REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1578472
Unveiling the Power of Pueraria lobata: A Comprehensive Exploration of Its Medicinal and Edible Potentials
Provisionally accepted
- Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
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Background: Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi, a perennial vine from China, has a significant medicinal and edible value. Its roots are used as medicine and are known as kudzu (Chinese: Gegen), first recorded in Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing. In addition, its roots and powder can be made into food. Aim of the study: To integrate information on the source of Pueraria lobata (PL), summarize the evolution of its medicinal and edible value, generalize its chemical composition, biosynthetic pathways, metabolism, and biological activity. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive literature search (1975-2025) was conducted across ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Pubmed, Web of Science, CNKI, WFO (www.worldfloraonline.org), MPNS (https://mpsn.kew.org), Changchun University of Chinese Medicine Library collections and SciFinder. Ancient applications were validated through analysis of Chinese Medical Classics. Results: PL is predominantly found in Asia, Europe, and America, with significant populations in China's Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Guangdong, and Guangxi provinces. The plant comprises flavonoids, triterpenoids, and coumarins, including isoflavonoids like daidzein and puerarin, which are synthesized via diverse pathways. Metabolites produced from liver or intestinal reactions are crucial to PL's effectiveness. Key components include puerarin, daidzein, genistein, biochanin A, and formononetin. In China, PL is incredibly versatile, being used in a wide range of foods, teas, preservatives, dairy products, etc. Conclusions: Its extensive biological activities benefit human body, with particular emphasis on liver protection, anti-osteoporosis, and anti-diabetes. These attributes highlight the potential for developing health foods, revealing PL's promising prospects in the pharmaceuticals and nutritional healthcare industries.
Keywords: Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi, Herbal textual research, phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Edibility, Puerarin
Received: 17 Feb 2025; Accepted: 19 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kou, Meng, Zhao, Wang, Lu, Yan and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Mingming Yan, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
Guangzhe Li, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.