4 ounces (113 grams) (powdered) Agar Agar (Gelidium amansii) FOOD GRADE HIGHEST QUALITY AGAR AVAILABLE ALL NATURAL ***700g/cm2 Gel Strength*** The following information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Agar or agar-agar is a gelatinous substance derived from a polysaccharide that accumulates in the cell walls of agarophyte red algae. Historically and in a modern context, agar is chiefly used as an ingredient in desserts throughout Asia and also as a solid substrate to contain culture medium for microbiological work. The gelling agent is an unbranched polysaccharide obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae, primarily from the genera Gelidium and Gracilaria, or seaweed (Sphaerococcus euchema). Commercially it is derived primarily from Gelidium amansii. Agar (agar-agar) can be used as a laxative, an appetite suppressant / diet & weight loss aid, a vegetarian gelatin substitute, a thickener for soups, in jellies, ice cream and other desserts, as a clarifying agent in brewing, and for sizing paper and fabrics. The word "agar" comes from agar-agar, the Malay name for the algae (Gigartina, Gracilaria) from which the jelly is produced. It is also known as kanten, China grass, or Japanese isinglass. The various species of alga or seaweed from which agar is derived are sometimes called Ceylon moss or Jaffna moss.