Good stuff

[Guest guest]

Chicory

/Cichorium intybus/

Blue Dandelion

Blue-sailors

Chicory

Coffeeweed

Endive

Garden Chicory

Succory

Wild Chicory

Wild Succory

Parts used

<http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_chicory.htm#chicory_parts>

Uses <http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_chicory.htm#chicory_uses>

Habitat and cultivation

<http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_chicory.htm#chicory_habitat>

Constituents

<http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_chicory.htm#chicory_constituents>

Applications

<http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_chicory.htm#chicory_applications>

Depurative salad

<http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_chicory.htm#chicory_recipe> Herbs

gallery - chicory.jpg

Chicory, or succory, known botanically as Cichorium intybus L., is a

perennial member of the daisy family (Asteraceae), native to Europe but

now found growing wild along roadsides and in neglected fields

throughout North America. Attaining a height of three to five feet or

more, it is conspicuous for its attractive azure blue flowers. Chicory

has been grown in large quantities in Europe for many years to supply

the demands of the beverage industry for roasted chicory root as a

coffee additive or substitute. There is also a demand for the leaves,

which are used in salads and as greens. As a consequence, many

cultivated varieties exist that differ primarily in the size and texture

of their roots and leaves.

In folk medicine, chicory root is valued primarily as a mild

nonirritating tonic with associated diuretic and, particularly, laxative

effects. Chicory is said to protect the liver from, and act as a

counter-stimulant to, the effects of excessive coffee

<http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_coffee.htm> drinking. Chicory root

is valued in Egypt as a folk remedy for tachycardia (rapid heartbeat).

The bruised leaves are considered a good poultice and are applied

locally for the relief of swellings and inflammations. In addition, they

are valued as a leafy green vegetable.

A rather large number of chemical constituents have been identified in

chicory root, but none is especially physiologically active. They

include 11 to 15 percent (up to 58 percent in cultivated plants) of the

polysaccharide inulin, 10 to 22 percent of fructose, the bitter

principles <http://www.herbs2000.com/miss/bitter_princ.htm> lactucin and

lactucopicrin, tannin <http://www.herbs2000.com/miss/tannins.htm>, both

a fatty and a volatile oil

<http://www.herbs2000.com/miss/volatile_oils.htm>, and small amounts of

several other compounds. From the culinary viewpoint, the inulin is

particularly interesting. Upon roasting, it is converted to

oxymethylfurfurol, a compound with a coffee like aroma.

For more than fifty years, a scientific report has existed in the

literature that lactucin and, to a lesser extent, lactucopicrin produce

a sedative effect on the central nervous system and are capable of

antagonizing the stimulant properties of caffeine beverages. This work,

carried out in rabbits and mice, may explain some of the old tales about

chicory countering the undesirable " nervous " effects of coffee. However,

much more study is needed, including quantitative measurements of the

bitter principles in various varieties of the root, before a definite

conclusion can be reached..

In Pakistan, the root has been used as a folk medicine for liver

disease. Recently, researchers isolated a phenolic compound, esculetin,

from the roots and confirmed hepatoprotectant activity in mice against

paracetamol and carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic damage.

Hepatoprotective activity has been linked to the ability of an aqueous

extract of the root to inhibit oxidative degradation of DNA in tissue

debris.

Since chicory has been consumed in such large quantities by so many

people for so many years without any reported untoward effects except an

occasional allergy <http://www.herbs2000.com/disorders/allergies.htm>,

it is difficult to believe that it has the ability to produce any

pronounced physiological or therapeutic actions in human beings. The

conclusion is inevitable. Chicory is certainly as safe and has much less

effect on the nervous system and the heart than the caffeine-rich coffee

with which it is usually mixed.

Chicory can be found growing wild in many countries in pastures, fields,

and marginal areas. Chicory also sometimes pops up in the midst of lawns

and gardens, much to the consternation of gardeners. There are also

cultivated types of chicory that are grown as vegetables, but they

should not be confused with the wild form.

Chicory is a perennial herb with a taproot resembling that of the

dandelion <http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_dandelion.htm>'>http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_dandelion.htm>'>http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_dandelion.htm>'>http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_dandelion.htm>. Chicory

grows between 2 and 3 feet tall, and it is easily recognized by its

unkempt appearance and lovely blue flowers. Its leaves are rather

sparse, and its branches are set off angularly from the main stem, which

gives chicory a rather straggly look. The bases of the leaves clasp the

stems. The leaves at the plant's base are large and hairy, and somewhat

resemble those of the dandelion, hence its nickname of blue dandelion.

Like many strong, wild herbs, chicory is not terribly particular about

what type of soil it grows in. When chicory is cultivated for its root,

the plant does well in a deep bed in which the topsoil is mixed with

amendments of sawdust and composted manure. If the bed is deep and the

soil is friable, then it is easy to gather the roots in the fall of the

plant's first year. You can sow the plant from seed in late spring but

not much earlier or the seed will bolt. Plant seed in drills about 15

inches apart, provide the plants with moderate watering and sun, and the

crop will produce an abundance of healing roots. One caution, though:

Chicory likes to spread and take over, so confine or plant it in a

separate part of the garden.

Europeans use the root of wild or cultivated chicory as a coffee

substitute or just to balance coffee's flavor. They also add the leaves

to green salads. Some European cooks steam or boil the root of the plant

and season it with butter, herbs, and spices.

While some people may see only chicory's dubious character in the

garden, others are acquainted with its medicinal value. The root of the

plant was traditionally used to treat jaundice

<http://www.herbs2000.com/disorders/jaundice.htm> and other liver

ailments, although no current studies bear out the efficacy of these

treatments. French herbalist Maurice Messegue maintains that the reason

chicory is so popular in France as a coffee addition or substitute is

that it is a good " liver herb, " tonifying and detoxifying the livers of

those who enjoy French cuisine perhaps a bit too much. The French also

believe that chicory; added to coffee, counteracts the coffee's acidic

quality and its adverse effect on the stomach. A decoction of the dried

root is a noted treatment for stomach acidity.

The leaves of the chicory plant also have healing properties. Bruised,

softened, and soaked for a few minutes in water that has just been

boiled, the leaves are a traditional treatment in Europe and in this

country for skin lacerations, swellings, and inflammations. Added to

salads, the young leaves, gathered before the plant flowers, are

believed to have a salutary effect on the liver and kidneys, as do the

bitter leaves of the dandelion

<http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_dandelion.htm>'>http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_dandelion.htm>'>http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_dandelion.htm>'>http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_dandelion.htm>. Both chicory and

dandelion leaves are classified as warm and moistening, while their

roots are warm and drying. In fact, chicory's traditional medicinal

properties-tonic, laxative, and diuretic-are similar to those of dandelion.

Chicory had been known to the ancients, who used it both as a food and

medicinally. The Romans prescribed 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

remedy for nursing mothers who had trouble producing milk.

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 pleasantly bitter taste while reducing its

stimulating effect, since chicory has no caffeine.

PARTS USED

Root, leaves, flowers.

USES

Chicory is an excellent mild bitter tonic for the liver and digestive

tract. The root is therapeutically similar to dandelion

<http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_dandelion.htm>'>http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_dandelion.htm>'>http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_dandelion.htm>'>http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_dandelion.htm> root (Taraxacum

officinale), supporting the action of the stomach and liver and

cleansing the urinary tract. Chicory is also taken for rheumatic

conditions and gout <http://www.herbs2000.com/disorders/gout.htm>, and

as a mild laxative, one particularly appropriate for children. An

infusion of the leaves and flowers also aids the digestion.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION

Native to Europe, chicory also grows in North Africa and western Asia.

Chicory flourishes along paths and roadsides, on banks, and in dry

fields. The root is unearthed in spring or autumn.

CONSTITUENTS

The root contains up to 58% intilin and sesquiterpene lactones, as well

as vitamins <http://www.herbs2000.com/vitamins/1_vitamins.htm> and

Minerals <http://www.herbs2000.com/minerals/1_minerals.htm>.

APPLICATIONS

The young leaves are tasty in a salad. In a decoction, they treat

sensitive intestines and help to cleanse the blood and gallbladder, even

in the case of jaundice. Most of the active principles are concentrated

in the root: the fresh root is used in a decoction, dried or roasted, to

treat diabetes <http://www.herbs2000.com/disorders/diabetes.htm> and

water retention: 1 t in 1 cup (250 ml) water. The roots of the hybrid

variety (Cichorium endivia) are forced to produce endives. These are

eaten cooked or in a salad. They have a bitter taste, a watery

consistency and are very effective as a diuretic.

DEPURATIVE SALAD

- 15 springtime chicory leaves

- 5 endives

- 10 black olives

- garlic <http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_garlic.htm>, olive

<http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_olive.htm> oil and lemon

<http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_lemon.htm> juice vinaigrette (to

taste)

Wash the salad, finely chop and sprinkle with vinaigrette. Toss and

garnish with the pitted olives. Consume at the beginning of each meal

for several consecutive days to cleanse the gallbladder, soften the

intestines and deacidify the blood

--

Peace, love and light,

Don Quai

" Spirit sleeps in the mineral, breathes in the vegetable, dreams in the animal

and wakes in man. "