• Traditionally used to help support joint pain, dyspepsia, jaundice, constipation, high cholesterol, vomiting and more.

Medicinal Usage

Chicory has stomachic, tonic, cholagogic, diuretic, and slightly sedative qualities. An infusion of the root stimulates bile secretion and tones an upset stomach. If taken in excess, chicory may causefullness of blood in the head and help reduce the visual power of the retina.

The greens are high in vitamin A, calcium, and potassium. They also contain appreciable amounts of phosphorus, choline, iron, vitamin C, and B vitamins. The roots contain over 50 percent inulin, choline, tannins, and a host of other compounds.

The root is a well-known coffee adulterant. Many prefer to consider chicory an enhancer of coffee flavor, enricher of color, and acidity balancer. Adulterants are added to disguise. Coffees containing chicory should flaunt the improvement.

Young unmanipulated shoots and roots may also be eaten as vegetables. The bitter taste of fresh green leaves can be reduced by cooking in several waters. Before boiling, slice the roots in thin pieces and soak them in water overnight to remove bitter principles.

General Herb Information

One person's weed is another person's herb. More often maligned than enjoyed in America, chicory is a culinary herb deserving greater appreciation. Chicory is thought to be native to Europe and Asia and is extensively naturalized in North America. Two species, C. intybus and C. endiva, are grown in gardens. C. intybus, common chicory, is a perennial growing from two to six feet high. It has a deep spiraling tap root, and its lower leaves resemble dandelion leaves, though they are usually larger. The upper leaves are alternate, clasping the stem, becoming progressively smaller toward the top of the plant. They may be with or without teeth. The pleasing sky-blue, rarely pink, ligulate flowers hug the stems in clusters of two or three flower heads, or one head may sit alone on a short branch. They are about an inch and a half in diameter. C. endiva is an annual or biennial growing to three feet high, and its leaves are ruffled and more robust. My seed catalogs list nineteen chicory cultivars including red-leaf varieties, heading chicories, large root chicories, and salad varieties.

Both endive and common chicory are grown from seed sown in the late spring or mid-summer for autumn salad greens. Seedlings can be thinned to six-to-ten-inch spacings. A rich deep-dug soil and full sun provide a good home for chicory. C. inlybus can be sown in the spring followed by a successive planting of C. endiva in midsummer. Azure blue flowers, edible foliage and root, and health qualities make chicory an alluring plant for the herb garden.

Witloof (a Flemish word for "white lear"), or blanched leaves, forced from winter-stored roots or roots banked with earth in spring or fall, is chicory's best known leaf product. For winter-grown witloof, the tops are cut just above the ground, then stored in sand, light soil, or sawdust in a warm cellat Before storage the lower end of the root is trimmed, making eight inch long sections, and placed upright in the growing medium. By covering the crowns with about eight inches of soil, the roots form a "head" three to six inches long of etiolated (blanched) leaves, tender and mild in flavor. Crowns can also be forced by placing the roots in a warm, moist, dark spot or covering them in the field with flower pots.

Gathering chicory roots is a task of excavation. The deep tap roots, often two feet long and two inches in diameter, are difficult to entirely unearth. A shovel pries broken roots of twelve-inch lengths from the Ozark's rock-ridden soil. A double-dug bed makes root harvest easy. Wash and slice the roots into one-fourth inch diameter pieces an inch or two long. Roast pieces in an oven at 250°-300° F. for one hour or until crisp. Be careful not to scorch the roots. Grind in a blender and brew a chicory root tea or add one portion of roasted root to two portions of coffee.

Chicory - Succory (Cichorium intybus).

Propagation: By seed, easy germination; by underground runners.

Nature of Plant: Beautiful clear blue flowers which close by noon; larger leaves are near the ground and make a good filler for plants with bare stems in midsummer; leaves resemble those of dandelion and plant sometimes called blue dandelion.

Spacing of Mature Plants: 12 inches.

Cultural Requirements: Dry, light, sandy soil in full sun; if the plant can be used to help support decorative gardens, runners must be severely restrained by slicing down all around plant with a spade and removing the cut-off pieces of root.

Uses

Root: (Industrial) Roasted and ground-up roots can be used to adulterate coffee, gives it a bitter taste; (Health) in jaundice.

Leaf: (Culinary) Blanched for salads, sometimes sold under the name of witloof.

Chicory Root, also known as Blue Sailors, Garden Endive, Succory, Wild Succory, and Hendibeh, is a prolific plant that thrives in places where nothing else will grow. Some consider it a weed, while others appreciate its beauty and culinary virtue. The name Succory, which in Latin means "to run under," was applied to Chicory due to the fact that the plant's roots run to great depths and it is very difficult pull up. Chicory is a perennial with a taproot like the Dandelion. The stems are 2 to 3 feet high, with lateral branches numerous and spreading, given off at a very considerable angle from the central stem, so that the plant does not appear rich and full.

Chicory is one of only two species that comprise the genus Cichorium, endive being the other. The roots are commonly dried and ground to make a caffeine-free coffee substitute, although the plant does have a bitter flavor. When World War II disrupted shipping, most U.S. "coffee" was made from Chicory. The fresh root is bitter, with a milky juice, which is somewhat aperient and slightly sedative. The leaves are sometimes used in salads or eaten as a vegetable. In Europe, it is often grown as fodder for livestock.

Health-wise,chicory can be used to help support skin concerns, joint pain, jaundice and to help support an enlarged liver. As a poultice, chicory was thought to improve inflammations, swellings, bruises and eye disorders. In India, the plant is still used by herbalists used to help support dyspepsia, vomiting, diarrhea, headache and skin allergies. Animal studies have revealed that Chicory can lower pulse rate and help support healthy cholesterol levels levels.

A decoction of 1 oz. of Chicory Root to a pint of boiling water has been found effective in jaundice, liver enlargements, joint pain and rheumatic complaints. Syrup of Succory is an excellent laxative for children, as it acts without irritation. Chicory has properties similar to those of Dandelion, its action being tonic, laxative and diuretic. Commission E has approved its use to improve a poor appetite and dyspepsia.

Chicory Root had been known to the ancients, who used it both as a food and for health. The Romans recommended it for liver ailments. In later centuries herbalists recommended preparations made from the roots as tonics, laxatives, and diuretics, and poultices made from the bruised leaves for swellings and inflammations.

At one time herbalists looked upon Chicory's milky sap as a divine sign that the juice provided a supportive for nursing mothers who had trouble producing milk.

General Herb Information

Because chicory's sky-blue flowers can be counted on to open and close at precisely the same time every day, the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus included this beautiful weed in the floral clock he planted at Uppsala.

Today chicory, both wild and cultivated, is used principally as a food. Young chicory leaves can be gathered in spring for a salad; older leaves can be cooked but have a bitter taste. Belgian endive is actually a variety of Cichorium intybus. The roots are dug up, replanted in a dark cellar, and left to grow until small pale leaf heads reach a height of a few inches. The dried, roasted, and ground root is often blended with coffee; it gives the brew a pleasant1y bitter taste while reducing its stimulating effect, since chicory has no caffeine.

Habitat: Fields and waste areas, such as roadsides and vacant city lots.

Range: Introduced from Europe, chicory is naturalized throughout most of the United States and southern Canada. It will grow in almost any soil. It grows more profusely in humid areas.

Identification: A perennial herb, with blue flowerheads (July-November) arranged at the bases of the few small leaves found on the rough, stiff stem. The stem grows from a rosette of leaves on the ground and can reach a height of 6 feet, but most are closer to 3 feet. The plant is inconspicuous until the showy flowers bloom. A long, tough taproot enables chicory to grow wild in areas hostile to other plants.

Uses: Ground chicory roots for blending with coffee are available in specialty food stores. Chicory is also sold as a bitter, tangy seasoning for soups and stews.



Chicory
Cichorium intybus L.

Family: Asteraceae.

Other Names: Chicorée sauvage (French); Wegwarte (German); cicoria (Italian).

Description: An erect perennial herb (up to 1 m in height) with a thick root, large dentate leaves and attractive, pale blue, sessile flower heads.

Origin: Europe and Asia. Chicory is cultivated in many parts of the world and has become a weed.

Parts Used: Mainly the root (Cichori radix), sometimes the whole herb (Cichorii folia et radix).

Therapeutic Category: Bitter tonic, laxative, diuretic.

Uses and Properties: The dried, whole herb is used mainly as a digestive tonic for loss of appetite and dyspepsia. It is a traditional choleretic, cholagogue, carminative, diuretic and "blood purifier" in both European and Ayurvedic medicine. Chicory syrup is a traditional tonic for infants, and a cleansing supportive for those suffering from joint pain.

Active Ingredients: The bitterness of chicory is due to the presence of sesquiterpene lactones, of which lactucin and lactuprikrin are the major compounds. Also present are coumarins (umbelliferon, cichoriin), phenolic acids (caffeic, ferulic acids and esters with quinic acid) and various flavonoids. The root contains high levels of inulin (50 - 60 %) as a storage compound.

Health Effects: Extracts show choleretic and anti-inflammatory effects in rats. The therapeutic value of chicory is not clear, but it is generally accepted to have mild choleretic effects in man, so that the traditional support for liver and gallbladder complaints seems justified. Bitter lactones are likely to contribute to the tonic effects; however, the medicinal role (if any) of inulin and the potential benefits of the herb in supporting joint pain are less obvious. Inulin is used as sucrose substitute for diabetics. Allergic skin reactions may rarely occur in sensitive people.

Notes: Chicory and its close relative, endive (C. endivia), are grown as bitter leaf vegetables. Chicory root is commercially dried and roasted as a coffee ad- ditive or coffee substitute.

Status: Traditional health; Pharm.; Comm. E+.

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