It is a small, perennial herb with broad, flat, ovate-shaped leaves and grows to a height of 3 to 5 feet. It is a small, perennial herb with broad, flat, ovate-shaped leaves and grows to a height of 3 to 5 feet. The root is underground and is a small, cylindrical-shaped, cream-white/light red tuber, covered with thin surface scales. Arrowroot powder is gaining in popularity (at least in the Western world) as people are looking for substitutes and alternatives to cornstarch, either due to corn allergies and sensitivities or to avoid anything GMO and pesticide-laden. Today, arrowroot is used most often as a thickener in food. It serves as a gluten-free, healthier alternative to cornstarch, which is often a genetically modified (GMO) product. Also beneficial for sensitive digestive systems, it is one of the easiest starches for the body to digest. Arrowroot powder is enormously versatile, so you’d be remiss to only think of it as a thickener. In baking, I typically use arrowroot powder as a blend with other flours, such as almond flour, coconut flour and tapioca flour for bread and dessert recipes. But I find that it can definitely stand on it’s own as well, in small quantities. Arrowroot starch is used in talcum powders and moisturizers as a thickening agent. When used in cosmetics, it enables active ingredients to penetrate the upper levels of your skin as it has great moisture-absorbing qualities.