Pharmacognostic study was carried out on the seeds of Trigonella foenumgraecum L. (fenugreek) in order to establish its pharmacognostic characteristics. In view of its renewed interest as a dietary supplement among the local inhabitants afflicted with diabetes, its hypoglycaemic activity in normal as well as diabetic rats was also investigated. Oral glucose tolerance test showed that a suspension of the powdered trigonella seed inhibited the increase in blood glucose levels in normal rats that had been treated with an oral glucose load prior to the test. A reduction in the blood glucose levels was also observed when a suspension of the powdered seed was given by gastric intubation to the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. These findings suggested that trigonella seeds possessed some hypoglycaemic activities that might be useful to the diabetics.