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Contents:
Common Names
Parts Usually Used
Plant(s) & Culture
Where Found
Medicinal Properties Legends, Myths and Stories
Uses
Formulas or Dosages
How Sold
Bibliography
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Common Names
Endive
Garden chicory
Garden endive (Cichorium endive)
Succory
Wild chicory
Wild succory
Blue dandelion
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Parts Usually Used
Rootstock, flowering herb
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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.
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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.
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Medicinal Properties
Appetizer, astringent, carminitive, cholagogue, digestive, diuretic, hepatic,
laxative, tonic.
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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. When adulterating Roasted Chicory with coffee, begin with a small amount; add more to subsequent mixtures until you acquire the most desirable mixture. 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. For a delightful and wholesome difference,
heat (do not boil) 1 cup of milk, add 1 tsp. (or more if desired) of roasted
chicory; steep 5 to 10 minutes. Strain and sweeten to taste. 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.
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Uses
Chicory is often helpful for jaundice and for spleen problems. The juice of
the leaves and a tea made from the flowering plant promote the production of
bile, the release of gallstones, and the elimination of excessive internal mucus.
They are also useful for gastritis, lack of appetite, and digestive difficulties.
AA decoction of the rootstock is said to be helpful to the glandular organs
or the digestive system. For painful inflammations, try applying the boiled
leaves and flowers wrapped in a cloth. Also a spring tonic.
One ounce root in 1 pint of water used as
a diuretic, laxative, folk use for jaundice, skin eruptions, slightly sedative,
and mildly laxative. Homeopathically used for liver and gall bladder ailments.
Leaf extracts weaker than root extracts. In experiments, animals given chicory
root extracts exhibit a slower and weaker heart rate (pulse). It has been suggested
that the plant should be researched for use in heart irregularities. Root extracts
in alcohol solutions have proven anti-inflammatory effects in experiments.
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Formulas or Dosages
Gather the rootstock from March to May.
Decoction: use 1 tsp. rootstock or herb per 1/2 cup of cold water; bring to a boil and strain. Take 1 to 1 1/2 cups per day, a mouthful at a time.
Juice: take 1 tbsp. in milk or water, 3
times per day.
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How Sold:
Found in most supermarkets
