company has a good reputation for providing high-quality organic products and its prices are typically among the lowest you’ll find by weight.

The only real problem with the product itself is that it doesn’t provide any kind of recipe or instructions for use on the bag. To be fair, fenugreek seeds have plenty of uses beyond just teas to boost breast milk production, but even a sample recipe would be nice to have.

Anthony’s pricing

You can get Anthony’s Organic Fenugreek Seeds either directly from Anthony’s or from the company’s Amazon store. Both sell the product in 2lb bags (907g). Bulk purchases from Anthony’s offer deeper savings, but the cost of a single bag is lower on Amazon. Here’s how the sources compare:

Anthony’s sells up to 50 bags at a time, though it’s hard to imagine what you’d do with 100lb of fenugreek seeds.

Shipping is free on all orders from Anthony’s website, so that might be a better way to go if you aren’t a Prime member. Amazon lists the product as non-returnable, and the Anthony’s website doesn’t state the company’s return policy.

Best for blood glucose

Nootropics Depot offers a massive array of products, some — like its ashwagandha lineup — with varying degrees of extract standardization. Its fenugreek only comes in one standardized extract formula, but it’s not treated the way we see competitors standardize their offerings. Instead of looking to standardize the overall level of saponins (often to 50% or 60%), Nootropics Depot’s fenugreek standardizes two more specific compounds.

Protodioscin is a saponin, so a fenugreek with a standardized amount of saponins would also have a roughly standardized amount of protodioscin based on its average abundance within fenugreek. Standardizing for that saponin, in particular, may help you target specific benefits from the extract.

But saponin standardization won’t directly impact trigonelline concentrations, as this compound is an alkaloid in fenugreek, not a saponin. So, Nootropics Depot decided to standardize for these two compounds — one alkaloid and one saponin — but what do they offer, specifically, that makes them worth our attention?

Standardized to 3%, each 500mg capsule of Nootropics Depot Fenugreek Extract provides 15mg of trigonelline. At 1%, each capsule contains 5mg of protodioscin.

Nootropics Depot Pricing

Nootropics Depot offers its fenugreek extract in 60- and 180-count bottles. The larger bottle brings down the cost per dose significantly. Here's how it works out:

Nootropics Depot accepts returns for up to 30 days, but it only does so for unopened products. This is far from the guarantees other companies in this guide offer, like Innerbody’s 30-day money-back guarantee that actually lets you try the product.

After all you’ve learned, you might still not be sold on fenugreek as the answer to your wellness goals. Depending on those goals, there may very well be superior supplements out there, some of which may even be less expensive.

To get a sense of these alternatives, we should once again break down our approach by the most common uses for fenugreek and examine what alternatives exist:

Obviously, when serious enough issues are at hand, supplemental support may not be enough. Clinical hypogonadism may require testosterone replacement, just as diabetes may require exogenous insulin or GLP-1 receptor agonists. It’s important to discuss these needs with your doctor before embarking on a treatment plan.