What Is Japanese Kuzu? The Traditional Healing Ingredient I Still Use at 53
As the weather gets colder, I naturally start using more of one of the simplest traditional Japanese remedies I grew up with: kuzu.
If you’ve never heard of kuzu before, you’re not alone.
Outside Japan, it’s still a relatively unknown ingredient — yet for generations, kuzu has been treasured in Japanese kitchens as a traditional healing food, often used to support digestion, gently warm the body, and provide comforting nourishment when feeling run down. For me, kuzu is deeply personal.
The Japanese remedy my grandma gave me when I was sick.
The Japanese Remedy My Grandmother Gave Me When I Was Sick
When I was little in Japan, whenever I was feeling unwell, my grandmother would often make me a warm kuzu drink or apple kuzu. It was one of those quiet acts of Japanese home care — simple, gentle, comforting, and deeply nourishing.
Back then, I didn’t think much of it. Like many traditional foods we grow up with, I simply accepted it as part of everyday life. Then somewhere along the way, I forgot about it.
It wasn’t until my mid-30s, when I stopped teaching for cooking schools and started my own cooking classes, that my relationship with food began to change dramatically. At the time, I was struggling with persistent skin breakouts.
That became a major turning point for me.
I began changing my diet completely and became deeply curious about how food affects the body. That journey led me to study healthy eating much more seriously and to rediscover many traditional Japanese ingredients I had grown up with — including kuzu. Years later, while writing my second book, Japanese Superfoods, I explored these ingredients even more deeply. The more I learned, the more I understood why generations of Japanese families had treasured kuzu for so long.
Explore my own journey into Japanese food as medicine and how Cooking With Yoshiko began HERE.
How I start my journey with Cooking with Yoshiko.
What Is Kuzu?
Kuzu (also called kudzu) is a traditional Japanese starch made from the root of the kuzu plant. It has been used for centuries in Japanese and East Asian cooking, particularly in traditional nourishing recipes and wellness-focused home remedies. Unlike many modern starches, kuzu is valued not only for its cooking properties but also for its long history as a traditional Japanese healing ingredient.
When dissolved and heated, kuzu creates a beautiful silky texture that can be used to thicken both sweet and savoury dishes. One of the things I love most about kuzu is how incredibly versatile it is. It has very little flavour of its own, which makes it wonderfully easy to use.
Japanese Kuzu Benefits: Why It Has Been Used for Generations
Traditionally in Japan, kuzu has been enjoyed because it is believed to:
- Support digestion and soothe upset stomachs
- Gently warm and nourish the body
- Help calm the system when feeling run down
- Provide steady, gentle energy
- Support hormonal balance and wellbeing during midlife
Modern research has explored kuzu root’s bioactive compounds, including naturally occurring isoflavones, for their potential digestive, anti-inflammatory and phytoestrogen-like effects.
I cannot say for certain, of course, but at 53, I sometimes wonder whether regularly enjoying traditional Japanese ingredients like kuzu, fermented foods, shiitake and matcha may be one reason I’ve experienced very few menopausal symptoms so far.
How to Use Kuzu in Everyday Cooking
One of the biggest misconceptions about kuzu is that it’s difficult to use.
It’s actually incredibly simple. Because it has almost no flavour, kuzu works beautifully in both sweet and savoury dishes — from traditional Japanese recipes to modern Western cooking.
I regularly use it in:
- Nourishing soups
- Silky sauces and glazes
- Warm fruit desserts
- Cheesecake-style desserts
- Apple kuzu
- Soba noodle soups
- Comforting puddings
It’s one traditional Japanese ingredient that quietly works its magic in the background.
A traditional Japanese healing food that works beautifully in both sweet and savoury dishes — from Japanese classics to modern Western recipes
Want to Start Cooking with Kuzu?
These days, kuzu is one of the ingredients I use most extensively in my Japanese Superfoods as Medicine class.
This is where we explore multiple simple and practical ways to use kuzu in both savoury and sweet everyday recipes.
It’s one of my favourite examples of the Japanese philosophy that food can be both deeply nourishing and delicious.
If you’d love to learn how to confidently use kuzu at home, this class is the perfect place to begin.
You can also experience kuzu in several of my other classes, including:
- Healthy Gut with Japanese Superfoods
- Japanese Superfoods Ramen Class
- Matcha High Tea
Join our Japanese Superfoods as Medicine class today!
Traditional Wisdom Knows Best
Sometimes the most powerful wellness wisdom isn’t something new.
Sometimes it’s something our grandmothers quietly knew all along.
Kuzu is a beautiful reminder that some of the simplest traditional foods can still offer extraordinary nourishment today.
If you’ve never cooked with kuzu before, perhaps this winter is the perfect time to start.
Further Reading on Kuzu Research
- Comprehensive scientific review of kuzu root’s bioactive compounds and potential health benefits
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0753332220309276 - Research exploring traditional digestive-support uses of kuzu and its potential gastrointestinal benefits
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7808340/ - Clinical research examining pueraria compounds and possible support for menopausal wellbeing
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20872225/ - Research on isoflavones and their potential role in hormonal balance and menopausal symptom support
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30776074/
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