NSTK · 01.2026Independent supplement reference

Edition 1.0Updated August 1, 2026

Supplement × Supplement·Evidence index

Fenugreek and Iron: what the published research says

PubMed indexes 8 records that name Fenugreek and Iron together, either in the title or in an interaction, co-administration, or pharmacokinetic context. Each one is listed below with its study design and, where the abstract states one, the authors’ own conclusion, quoted and linked. This page reports that literature. It does not tell you whether to combine them.

Reviews & meta-analyses

Read the studies ↓ How we select sources

Read this first

An evidence index, not guidance.

Every statement below is attributed to a named, dated, linked source.

This page lists published research relevant to Fenugreek and Iron. It deliberately does not state whether the combination is safe, whether it interacts, in which direction, at what dose, or how far apart to take them.

A study appearing here is not proof that an interaction exists. Two substances can be named together in a paper that never tested them in combination, and a source listed as background may cover only one of them.
Findings are quoted from each abstract as the authors wrote them. NutriStack has not re-analysed, pooled, or reconciled them, and they may disagree with each other.
NutriStack’s own interaction assessment for this pair is not published here. It has not completed qualified-human clinical review, so it is withheld from search. See the publication gate.
Nothing here is medical advice. Decisions about prescription medication and supplements belong with your prescriber or pharmacist, who can see your full regimen.

The research

8 studies naming Fenugreek and Iron.

Strongest relevance first: papers naming both substances in the title, then human trials and systematic reviews.

Fenugreek-derived exosome-like nanovesicles containing bioavailable phytoferritin for the management of iron deficiency anemia.

Food chemistry · 2025 · PMID 40499430

Human subjects

“Notably, FGDNVs containing one tenth of recommended dietary allowance of iron, rescued ID and restored hematological parameters. Thus, FGDNVs represent a natural iron nano-formulation for safe and efficient therapeutics for IDA.”
Bethi et al. · From the abstract

Names both Fenugreek and Iron in its title.

Corrigendum to "Fenugreek-derived exosome-like nanovesicles containing bioavailable phytoferritin for the management of iron deficiency anemia" [Food Chem. 490 (2025) 145088

Food chemistry · 2025 · PMID 40816933

Published Erratum

Names both Fenugreek and Iron in its title.

Synergism and toxicity of iron nanoparticles derived from Trigonella foenum-graecum against pyrethriod treatment in S. litura and H. armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Environmental research · 2023 · PMID 37156353

Animal study

Names both Fenugreek and Iron in its title.

In vitro bioaccessibility and bioavailability of iron from fenugreek, baobab and moringa.

Food chemistry · 2021 · PMID 32745843

Human subjects

“The highest amount of bioaccessible iron was obtained from moringa leaves (9.88% ± 0.45 and 8.44 ± 0.01 mg/100 g), but the highest percentage bioavailability was from baobab fruit pulp (99.7% ± 0.13 and 1.74 ± 0.01 mg/100 g) respectively. All the plant products, except for baobab, significantly inhibited iron uptake from FeSO4 and FAC, with fenugreek sprout being the most inhibitory.”
Khoja et al. · From the abstract

Names both Fenugreek and Iron in its title.

In Vitro Bioaccessibility and Bioavailability of Iron from Mature and Microgreen Fenugreek, Rocket and Broccoli.

Nutrients · 2020 · PMID 32290311

Human subjects

“Ascorbic acid significantly enhanced iron uptake from mature fenugreek and rocket. Microgreen fenugreek may be bred for a higher content of enhancers of iron availability as a strategy to improve iron nutrition in the populace.”
Khoja et al. · From the abstract

Names both Fenugreek and Iron in its title.

Ultrasound Assisted Green Synthesis of Silver and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Using Fenugreek Seed Extract and Their Enhanced Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activities.

BioMed research international · 2019 · PMID 31080808

“The silver nanoparticles showed antibacterial activities against both gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria, while no antibacterial activities were observed for iron oxide nanoparticles. The ultrasound assisted nanoparticles showed higher stability and antibacterial and antioxidant activity compared with the nanoparticles fabricated by magnetic stirring.”
Deshmukh et al. · From the abstract

Names both Fenugreek and Iron in its title.

Biosynthesis of iron nanoparticles using Trigonella foenum-graecum seed extract for photocatalytic methyl orange dye degradation and antibacterial applications.

Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. B, Biology · 2018 · PMID 29705508

Names both Fenugreek and Iron in its title.

Matrix effects for calcium and potassium K-X-rays, in fenugreek plants grown in iron rich soils.

Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine · 2014 · PMID 24709609

Names both Fenugreek and Iron in its title.

Limitations

What this evidence cannot tell you.

Search-based evidence indexes have real limits, and it is worth being explicit about them:

Selection. These records were found by searching PubMed titles and abstracts for both substance names alongside interaction and pharmacokinetic terms. Relevant work that phrases things differently, or is not indexed in PubMed, will be missing.
No effect size. The quoted conclusions are the authors’ words about their own study. We have not extracted effect direction or magnitude, and a single study’s conclusion is not a consensus.
Population mismatch. Findings in healthy volunteers, animals, or a specific patient group may not transfer to you, your dose, or your formulation.
Absence is not safety. Few published studies means the combination is under-studied, which is not the same as established as safe.

NutriStack

Track what you actually take.

NutriStack is a free iPhone app for organising a supplement routine: what you take, when, and what the published record says about it. Its exploratory interaction checker covers Fenugreek, Iron, and several hundred other substances.

The checker is a research and organisation tool, not a clinical decision aid, and its per-pair assessments are excluded from search until they pass claim-level review.

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NutriStack is an informational and organizational tool, not a medical service, and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting, stopping, or changing any supplement or medication.