Chicory

Chicory, also called wild chicory, succory, and wild succory, originally comes from the Mediterranean region. This herb has very ancient history. From Pliny (AD 23-79), it was mixed with rose oil and vinegar which was used as a headache treatment. The ancient Greeks and Romans called it a "friend of the liver". The chicory head (the young leaves kept white by covering with soil)has been eaten in salads throughout the ages.

DESCRIPTION

Chicory is related to Endive and Radicchio salad greens (C. endiva). This perennial plant is often found along roadsides and in meadows, flowering from June until September. But it is cultivated also for its medicinal and culinary value. The stems are angular with larger lance like leaves at the base, smaller leaves upward, and the ray like flower is attached without a stem. Most flowers seen are blue, but can also be pink and white.

GROWING, HARVESTING

Since this plant grows on roadsides, one can assume that it is an easy plant to cultivate. The only sensitivity is has is that any disturbance of its taproot is not tolerated well. It can grow up to 5' tall, can live in infertile and dry conditions, and grows in sun or part shade. Propagation is usually done with seeds. Thinly sow seeds 1/4 inch deep in rows spaced about a 1 1/2 feet apart. Thin to one every 6-9 inches. The plant grows to maturity in about 80-90 days. Harvest the leaves as they reach a good size. Harvest the head before frost.

Pests and Problems: This is usually a problem free plant, growing well in zones 3-8. Occasional problems can be aster yellows, leaf spots, rusts, powdery mildew, downy mildew, root rots, caterpillars and slugs.

USES

It has been written that at the time of Napoleon it was discovered that roasted chicory roots make a great coffee substitute, and has been used ever since. At the famous Cafe du Monde in New Orleans (and many other places as well), they sell chicory coffee: http://www.cookperfect.com/cdumonde2000....

Luzianne also makes chicory coffee, and also provides chickory facts.

Medicinal Uses

All parts of the plant contain a bitter tasting, milky white juice, which is said to stimulate the appetite.

Chicory is used as a tonic for the liver and digestive tract, and as a cleanser for the urinary tract. It is also used to treat rheumatoid conditions and as a laxative. A poultice of boiled leaves and flowers is used for painful external inflammations.

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