Tag: Gum tragacanth

Despite both being used as thickening and stabilizing agents, gum tragacanth and guar gum are derived from entirely different plant sources and possess distinct chemical and functional properties. Understanding their differences is crucial for effective application in various industries.

Gum tragacanth, often called "gond katira," has been harvested and used for centuries in traditional medicine and culinary arts. This exudate is a completely natural product, stemming from the dried sap of several species of Middle Eastern legumes in the genus *Astragalus*.

Over 70% of herbal medicine users report using powdered forms of ingredients for convenience, and you can, in fact, use gond katira in powder form. While traditionally used as whole gum flakes that are soaked, grinding gond katira into a powder offers unique benefits and preparation methods that appeal to modern consumers.

Gum tragacanth is a complex, branched, anionic carbohydrate composed of a mixture of polysaccharides derived from the sap of Astragalus plants. So, **is gum tragacanth a carbohydrate**? Yes, and it's primarily a non-digestible fiber with unique properties valuable for nutrition and culinary applications.