Home Ingredients Tiger Nut (Cyperus esculentus)

Tiger Nut (Cyperus esculentus)

Cyperus esculentus L.
Evidence Level
Preliminary
4 Clinical Trials
5 Documented Benefits
1/5 Evidence Score

Tiger nut, also called chufa or earth almond, is the small edible tuber of Cyperus esculentus (yellow nutsedge). It is eaten whole, ground into flour, made into the Spanish drink horchata de chufa, and sold as a fiber-rich powder. It is a different species from nutgrass (Cyperus rotundus), an Ayurvedic herb. Analyses describe the tuber as about one quarter oil, mostly oleic acid, about one third starch, roughly 9 to 15 g of fiber per 100 g, and a notable amount of natural sugar. Human evidence is scarce: the only recent intervention study was a 3-day, single-group trial of 300 mL a day of unsweetened horchata, which found no overall change in gut bacteria, with shifts only when people were grouped by starting bacteria. No controlled trial has tested tiger nut for digestion, blood sugar, blood fats or fullness. Allergy is rare but reported, and aflatoxin has been found in some samples.

Studied Dose 300 mL a day of fresh, unsweetened horchata for 3 days (the only gut study); chufa at 1.7 g per kg of body weight a day for 30 days in a 6-person feeding study; one 78.95 g serving of a tiger nut flour biscuit in a glycemic index test. No supplement dose is established.
Active Compound Whole Cyperus esculentus tuber: oil (about 20 to 36 percent of dry weight in reviews, 65 to 75 percent oleic acid), starch, sucrose, dietary fiber (mostly insoluble in the pulp left after making horchata) and smaller amounts of protein, tocopherols and polyphenols. Reviews also describe resistant starch and fructans.

Benefits

Gut bacteria changes after drinking tiger nut milk

In 31 healthy adults who drank 300 mL of fresh, unsweetened horchata daily for 3 days, gut bacteria did not change overall. Shifts toward butyrate-associated bacteria such as Faecalibacterium and Bifidobacterium appeared only when people were grouped by their starting bacteria. There was no control group, and bowel habits were not compared.

Supported by Trial 1

Fiber and starch content of the whole tuber

Reviews list tiger nut at roughly 9 to 15 g of fiber per 100 g, and one analysis found about 31 to 33 g of starch and 18 to 20 g of sucrose per 100 g. The pulp left after making horchata is about 60 percent fiber, almost all insoluble. These are composition data, not tests of bowel effects in people.

Supported by Trial 1, Trial 4

Oleic acid rich oil

The tuber is about one quarter oil by weight, and its oil is roughly two thirds monounsaturated fat, mainly oleic acid, a profile reviewers liken to olive oil. The European Food Safety Authority judged cold-pressed tiger nut oil safe as a novel food. No controlled human study has tested blood fats after eating tiger nut or its oil.

Supported by Trial 4, Trial 2

Blood sugar response to a tiger nut flour biscuit

In 15 healthy young adults, a gluten-free biscuit made mostly of tiger nut flour, with yam flour, avocado, margarine, sugar and egg, had a glycemic index of about 54 against glucose. The test measured one recipe, not tiger nut alone, and did not compare it with an ordinary biscuit, so it shows little about tiger nut itself.

Supported by Trial 2

Blood cholesterol in mice fed tiger nut oil (animal study)

In mice on a cholesterol-rich diet, 15 percent tiger nut oil gave lower serum cholesterol than olive oil or milk fat. Aortic valve lesions did not differ between groups. This was a small animal experiment with 7 mice per group and has not been tested in people.

Supported by Trial 4

Mechanism of action

1

Fermentable starch and fiber reaching the colon

The authors of the horchata study suggested that its small, amylose-rich starch granules behave like resistant starch and, with its polyphenols, feed butyrate-producing bacteria. They did not measure starch reaching the colon or butyrate itself, so this remains a proposed explanation.

2

Monounsaturated fat profile

Cold-pressed tiger nut oil assessed by EFSA is 65 to 69 percent oleic acid, with 12 to 15 percent palmitic and 9 to 12 percent linoleic acid. In mice, replacing milk fat or olive oil with tiger nut oil lowered serum cholesterol; whether eating tiger nut changes blood fats in people has not been tested in a controlled trial.

Clinical trials

1
Fresh Horchata for 3 Days and Gut Bacteria: Single-Group Study
PubMed

Single-arm before and after study with no control group; 300 mL a day of fresh, unpasteurized horchata with no added sugar, drunk in the morning for 3 days; outcome was gut bacteria in stool by sequencing; no trial registration reported; funded by a Spanish Ministry of Science grant, with the drink supplied by Món Orxata (Selma-Royo et al. 2022, Nutrients)

35 healthy adults in Valencia, Spain, enrolled; 4 left because of intestinal discomfort and diarrhea, so 31 were analyzed.

Across the group there was no apparent change in the gut bacteria profile. When people were grouped by their starting bacteria, the after samples formed two clusters, one richer in Akkermansia and Christensenellaceae and one richer in Faecalibacterium, Bifidobacterium and Lachnospira. Bowel habits, butyrate and clinical outcomes were not measured against a control.

2
Glycemic Index of a Tiger Nut Flour Biscuit
PubMed

Standard glycemic index test of one biscuit recipe (a blend of 58.4 percent tiger nut flour, 25 percent dana flour and 16.6 percent avocado and margarine, plus sugar and egg) against 50 g of glucose, each test repeated twice; no comparison biscuit; no funding reported (Tazoho et al. 2026, Food Sci Nutr)

15 healthy adults aged 19 to 29 (9 men, 6 women) with normal body mass index.

A 78.95 g portion with 50 g of available carbohydrate gave a glycemic index of 53.81 and a glycemic load of 3.4, with blood glucose peaking at 30 minutes as it did after glucose. The result applies to this recipe, not to tiger nut on its own.

3
Daily Chufa in a Controlled Diet for 30 Days
PubMed

Small feeding study read as its English abstract; two 30-day experiments in which chufa was eaten daily at 1.7 g per kg of body weight as a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids; no control group described (Okladnikov et al. 1977, Vopr Pitan)

6 volunteers on an individually matched experimental diet.

The abstract reports no untoward objective or subjective changes in health status. No outcome numbers are given, so this shows tolerance in a very small group rather than any benefit.

4
Tiger Nut Oil Versus Olive Oil and Milk Fat in Mice
PubMed

Animal feeding study; diets with 15 percent tiger nut (chufa) oil, olive oil or anhydrous milk fat plus about 1.25 percent cholesterol and 0.5 percent sodium cholate; no commercial conflicts declared (Zommara et al. 2024, Front Nutr)

Young male C57BL/6N mice, 7 per group; no human participants.

Serum cholesterol was lower on tiger nut oil than on the other fats, and gallstones formed in 42.9 percent of these mice versus 57.1 percent on olive oil and about 85.7 percent on milk fat. Aortic valve lesions did not differ between groups. These are animal results only.

Side effects and drug interactions

Common Potential side effects

In the 3-day horchata study, 4 of 35 healthy adults left because of intestinal discomfort and diarrhea while drinking 300 mL a day.
Tiger nut allergy appears rare, but case reports describe allergic reactions in an adult and a child, reactions in people with pollen allergy, and anaphylaxis to tiger nut milk. Stop use and seek care if you notice itching, swelling or trouble breathing.
Aflatoxins, mold toxins, have been detected in some tiger nuts and tiger nut drinks in market surveys in Spain and Nigeria; buy from suppliers that test for mycotoxins.
The tuber is rich in natural sugar (about 18 to 20 g of sucrose per 100 g in one analysis), so choose unsweetened drinks and check the label for added sugar.
The fiber-rich pulp from horchata making had poor microbial quality in one analysis and needed pasteurization before food use.

Important Drug interactions

No drug interaction studies of tiger nut have been published. As with other fiber-rich foods, ask your pharmacist whether to space it apart from oral medicines.
Diabetes medicines: tiger nut products can carry a sizeable sugar and starch load, so check your blood sugar if you add them regularly and tell your prescriber.

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Frequently asked questions about Tiger Nut (Cyperus esculentus)

Is tiger nut the same as nutgrass (Cyperus rotundus)?

No. Tiger nut is the tuber of Cyperus esculentus, also called yellow nutsedge or chufa, and is eaten as a food. Nutgrass, or purple nutsedge, is Cyperus rotundus, a related but different species used in Ayurveda. Their tubers differ in oil and starch content, and research on one does not apply to the other.

What does the human research on tiger nut show?

Very little. The only recent intervention study gave 31 healthy adults 300 mL of unsweetened horchata daily for 3 days with no control group; gut bacteria did not change overall, though some shifts appeared when people were grouped by their starting bacteria. A glycemic index test of one tiger nut flour biscuit and a small 1970s feeding study round out the human data.

How much tiger nut is typically used?

There is no established supplement dose. The gut study used 300 mL a day of fresh, unsweetened horchata, and a 1970s feeding study used 1.7 g per kg of body weight a day of chufa for 30 days. For powders or flour, follow the label and increase slowly, as with any fiber-rich food.

Is horchata de chufa a protected product?

The tubers are. Chufa de Valencia/Xufa de València is a Protected Designation of Origin for Cyperus esculentus tubers grown in listed municipalities around Valencia. Horchata makers that use only these tubers can be authorized to say so on the label; the protection covers the tuber, not every horchata.

Is tiger nut safe, and who should be careful?

It has a long history as a food, and EFSA judged its cold-pressed oil safe as a novel food. Allergy is rare but includes reported anaphylaxis to tiger nut milk, and aflatoxin has turned up in some samples. A few people in the horchata study left because of diarrhea. Watch the sugar content of sweetened drinks.

What is Tiger Nut?

Tiger nut, also called chufa or earth almond, is the small edible tuber of Cyperus esculentus (yellow nutsedge). It is eaten whole, ground into flour, made into the Spanish drink horchata de chufa, and sold as a fiber-rich powder. It is a different species from nutgrass (Cyperus rotundus), an Ayurvedic herb.

What is Tiger Nut used for?

NutraSmarts does not list Tiger Nut under a health category. What the research covers: In 31 healthy adults who drank 300 mL of fresh, unsweetened horchata daily for 3 days, gut bacteria did not change overall.

Does Tiger Nut interact with any medications?

Possible interactions include: No drug interaction studies of tiger nut have been published. As with other fiber-rich foods, ask your pharmacist whether to space it apart from oral medicines. If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

How strong is the scientific evidence for Tiger Nut?

NutraSmarts rates the evidence for Tiger Nut as Preliminary (1 out of 5). It is backed by 4 study summaries and 16 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.

References(16 citations)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

  1. Selma-Royo M, García-Mantrana I, Collado MC, Perez-Martínez G. Intake of Natural, Unprocessed Tiger Nuts (Cyperus esculentus L.) Drink Significantly Favors Intestinal Beneficial Bacteria in a Short Period of Time. Nutrients. 2022;14(9):1709. doi: 10.3390/nu14091709.PubMedUsed to support: Single-arm before and after study with no control group and no reported trial registration: 35 healthy adults in Valencia drank 300 mL a day of fresh, unpasteurized horchata with no added sugar for 3 days; 4 left the study because of intestinal discomfort and diarrhea, and 31 were analyzed. No overall change in the gut bacteria profile was seen across the group; shifts toward butyrate-associated taxa such as Faecalibacterium, Bifidobacterium and Lachnospira appeared only when people were grouped by their starting bacteria. Funded by a Spanish Ministry of Science grant; the drink was supplied by Món Orxata; no conflicts declared.
  2. Tazoho GM, Tchassi B, Bossi DSD, Tene ST, Womeni HM, Gouado I. Formulation of Gluten-Free Biscuits Based on Tiger Nut, Dana, and Mixture of Avocado and Margarine: Nutritional Composition and Glycemic Index of Optimal Sample. Food Sci Nutr. 2026;14(5):e71852. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.71852.PubMedUsed to support: Food formulation study with a standard glycemic index test: a gluten-free biscuit made of 58.4 percent tiger nut flour, 25 percent dana (aerial yam) flour and 16.6 percent avocado and margarine fat had 18.95 g fiber per 100 g. In 15 healthy young adults, a 78.95 g portion (50 g available carbohydrate) gave a glycemic index of 53.81 and a glycemic load of 3.4 against a glucose reference. The biscuit was not compared with a wheat biscuit, and tiger nut was not tested on its own. No funding reported.
  3. Okladnikov IuN, Vorkel' IaB, Trubachev IN, Vlasova NV, Kalacheva GS. [Inclusion of chufa in the human diet as a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids]. Vopr Pitan. 1977;(3):45-8..PubMedUsed to support: Russian-language feeding study, read as its English abstract only: in two 30-day experiments with 6 volunteers, chufa (tiger nut) was eaten daily at 1.7 g per kg of body weight within a controlled diet. The abstract reports no untoward objective or subjective changes in health status. No control group or outcome data are given in the abstract.
  4. Zommara MA, Swelam S, Raya-Álvarez E, Imaizumi K, Elmahdy A, Alkhudhayri DA, Aljehani AA, Agil A, Elmahallawy EK. Nutritional and potential health benefits of chufa oil, olive oil, and anhydrous milk fat against gallstone disease in a C57BL/6N mouse model. Front Nutr. 2024;11:1445484. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1445484.PubMedUsed to support: Animal study, not people: male mice fed a cholesterol-rich diet with 15 percent chufa (tiger nut) oil, olive oil or milk fat. The chufa oil group had lower serum cholesterol than the other groups and the lowest share of mice with gallstones (42.9 percent versus 57.1 percent on olive oil and about 85.7 percent on milk fat); aortic valve lesions did not differ between groups. The authors declared no commercial conflicts.
  5. Li L, Yao T, Zhang X, Du Q, Zhang M, Zhang Q, Huang M, Wang L, Han Y, Wu L. From Underutilized Tuber to High-Value Food Resource: Advances in Bioactive Components, Processing Technologies and Sustainable Valorization of Tiger Nut (Cyperus esculentus L.). Foods. 2026;15(21):3872. doi: 10.3390/foods15213872.PubMedUsed to support: Review. Lists tiger nut tubers at 20 to 36 percent oil (dry weight) with 65 to 75 percent oleic acid, 5 to 10 g protein and 9 to 15 g dietary fiber per 100 g, and describes the tuber as containing resistant starch and fructans. It states that only one human intervention exists (the 3-day horchata study), that this study had no control arm and reported no clinical endpoints, and that apart from gut bacteria most health claims for tiger nut lack clinical evidence. No conflicts declared.
  6. Bado S, Bazongo P, Son G, Kyaw MT, Forster BP, Nielen S, Lykke AM, Ouédraogo A, Bassolé IH. Physicochemical Characteristics and Composition of Three Morphotypes of Cyperus esculentus Tubers and Tuber Oils. J Anal Methods Chem. 2015;2015:673547. doi: 10.1155/2015/673547.PubMedUsed to support: Composition analysis of three types of tubers grown in Burkina Faso: starch 30.54 to 33.21 g, lipid 24.91 to 28.94 g and sucrose 17.98 to 20.39 g per 100 g. The tuber oils were 65.91 to 67.75 percent monounsaturated fat, mainly oleic acid, with 20.65 to 22.03 percent saturated and 10.2 to 12.53 percent polyunsaturated fat.
  7. EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA), Turck D, Bohn T, Cámara M, Castenmiller J, De Henauw S, Hirsch-Ernst KI, Jos Á, Maciuk A, Mangelsdorf I, McNulty B, Naska A, Pentieva K, Siani A, Thies F, Aguilera-Gómez M, Cubadda F, Frenzel T, Heinonen M, Knutsen HK, Neuhäuser-Berthold M, Poulsen M, Prieto Maradona M, Schlatter JR, Siskos A, van Loveren H, Rivero-Pino F, Roldán-Torres R, McArdle HJ. Safety of Tiger nuts (Cyperus esculentus) oil as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. EFSA J. 2024;22(11):e9102. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2024.9102.PubMedUsed to support: EFSA scientific opinion: cold-pressed tiger nut oil is safe as a novel food under the proposed uses; oleic acid makes up 65 to 69 percent of its fatty acids. The opinion notes the tuber's history of consumption in Africa, the Americas and Spain and lists its other common names, including yellow nutsedge and earth almond. Aflatoxins were below quantification limits in five oil batches. It describes tiger nut allergy as seemingly rare with no prevalence data, citing case reports (two cases, an adult and a child; three cases in pollen-allergic people) and one case of occupational hypersensitivity pneumonitis from tiger nut dust.
  8. Sánchez-Zapata E, Fuentes-Zaragoza E, Fernández-López J, Sendra E, Sayas E, Navarro C, Pérez-Alvarez JA. Preparation of dietary fiber powder from tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus) milk ("Horchata") byproducts and its physicochemical properties. J Agric Food Chem. 2009;57(17):7719-25. doi: 10.1021/jf901687r.PubMedUsed to support: Laboratory analysis of the solid pulp left after making horchata: 59.71 g total dietary fiber per 100 g, 99.8 percent of it insoluble, with high water-holding capacity. Its microbial quality was poor, so the authors state it must be pasteurized before use in food.
  9. Galindo Bonilla PA, Gómez Torrijos E, Borja Segade J, Feo Brito F, Lombardero Vega M. Allergy to tiger nut. Allergy. 2002;57(11):1083-4. doi: 10.1034/j.1398-9995.2002.23836_5.x.PubMedUsed to support: Case report letter with no abstract; the full text was not read. Cited as summarized in the 2024 EFSA opinion: two cases of tiger nut allergy, an adult and a child.
  10. González-De-Olano D, González-Mancebo E, Mohedano-Vicente E, Gandolfo-Cano M, Bartolomé B. Pollen-food syndrome involving allergy to tiger nut. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2013;23(3):197-8..PubMedUsed to support: Case report letter with no abstract; the full text was not read. Cited as summarized in the 2024 EFSA opinion: three cases of tiger nut allergy in people already allergic to pollen.
  11. Juárez Rodríguez C, Barranco Jiménez R, Valdelvira R, Crespo JF, Cabanillas B. Anaphylaxis to tiger nut milk: Analysis of individual allergens profile. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2024;133(2):225-226. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2024.05.021.PubMedUsed to support: Case report letter with no abstract; only the PubMed record was read. Its title reports anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, to tiger nut milk, with analysis of the patient's allergen profile.
  12. Sebastià N, Soler C, Soriano JM, Mañes J. Occurrence of aflatoxins in tigernuts and their beverages commercialized in Spain. J Agric Food Chem. 2010;58(4):2609-12. doi: 10.1021/jf903818x.PubMedUsed to support: Market survey in Spain: aflatoxins were found in 3 of 37 tiger nut samples and 3 of 25 tiger nut drink samples tested by liquid chromatography.
  13. Mahmud AA, Kaka MO, Muhammad HL, Sigbeku TO, Auta HS, Makun AH. Aflatoxins, ochratoxin A and zearalenone in tiger nut drinks in Lagos, Nigeria. Food Addit Contam Part B Surveill. 2026;19(3):286-290. doi: 10.1080/19393210.2026.2690054.PubMedUsed to support: Survey of 30 tiger nut drinks sold in Lagos, Nigeria: aflatoxin B1 was detected in 13.3 percent of samples, total aflatoxins in 6.7 percent, ochratoxin A in 30 percent and zearalenone in 20 percent. The authors frame the data as support for routine monitoring.
  14. Zhang H, Zhu Z, Di Y, Luo J, Su X, Shen Y, Liu Q, Liu T, Xu X. Understanding the triacylglycerol-based carbon anabolic differentiation in Cyperus esculentus and Cyperus rotundus developing tubers via transcriptomic and metabolomic approaches. BMC Plant Biol. 2024;24(1):1269. doi: 10.1186/s12870-024-05999-1.PubMedUsed to support: Plant study comparing yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus, tiger nut) with purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus): the two are closely related but different species whose tubers differ markedly in oil (triacylglycerol) accumulation and starch properties. Used here to separate tiger nut from nutgrass.
  15. Generalitat Valenciana, Conselleria de Agricultura, Ganadería y Pesca. Resolución de 2 de abril de 2024, del conseller de Agricultura, Ganadería y Pesca, por la que se aprueba la modificación del pliego de condiciones de la Denominación de Origen Protegida Chufa de Valencia/Xufa de València. Diari Oficial de la Generalitat Valenciana. 2024;DOGV 2024/2921, April 15, 2024. https://dogv.gva.es/datos/2024/04/15/pdf/2024_2921.pdf.SourceUsed to support: Not PubMed-indexed (official regional gazette, read in full). Approves an amendment to the specification of the Protected Designation of Origin Chufa de Valencia/Xufa de València under EU Regulation 1151/2012, adding five municipalities to the protected growing area and changing the minimum starch content. The PDO protects the tubers (chufa).
  16. Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (Spain). Orden de 21 de mayo de 1997 por la que se ratifica el Reglamento de la Denominación de Origen "Chufa de Valencia" y de su Consejo Regulador. Boletín Oficial del Estado. 1997;BOE no. 134, June 5, 1997, pp. 17315-17321. https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/1997/06/05/pdfs/A17315-17321.pdf.SourceUsed to support: Not PubMed-indexed (Spanish official gazette, read in full). Ratifies the rules of the Chufa de Valencia designation of origin: protected chufas must come from Cyperus esculentus tubers grown in listed municipalities around Valencia. Horchata makers using only designation tubers may be authorized to label their drink as horchata made with chufa of the Designation of Origin "Chufa de Valencia"; the protection itself covers the tuber.