Pueraria is a genus of 15–20 species of plants native to Asia. Pueraria flower is used in traditional Chinese medicine to reduce reactions to alcohol consumption, and is undergoing scientific study for that use. The genus is polyphyletic, with different species being related to species in Glycine , Amphicarpaea, Nogra, Teyleria, Neonotonia, Pseudovigna, Pseudeminia, Pachyrhizus and other genera of the tribe Phaseoleae.
The roots of Pueraria thomsonii and Pueraria lobata are officially recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia under the same name Radix Puerariae. However, the aqueous root extract of Pueraria lobata showed more potent antioxidant activity than that of Pueraria thomsonii. A qualitative HPLC method was developed to compare the chemical profiles of Pueraria thomsonii and Pueraria lobata, which revealed four major common peaks (daidzein, daidzin, puerarin and 5-hydroxypuerarin) and two major different peaks (3-hydroxypuerarin and 3′-methoxypuerarin) in their chromatograms.