Why You Should Take a Serious Look at Chicory

Chicory has a long history

Folk tales tell us the beautiful blue color of the petals is transformed from the weeping eyes of a lass who saw her lover depart on a ship which never returned. Boiling the leaves will produce a blue color which has long been used for dyes.

Rodales Illustrated Encylopedia of Herbs lists chicory , Cichorium Intybus as “the oldest complete herbal we have” dating back to first century A.D. It was written about by Greek physician Dioscorides and respected by Charlemagne who listed it as one of the 75 herbals to be grown in one’s garden.

We believe the chicory (also spelled chickory) growing along the roadsides in the United States were first brought here from Italy and planted in 1774 by Thomas Jefferson in Monticello.

They uncovered a letter Jefferson wrote to George Washington describing chicory as “one of the greatest acquisitions a farmer can have and a tolerable salad for the table.” In early days it was brewed as a beverage, tossed in a salad and used as fodder for cattle.

Chicory is nutritious.

One half cup chopped, raw chicory contains 49 % of our RDA of folate and the following other nutrients:

• Vitamin A – 36%

• Vitamin C – 36%

• Calcium – 11%

• Potassium – 10%

• Iron – 8%

• Magnesium – 8 %

• Riboflavin – 5%

Picture source

New ways to use greens:

• Shred and add to soups. The authors, Patricia Hausman and Judith Benn Hurley, of The Healing Foods offer a word of warning about beet greens, however. Beet greens will impart a red coloring to the soup.

• Replace some of the meat in some of your dishes such as spaghetti or lasagna by replacing it with shredded greens. Eating this will aid in lowering cholesterol.

• Liven up salads.

• Add to stir fry

Greens can be cooked quicker in the microwave by tossing them into a 9 inch pie plate, covering with chicken stock or whatever stock you prefer, cover with microwavable plastic wrap and microwave at full power for about 2 minutes for each 2 cups.

Once tender, add to sautes, stir-fry, casseroles, rice dishes, or serve alone with crumbled feta cheese and slivered almonds.

Cover via Amazon

Cover via Amazon

Chicory benefits the heart in two ways -

James A. Duke, PhD. Recommends chicory in The Green Pharmacy siting Kathi Keville, author of The Illustrated Encyclopedia and Herbs for Health and Healing . According to Dr. Duke, Ms. Keville advises researchers in Egypt have found that chicory roots impacts the heart in two ways which are both gentle and safe because it has compounds in it similar to the often prescribed digitalis.

• It slows a rapid heartbeat

• It mildly stimulates the heart

Because it is related to milk thistle it also helps to protect the liver.

Dr. Duke advised of a laboratory study where one group of mice were given daily doses of acetaminophen another were given acetaminophen but with chicory. Seventy per cent of those given chicory survived. All the mice that were not given chicory died.

The Complete Book of Herbs by Lesley Bremmes advises the leaf can be used for:

• Blue dye

• Jaundice

• Spleen problems

• To make a poultice to help with inflammation

The roots are used for:

• a tonic

• mild laxative

• diuretic

• alleviate gallstones

• kidney stones

• urinary tract infections

• inflammation of the liver

Chicory is recommended to aid in treating those who are temporarily moody.

New Choices in Natural Healing by Prevention advises “The main reason for the failure of modern medicine is that it is dealing with results and not causes” Dr. Bach wrote in 1931. This book deals with flowering trees and plants that alleviate a wide range of emotional and psychological ailments. Early civilizations made good use of various herbs and flowers for medicinal purposes.

Let’s go back to cultivating chicory.

Looking at the photo of chicory growing in the wild, you may wonder how we could get enough greens from it to possibly eat. We have stopped cultivating chicory. It now grows wild along roadsides. The wilder version does not have the larger tap root. Since we, in the states, have gotten away from cultivating chicory, we have been importing it in the form of greens such as radicchio, or Treviso. In order to cultivate we have to produce forced greens called Whitloof chicory, Magdeburg, Brunswick, or Belgian Endive.

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