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Common Name: Chicory

General Information

Cichorium intybus is a perennial plant that can grow up to 1.50 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

Excessive and continued use may impair function of the retina[].

Botanical References

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Range

Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa and W. Asia.

Habitat

Grassy meadows and arable land, especially on chalk[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.50 m
Pollinators	Bees, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a sunny position in any moderately fertile well-drained moisture retentive soil[, , ]. Prefers a pH 5.5 to 7[]. 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[].. A cool weather crop, it tolerates only moderate summer temperatures and requires well-distributed rainfall, with good drainage, or some irrigation in drier areas[]. Chicory produces a taproot which penetrates deeply into the soil in a relatively short time; soil too wet for beans and small grains is not suitable[, ]. To insure proper root-growth, apply lime or marl to acid soil to neutralize acidity[]. 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° to 27°C[].
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[, , ] 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[].
Chicory is also cultivated in Europe, especially Belgium, for the inulin contained in the roots which is used as a sweetener and can also be converted to alcohol[]. Yields of more than 50 tonnes of roots per hectare, producing 9 tonnes of inulin, are considered average[].
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[].
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[]. It often self-sows freely when well-sited, especially if it is growing in a dry alkaline soil[].
A good bee plant[, ].
A very ornamental plant[]. The flowers open in the early morning (about 6 - 7 o'clock in Britain) and close around midday[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[, , , , , , ]. The leaves are rather bitter, especially when the plants are flowering[]. 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[]. The blanched leaves are often used in winter salads (they are known as chicons) and are also cooked[, ]. The unblanched leaves are much less bitter in winter and make an excellent addition to salads at this time of year[]. A nutritional analysis of the leaves is available[].
Flowers - raw[]. An attractive addition to the salad bowl[], but rather bitter[].
Root - cooked like parsnip[, , , , , , ]. The boiled young roots form a very palatable vegetable[]. The root is said to be an ideal food for diabetics because of its inulin content[]. Inulin is a starch that cannot be digested by humans, it tends to pass straight through the digestive system and is therefore unlikely to be of use to a diabetic[]. However, the inulin can be used to make a sweetener that is suitable for diabetics to use[]. Chicory-root is free of harmful ingredients, and is essentially a concentrated combination of three sugars (pentose, levulose and dextrose) along with taraxarcine (the bitter principle of dandelion)[]. It is especially important as source of levulose[]. Roots are used in seasoning soups, sauces and gravies, and to impart a rich deep colour[].
The roasted root is used as a caffeine-free coffee adulterant or substitute[, , , , , , , ]. Young roots have a slightly bitter caramel flavour when roasted, roots over 2 years old are much more bitter[].

Medicinal

Chicory has a long history of herbal use and is especially of great value for its tonic affect upon the liver and digestive tract[]. It is little used in modern herbalism, though it is often used as part of the diet.
The root and the leaves are appetizer, cholagogue, depurative, digestive, diuretic, hypoglycaemic, laxative and tonic[, , , , , , ]. The roots are more active medicinally[]. A decoction of the root has proved to be of benefit in the treatment of jaundice, liver enlargement, gout and rheumatism[]. A decoction of the freshly harvested plant is used for treating gravel[]. The root can be used fresh or dried, it is best harvested in the autumn[]. The leaves are harvested as the plant comes into flower and can also be dried for later use[].
The root extracts have experimentally produced a slower and weaker heart rate (pulse)[]. The plant merits research for use in heart irregularities[].
The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Possessiveness', 'Self-love' and 'Self-pity'[].
The latex in the stems is applied to warts in order to destroy them[].

Other Uses

The roots have the potential to be used for the production of biomass for industrial use[]. They are rich in the starch 'inulin' which can easily be converted to alcohol[]. At harvest, roots contain 75% inulin on a dry matter basis. Inulin is a polymer of fructose molecules with an end glucose molecule and can be used for the production of fructose syrups[]. Fructose is approximately 1.3 times sweeter than beet sugar, so less calories are used for the equivalent sweet sensation[]. Derivatives of inulin may be useful for a wide variety of industrial applications for example in the production of detergents, solvents, polymers, pharmaceuticals and plant protection agents[].
A blue dye has been obtained from the leaves[].
The flowers are an alternative ingredient of 'QR' herbal compost activator[]. 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[].

Propagation

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