Chicory
Parts Usually Used
Rootstock, flowering herb
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
A perennial or biennial plant 2-4 feet tall; the large taproot; light yellow outside, white inside, and, like the rest of the plant, contains a bitter, milky juice. The stiff, roughly hairy, angular, branching stem bears lanceolate leaves that are coarsely wavy, toothed near the bottom of the plant but entire higher up. The light-blue to violet-blue, axillary or terminal flowerheads in small clusters in upper leaf axils, feature rays that are toothed at the ends.
They open in the morning. Flowering time is from July to September or October. Seeds are pale brown.
Where Found
Commonly cultivated and also are a common sight wild, along roadsides, in vacant lots, waste ground, and fields throughout the United States and Europe. Most of the United States cultivated Chicory is grown in Michigan State.
Medicinal Properties
Appetizer, astringent, carminitive, cholagogue, digestive, diuretic, hepatic, laxative, tonic.
Legends, Myths and Stories
It would surprise many farmers to know that this weed, so common in barnyards and along waysides, was a highly regarded medicine of the ancient Egyptian and Arabian physicians. The plant was very common over most of Europe before America was discovered, and is still much used by people of modern times. The blanched leaves are used in salads; the baked roots as pottage, and pulverized dried roots of Chicory was used to give body to coffee, or as a coffee substitute.
Roasted chicory roots may be used as a substitute for coffee and the young leaves eaten in salads. Chicory is used as an additive to coffee. The French are particularly fond of chicory in coffee. Roasted chicory not only cuts down the caffeine content of coffee, but also gives coffee body and smoothness, which millions of coffee drinkers prefer. Naturally the more Roasted Chicory used, the less caffeine you will get.
At one time, this was a disreputable adulterant in coffee; but by skillful roasting methods it has become an esteemed ingredient in New Orleans type coffee. Roasted Chicory now deserves a niche of its own as a flavor in the culinary world. The flavor of this beverage is very much like a milk chocolate. This beverage leaves no caffeine jitters, and contains no theobromine (as in cocoa) that sometimes causes digestive disturbance.
Uses
Historically, herbalists utilized chicory for jaundice, spleen issues, and general complaints of the glandular and digestive systems. The juice of the leaves and a tea prepared from the flowering plant were traditionally administered to stimulate bile production, assist with gallstones, clear internal mucus, and address gastritis, poor appetite, and digestive difficulties. Folk practitioners also employed decoctions of the root as a diuretic, a mild laxative, a mild sedative, a spring tonic, and a remedy for skin eruptions.
Topically, poultices made of boiled leaves and flowers wrapped in cloth were applied to painful inflammations. In homeopathic traditions, chicory was used primarily for liver and gallbladder ailments. Researchers also investigated the plant's root extracts for potential anti-inflammatory properties and their observed effects on heart rate.
How Sold
Found in most supermarkets
Bibliography
The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973.
Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , by Dr. A. , 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants , by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992).
The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988.