Full Spectrum Kudzu Root 500mg | 60 capsules | Swanson

Swanson Full Spectrum Kudzu Root

Do you know kudzu mainly by name, but aren't sure what it is? Kudzu is a climbing plant from East Asia, and these capsules contain its ground root. Swanson provides 500 mg of kudzu root per vegan capsule, in the form they call full spectrum. The bottle contains 60 capsules.

What kind of plant kudzu is

Kudzu, with the botanical name Pueraria lobata, is a fast-growing climbing plant from the legume family. That is the same family as peas, beans, and soybeans. The plant originally comes from China, Japan, and Korea. There, it grows along forest edges and slopes, and can climb many meters in a single summer. What many people do not know: kudzu was once planted in the United States to prevent soil erosion. Today, the plant is known there as an invasive species that completely overgrows trees. For supplements, it is not the vines or leaves that are used, but the thick, starchy root.

Kudzu root in Asian cuisine

Many people wonder whether kudzu is also simply eaten. The answer is yes. In Japan, they make kuzu from the root, a white starch used to thicken sauces and soups, much like cornstarch. It is also used to make sweet treats such as kuzumochi and translucent noodles. In natural food stores in the Netherlands, you can sometimes find kuzu in powder form as a thickener. In China, the root has a long history in traditional cuisine and herbal medicine under the name ge gen. In addition to starch, the root also contains isoflavones (plant compounds that occur naturally in legumes), including puerarin, a substance found primarily in kudzu.

What full spectrum means for this kudzu

Many herbal supplements contain an extract: a concentrated version from which certain substances have been extracted from the plant. This kudzu from Swanson works differently. Here, full spectrum means that the entire root has been dried and finely ground, without anything being removed or added. You therefore get the root as it is, with all its natural components in their original proportions. That is 500 mg per capsule. The capsule itself is made of hypromellose, a plant-based material, and the only excipient is microcrystalline cellulose (a plant fiber). This makes the product suitable for vegans.

In short: this is ground kudzu root in its simplest form, 500 mg per capsule, without extraction or additives. Swanson, an American brand that has been making supplements since 1969, keeps the label brief. For those curious about this East Asian root, a bottle of 60 capsules is an easy way to try it.