Chicory - Cichorium intybus

Family: Asteraceae - Aster

Other Names: Common chicory ^[E-flora]

Sensitization, Aster-related Allergies, Plant, Inulin, Dye, Insect Repellent, Compost, Laxative, Tonic

Identification

Synonyms

• C. balearicum, C. cicorea, C. commune, C. perenne. ^[PFAF]
• Cichorium intybus var. foliosum Hegi.^[E-flora]
• Cichorium intybus var. sativum (Bisch.) Janch.^[E-flora]

Origin Status: Exotic ^[E-flora]

• General: Perennial herb from a deep taproot; stems much branched, glabrous to stiff-hairy, 0.3-2.0 m tall.^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
• Leaves: Basal leaves oblanceolate, stalked, toothed or more often pinnately cut, 8-25 cm long, 1-7 cm wide; stem leaves becoming reduced, unstalked, and entire or toothed upwards.^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
• Flowers: Heads with strap-shaped flowers, borne 1-3 together in upper leaf axils; involucres cylindric, 9-15 mm tall; involucral bracts in 2 series, the outer ones loose, fewer than the erect inner ones and at least half as long; ray flowers blue, rarely pink or white; disk flowers lacking.^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
• Fruits: Achenes glabrous, grooved, 5-angled, beakless, 2-3 mm long; pappus of 1-3 series of small scales.^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
• Habitat / Range: Mesic to dry roadsides and waste places in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; frequent in S BC; introduced from Europe.^{[IFBC-E-flora]}

USDA Flower Colour: Blue
USDA Blooming Period: Mid Summer
USDA Fruit/Seed characteristics:

Colour: Brown

Present from Summer to Fall ^{[USDA-E-flora]}

Hazards

• Excessive and continued use may impair function of the retina[268]. Slight potential for sensitization [301]^[PFAF]
• Commission E reports contraindications of hypersensitivity to chicory and other Asteraceae and adverse effects of rare allergic skin reactions. Patients with bilestones or gallstones should first consult a physician (AEH; KOM). Cadot et al. report “a first case of occupational allergy to chicory (Cichorium intybus) in a vegetable wholesaler. Symptoms occurred after oral, cutaneous, or inhalatory exposure.” Reactions were also noted after ingestion of the botanically related endive (Cichorium endivia) and lettuce (Latuca satiua).^{[HMH Duke]}
• The entire chicory tribe of the sunflower family contains no poisonous members. These are generaIly tender-leafed plants with milky sap. However, some may be too fibrous or too bitter for food. ^[Nyerges]

Edible Uses

• Young Leaves & Shoots: Used raw as a salad, especially after blanching the plant.[Harrington] Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 4, 5, 9, 27, 33, 171]. ^[PFAF] The young leaves and shoots can be used as "greens" like the dandelion plant. It would be wise to change waters two or three times, and cook the material longer than one would spinach, but chicory is justly famous in this respect. ^[Harrington]
  • Properties: The leaves are rather bitter, especially when the plants are flowering[4]. The unblanched leaves are much less bitter in winter and make an excellent addition to salads at this time of year[K].^[PFAF]
  • Preparation: Chicory leaves are widely known as a potherb and salad green, both in unaltered and blanched form. The blanched type is known under the name of witloof or French endive (true endive is a closely related plant). The basal leaves, blanched in early spring as the result of being covered during their growing period, make a good salad ingredient. The green leaves are bitter and should be boiled in a few changes of water, then prepared in the same manner as spinach. ^[Coffee]
  • Blanching: Blanching can be done with heaped up earth, straw, or by covering the very young plants with canvas or baskets. The yellowish shoots that develop in the absence of light will be more tender and lack much of the bitter taste so characteristic of the green plant.^[Harrington] The leaves are often blanched by excluding light, either by removing all the leaves and then earthing up the new growth, or by covering the plant with a bucket or something similar. Whilst this greatly reduces any bitterness, there is also a corresponding loss of vitamins and minerals[K].^[PFAF]
  • Salad Green: Still collected in the wild in the Middle East. The popular salad component radicchio is derived from C. intybus. ^{[BiblePlants]} The blanched leaves are often used in winter salads (they are known as chicons) and are also cooked[132, 200]. ^[PFAF] The leaves are good in salad when young, or steamed. Older leaves become bitter and may need up to two boilings. One variety of chicory often finds its way into produce markets under the name of Italian dandelion. ^[Nyerges]
• Roots Roots are used in seasoning soups, sauces and gravies, and to impart a rich deep colour[269]. The boiled young roots form a very palatable vegetable[4]. ^[PFAF]
  • Harvesting: The thick taproots can be dug at any time (some say they are better just after the flowering period is over or in the fall) ^[Harrington] Roots can be dug in the fall and brought in and planted in earth in the cellar. When well watered these roots may produce sprouts during the winter that can be used as a welcome addition to the table.[Harrington] Young roots have a slightly bitter caramel flavour when roasted, roots over 2 years old are much more bitter[238].^[PFAF]
  • Preparation:
    • Boiled: Boiled and eaten like carrots or parsnips.^[Harrington][5, 7, 9, 13, 21, 27, 46]^[PFAF] The roots can be boiled, steamed, cooked in stews, or roasted. ^[Nyerges]
    • Powder: Scrubbed thoroughly or the outer layer peeled off. They can then be sliced, roasted in an oven, and ground into a coarse powder. This powder is supposed to give a desirable bitterish taste when mixed with coffee, at least according to some people. This mixture is much used in some areas, particularly in the southern part of the United States, and often appears for sale in the markets. We have tried the blend and found it very acceptable. ^[Harrington] It can also be used to season other food, such as stews and gravies. ^[Harrington]
    • Coffee: This is a plant of many uses and has been cultivated in various parts of the world, particularly in Europe and in the state of Michigan in this country. It is famous as an adulterant or even as a substitute for coffee. ^[Harrington] The roasted root is used as a caffeine-free coffee adulterant or substitute[2, 4, 5, 7, 13, 21, 27, 46]. ^[PFAF] Roasted, pulverized roots are used as a coffee substitute or extender. ^[Nyerges] It blends well with coffee beans and extends the supply. The presence of chicory will give the brew a deeper colour and a more lasting flavour and aroma. Chicory can also be blended effectively with grains and other coffee substitutes. ^[Coffee]
      • Since habitual coffee drinking can congest the liver to the point that it hardens and almost ceases to function.... Southerners and people in tropical Latin America (who drink a lot of coffee to overcome the lazy heat) add chicory to their coffee. Matlock says that chicory is "the herb for liver congestion," counteracting the negative effects of coffee. ^[Nyerges]
  • Harvesting: To use the roots in this fashion, dig up several larger roots. Clean them weIl, and dry them in the sun or oven. Grind the roots in your hand mill and then roast until brown. Percolate as you would coffee grounds. This is a good drink by itself or added to regular coffee. ^[Nyerges]
  • Preparation: In July or August, dig a few long roots of chicory plants. Clean, wash, and scrub them with a brush. Cut them into short segments of 1 to 2 cm. Spread the pieces on a cookie sheet and roast in a slow oven at about 120°C (250°F) until they are brown in colour and brittle- dry. Watch carefully to make sure they do not burn. Grind. or powder the pieces in a blender or with a mortar and pestle, and store in a closed container in a cool place. ^[Coffee]
• Flowers Raw[52]. An attractive addition to the salad bowl[183], but rather bitter[K]. ^[PFAF]
  • Tea: The bright-blue flowers of the chicory can be made into a tea, said to promote a healthy complexion in young women. ^[Coffee]

Other Uses

• Root
  • Biomass: The roots have the potential to be used for the production of biomass for industrial use[132]. ^[PFAF]
  • Alcohol: They are rich in the starch 'inulin' which can easily be converted to alcohol[269]. ^[PFAF]
• Leaves
  • Dye: A blue dye has been obtained from the leaves[4]. ^[PFAF]
• Repellent: Known in Arabia as hindiba and hendiban, the leaves were often burned to produce smoke that repels insects (Ghazanfar 1994). ^[UAPDS]
• Flowers
  • Compost: The flowers are an alternative ingredient of 'QR' herbal compost activator[32]. This is a dried and powdered mixture of several herbs that can be added to a compost heap in order to speed up bacterial activity and thus shorten the time needed to make the compost[K]. ^[PFAF]

Medicinal Uses

Chicory has a long history of herbal use and is especially of great value for its tonic affect upon the liver and digestive tract[254]. It is little used in modern herbalism, though it is often used as part of the diet. ^[PFAF]

• Root
  • Part: The roots are more active medicinally[222]. ^[PFAF]
  • Harvesting: The root can be used fresh or dried, it is best harvested in the autumn[9]. ^[PFAF]
  • Decoction: "A decoction of the root has proved to be of benefit in the treatment of jaundice, liver enlargement, gout and rheumatism[4]. A decoction of the freshly harvested plant is used for treating gravel[4]." ^[PFAF]
  • Heart Medicine: The root extracts have experimentally produced a slower and weaker heart rate (pulse)[222]. ^[PFAF]
• Plant
  • Parts Used: "The medicinal parts of the plant are the dried leaves and roots, which are collected in autumn; the whole plant collected and dried in the flowering season; and the fresh plant and root." ^[PDR]
  • Bach: The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Possessiveness', 'Self-love' and 'Self-pity'[209]. ^[PFAF]
  • Heart Medicine: The plant merits research for use in heart irregularities[222]. ^[PFAF]
  • Dosages :3 to 5 g comminuted drug. Single dose: 2 to 4g whole herb for an infusion.^[PDR] Dosages (Chicory) — 3 g root (KOM); 3–5 g powdered root (PHR); 2–4 g/150–250 ml water (PH2). ^{[HMH Duke]}
  • Preparation: Prepare an infusion by scalding 2 to 4 g drug with boiling water, allowing it to stand for 10 minutes, then straining. A tea is prepared by brewing 2 to 4 g of the whole herb with 150 to 250 ml boiling water and then straining it after 10 minutes. ^[PDR]
• Leaves
  • Harvesting: The leaves are harvested as the plant comes into flower and can also be dried for later use[9]. ^[PFAF]
• Latex
  • Warts: The latex in the stems is applied to warts in order to destroy them[218]. The German Commission E Monographs, a therapeutic guide to herbal medicine, approve Cichorium intybus for loss of appetite, dyspepsia (see [302] for critics of commission E). ^[PFAF]

Various Cultural Usages

In those European countries where it is cultivated, the roots are grown in the open during summer, then dug up when the weather begins turning cold. The roots are then stored in cellars and forced to produce leaf throughout the winter. One method of forcing produces barbe de capucin, the loose, blanched leaves that are considered a delicacy in France. There are other methods of forcing, each of which produces a slightly different quality of leaf (called "witloof" when the tight-clustered crown of leaves is blanched and eaten as a potherb). ^[Nyerges]

History

Evidence shows that chicory has been cultivated as a food plant since ancient Greek and Roman times. Considered a European native, it was introduced into the United States in the 19th century. Though it is still an important crop in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany, it is generally treated as a weed in the United States. Most abundant in the eastern United States, it is now found over the entire United States, growing along roadsides, in fields, pastures, waste areas, gardens, vacant lots, and front yards. ^[Nyerges]

(Cichorium intybus) It was cultivated on the Continent up to World War II, for the root, which is used as a substitute for coffee, and is sometimes mixed with real coffee as an adulterant. It is very bitter, and contains no caffeine or tannin (Sanford). It was introduced as a coffee substitute in the 18th century, but it was actually banned by a law of 1832, repealed in 1840, though it has now virtually died out as a coffee substitute (Brouk). Another use for the foliage, which is edible once the bitter principle is removed by twice boiling, was for a blue dye (Hemphill).^{[DPL Watts]}

It was very much a liver (it was known as “liver’s friend) and jaundice plant (see Gerard, and Thornton). Gypsies use a root decoction for jaundice (VeseyFitzgerald), and chicory flowers were used for liver complaints (Pollock). Distilled water of the flowers has been recommended as a good eyewash (Genders. 1976); this may be a cosmetic, too, for an infusion of the whole plant has long been used as such – applied at bedtime, it will remove blemishes from the skin. There is nothing new about that, for Thomas Hill in 1577 wrote that “Ciccorie cureth scabbed places, causeth a faire skin …”. He went on to claim that “it helpeth … the kings evill, the plague, burning agues … and cureth the shingles”. It has been recommended for easy childbirth (V G Hatfield. 1984), and Lupton quoted Mizaldus in making the extraordinary claim that “if a woman anoint often her dugs or paps with the juice of succory, it will make them little, round and hard; or if they be hanging or bagging, it will draw them together, whereby they shall seem as the dugs of a maid”. Succory, incidentally, is, most probably, another version of chicory. ^{[DPL Watts]}

Activities

The root and the leaves are appetizer, cholagogue, depurative, digestive, diuretic, hypoglycaemic, laxative and tonic[4, 7, 9, 13, 21, 46, 222]. ^[PFAF]

Chicory is recognized as a diuretic, laxative, and hepatic by herbalists. ^[Nyerges]

Phytochemicals

• Sesquiterpenes: sesquiterpene lactones, especially lactucin, lactucopicrin, 8-desoxy lactucin, guaianolid glycosides, including chicoroisides B and C, sonchuside C ^[PDR]
• Caffeic acid derivatives: chiroric acid, chlorogenic acid, isochlorogenic acid, dicaffeoyl tartaric acid ^[PDR]
• Hydroxycoumarins: including umbelliferone ^[PDR]
• Flavonoids: including hyperoside ^[PDR]
• Polyynes ^[PDR]
• Inulin: The fresh root, collected in the spring, reportedly contains 36 percent insulin. ^[Nyerges]

Analysis of 100 grams of raw chicory greens shows that it contains 86 milligrams of calcium, 40 milligrams of phosphorus, 420 milligrams of potassium, 22 milligrams of vitamin C, and approximately 4,000 international units of vitamin A. ^[Nyerges]

Cultivation

"Prefers a sunny position in any moderately fertile well-drained moisture retentive soil[1, 14, 52]. Prefers a pH 5.5 to 7[200]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.5 to 8.3. Chicory grows on any type of soil but, when cultivated, grows best on mellow, deeply tilled, fertile soil or sandy loam[269].. A cool weather crop, it tolerates only moderate summer temperatures and requires well-distributed rainfall, with good drainage, or some irrigation in drier areas[269]. Chicory roots deeply in relatively short time; soil too wet for beans and small grains is not suitable[269]. To insure proper root-growth, apply lime or marl to acid soil to neutralize acidity[269]. Chicory is reported to tolerate a pH in the range of 4.5 to 8.3, an annual rainfall of 30 to 400 cm and an annual mean biotemperature of 6^o to 27^oC[269]. Chicory is an excellent winter salad. It is often cultivated, especially in Europe, for its edible leaves and for its roots which are used to make a coffee substitute. There are many named varieties[46, 132, 183] and, by careful selection of cultivars and sowing times, fresh leaves can be obtained all year round. There are three main types of chicory grown for their leaves, there are many cultivars of each form:- A bitter-tasting loose-leafed form is grown as a green winter vegetable, especially in southern Italy. A narrow-leafed, witloof or Belgian form has a compact elongate head (chicon) which is blanched for use in salads or cooked dishes. A broad-leaved (usually red) form produces cabbage-like hearts, these are generally less bitter than the other forms and are eaten raw or cooked. These forms are often used as a winter salad crop[K]. Although a perennial, chicory is usually cultivated as an annual crop, especially when being grown as a winter salad. The winter salad cultivars are usually sown in early summer to make sure that they do not flower in their first year of growth. By late autumn they have formed an overwintering rosette of leaves rather like a cabbage. These leaves can be harvested as required during the winter and the plants will then usually make some new growth (as long as the winter is not too cold) that can be harvested in late winter or early spring. The plants run to flower in the following summer and fail to make an overwintering rosette of leaves for that winter[K]. Chicory can be grown successfully in a meadow or even in a lawn so long as the grass is not cut too short nor too often[K]. It often self-sows freely when well-sited, especially if it is growing in a dry alkaline soil[238]. A good bee plant[24, 108]. A very ornamental plant[1]. The flowers open in the early morning (about 6 - 7 o'clock in Britain) and close around midday[4]." ^[PFAF]

Winter Chicory Crop: You can make your own winter chicory garden as follows: dig several chicory roots late in the fall and plant them in a deep wooden box using sandy soil or just sand. ^[Coffee] Make sure that their crowns are just showing on the surface. Cover with a layer of damp sawdust or peat and keep in a dark, cool place such as a cellar or heated garage with a temperature of about 12^oC. Water from time to time. The young crisp sprouts will make an appearance above the sawdust four to six weeks from the time of planting, and can be harvested in two or three successive crops. ^[Coffee]

• Crop Cover: Can be used as a perennial cover crop. ^{[Hemenway GG]}
• Dynamic Accumulator: Ca and K accumulator plant ^{[Dynamic accumulators]}
• Fodder: The plant is also grown as a fodder or herbage crop for cattle.^[Nyerges]
• Maintenance: In the fall, cut down the flowering stems and collect seeds for next year’s sowing. Dig in well-rotted manure. If you want substantial roots, do not allow the plant to flower. To force the plant to produce leaves in winter, dig up some of the roots in late fall, and cut off the plant tops to just above ground level. Plant the roots in a box filled with loam-based substrate so the crowns sit at soil level. Water well and keep the plants in the dark with the temperature above 50^oF (10^oC). In four to six weeks, the root will produce 6–8 in (15–20 cm)-long chicons (blanched leaves).^{[Mcvicar GH]}
• Site: Chicory prefers a light, alkaline soil, although it will adapt to all but heavy clay. Plant in a sunny site. This tall plant is not suitable for growing in containers. ^{[Mcvicar GH]}

Days to Maturity: 21
When to Plant: For this winter delicacy - tender, pale salad hearts or chicons - sow seeds right in the garden row about two weeks before your last frost.
How to Plant: Cover seeds with 1/4 inch of soil. Deeply worked soil will encourage strong roots. Thin seedlings to stand 4 to 6 inches apart in rows a foot or more apart.
Growing Conditions: Keep the weeds down, water in a drought, and in the fall let a frost or two nip the plant. Then dig up the roots, cut off all but 1 inch of the leafy top, and replant the roots, sanding up, in buckets of soil, sand, or hardwood sawdust. (A new variety, Zoom, may be forced in several inches of water). Keep the buckets in a cold place and bring them, one at a time, to a cool room to sprout 500F to 650F (100C to 180C). Water the plants and cover them with a carton or paper bag to exclude light, so the chicory that sprouts from the roots will be creamy white and mild flavored.^{[NSSH bubel]}

Propagation

"Seed - sow the wild form or cultivars being grown for their roots in May or June in situ. Cultivars being grown for their edible leaves can be sown in April for a summer crop or in June/July for a winter crop. Sow them in situ or in pots and then plant them out as soon as they are large enough." ^[PFAF]

CICHORIUM - CHICORY

Perennial herb [annual, biennial]; sap milky. Stem: 3–10+ dm, branched. Leaf: basal and cauline; proximal 1–2 dm, toothed or pinnately lobed, wing-petioled; middle sessile, sometimes clasping; distal greatly reduced. Inflorescence: heads liguliflorous, showy, terminal and axillary, lateral sessile; involucre ± cylindric; phyllaries in 2 series, hardened in basal 1/2, outer short, spreading, inner elongate, erect; receptacle ± flat, epaleate, minutely scaly. Flower: 10–25; ligules blue to purple, readily withering. Fruit: oblong, glabrous, 5-angled; pappus of minute blunt scales.
6 species: Europe, Mediterranean, Africa. (Old Arabic name) [Strother 2006 FNANM 19:221–222] Cichorium endivia L. a waif in California. ^[Jepson2012]

Local Species

• Cichorium intybus - Common Chicory ^[E-flora]

References

• [BiblePlants] Lytton John Musselman (Mary Payne Hogan Professor of Botany in the Department of Biological Sciences at Old Dominion University), Cambridge University Press, 2012, New York, NY.
• [Duke]Duke Phytochemical Database, James A. Duke, Accessed Feb 23 2014, http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/plants.html
• [E-flora] http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Cichorium%20intybus In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2014. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 1/24/2015]
• [Jepson2012] 2012. Cichorium intybus, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, David J. Keil & G. Ledyard Stebbins, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=2087, accessed on Oct 14 2013