Chicory 163617 225513557 2008-07-14T02:20:39Z Discospinster 82432 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/98.216.198.2|98.216.198.2]] to last version by BorgQueen (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{Taxobox | name = Common Chicory | image = Chicory01.jpg | image_caption = Common chicory (''Cichorium intybus'') | regnum = [[Plant]]ae | divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]] | classis = [[Magnoliopsida]] | ordo = [[Asterales]] | familia = [[Asteraceae]] | tribus = [[Cichorieae]] | genus = ''[[Cichorium]]'' | species = '''''C. intybus''''' | binomial = ''Cichorium intybus'' | binomial_authority = [[Linnaeus|L.]] }} '''Common [[chicory]]''' (''Cichorium intybus'') is a bushy [[perennial plant|perennial]] [[herb]] with blue or lavender [[flower]]s. It grows as a wild plant on roadsides in its native [[Europe]], and in [[North America]], where it has become naturalized. It is grown for its leaves, or for the roots, which are baked, ground, and used as a [[coffee substitute]] and additive. Common chicory is also known as ''blue sailors'', ''succory'', and ''coffeeweed''. It is also called ''cornflower'', although that name is more properly applied to ''[[cornflower | Centaurea cyanus]]''. ==Leaf chicory== [[Image:Cichorium intybus-alvesgaspar1.jpg|right|thumb|Flower of ''Cichorium intybus'']] Chicory may be grown for its leaves, eaten raw as a [[salad]], when the plant is known as ''endive'', ''[[radicchio]]'', ''Belgian endive'', ''French endive'' or ''witloof''. The leaves of many varieties are eaten green, but some are grown in complete darkness to keep the new leaves tender and pale, forming ''chicory tips''. Although leaf chicory is often called "endive", true [[endive]] (''Cichorium endivia'') is a different species. ==Root chicory== Root chicory (''Cichorium intybus'' var. ''sativum'') has been in cultivation in Europe as a [[coffee substitute]] for a long time. The roots are baked, ground, and used as a coffee substitute and additive, especially in the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] region (where the plant is native), although its use as a coffee additive is also very popular in India, parts of Southeast Asia and the American South, particularly in [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]]. Around 1970 it was found that the root contains up to 20% [[inulin]], a [[polysaccharide]] similar to [[starch]]. Since then, new strains have been created, giving root chicory an inulin content comparable to that of sugar beet (around 600 dt/ha). Inulin is mainly found in the plant family [[Asteraceae]] as a storage carbohydrate (for example [[Jerusalem artichoke]], [[dahlia]] etc.). It is used as a sweetener in the food industry (with a sweetening power 30% higher than that of sucrose) and is sometimes added to yogurts as a [[prebiotic]]. Inulin can be converted to fructose and glucose through [[hydrolysis]]. Chicory, with [[sugar beet]] and [[rye]] was used as an ingredient of the [[East Germany|East German]] ''Mischkaffee'' (mixed coffee), introduced during the "[[History_of_the_German_Democratic_Republic#Coffee_crisis.2C_1976.E2.80.9379|coffee crisis]]" of [[1976]]-[[1979|9]]. Some beer brewers use roasted chicory to add flavor to their [[stout]]s. == Herbal use== Chicory (especially the flower) was used as a treatment in Germany, and is recorded in many books as an ancient German treatment for everyday ailments. It is variously used as a [[tonic]] and appetite [[stimulant]], and as a treatment for [[gallstone]]s, [[gastro-enteritis]], [[Paranasal sinus|sinus]] problems and cuts and [[bruise]]s. (Howard M. 1987) == Use and toxicity == According to traditional folklore, long-term use of chicory as a coffee substitute may damage human retinal tissue, with dimming of vision over time and other long term effects.<ref>{{cite book | last = | first = | authorlink = Margaret Grieves | coauthors = | title = A Modern Herbal | publisher = | date = 1931fs | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =0486227987 & 0486227995 }}</ref> Modern scientific literature contains little or no evidence to support or refute this claim. Root chicory contains volatile oils similar to those found in plants in the related genus ''[[Tanacetum]]'' which includes [[Tansy]], and is likewise effective at eliminating intestinal worms. All parts of the plant contain these volatile oils, with the majority of the toxic components concentrated in the plant's root. <ref>Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West, Gregory L. Tilford, ISBN 0-87842-359-1</ref> Chicory is well known for its toxicity to internal parasites. Studies indicate that ingestion of chicory by farm animals results in reduction of worm burdens,<ref>{{cite journal | last = | first = | authorlink = Heckendorn F, Häring DA, Maurer V, Senn M, Hertzberg H. | coauthors = | title = Individual administration of three tanniferous forage plants to lambs artificially infected with Haemonchus contortus and Cooperia curticei. | journal = Vet Parasitol. | volume = 146 | issue = 1-2 | pages = 123–34 | date = 2007 May 15 | url = | doi = | pmid = : 17336459 | accessdate = }}</ref> <ref>{{cite journal | last = | first = | authorlink = Athanasiadou S, Gray D, Younie D, Tzamaloukas O, Jackson F, Kyriazakis I. | coauthors = | title = The use of chicory for parasite control in organic ewes and their lambs. | journal = Parasitology. | volume = 134 | issue = Pt 2 | pages = 299–307 | date = 2007 Feb | url = | doi = | pmid = : 17032469 | accessdate = }}</ref> <ref>{{cite journal | last = | first = | authorlink = Tzamaloukas O, Athanasiadou S, Kyriazakis I, Huntley JF, Jackson F. | coauthors = | title =The effect of chicory ( Cichorium intybus ) and sulla ( Hedysarum coronarium ) on larval development and mucosal cell responses of growing lambs challenged with Teladorsagia circumcincta. | journal = Parasitology. | volume = 132 | issue = Pt 3 | pages = 419–26 | date = 2006 Mar | url = | doi = | pmid = : 16332288 | accessdate = }}</ref> which has prompted its widespread use as a forage supplement. There are only a few major companies active in research, development, and production of chicory varieties and selections. Most of them are in New Zealand. ==History== [[Image:2005lettuce and chicory.PNG|thumb|right|Lettuce and chicory output in 2005]] The chicory plant is one of the earliest cited in recorded literature. [[Horace]] mentions it in reference to his own diet, which he describes as very simple: "''Me pascunt olivae, me cichorea, me [[malva]]e''" ("As for me, olives, endives, and mallows provide sustenance").<ref>Horace, ''Odes 31, ver 15'', ca 30 BC</ref> [[Lord Monboddo]] describes the plant in 1779<ref>Letter from Monboddo to John Hope, 29 April, 1779; reprinted by William Knight 1900 ISBN 1-85506-207-0</ref> as the "chicoree", which the French cultivate as a [[pot herb]]. In the [[Napoleonic Era]] in [[France]], chicory frequently appeared as either an [[adulterant]] in coffee or a coffee substitute; this practice also became common in the [[United States]] and the [[United Kingdom]] e.g. in [[England]] during the [[second world war]] and in [[Camp Coffee]], a coffee and chicory essence which has been on sale since 1885. In the United States chicory root has long been used as a substitute for coffee in prisons.<ref>(a) Delaney, John H. "New York (State). Dept. of Efficiency and Economy Annual Report". Albany New York, 1915, p. 673. Accessed via Google Books.<br />(b) "Prison Talk" website; Kentucky section: http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-173368.html.</ref> Chicory is an ingredient in typical [[Roman recipe]]s, generally fried with garlic and red pepper, with its bitter and spicy taste, often together with meat or potatoes. [[FAO]] reports that in 2005, China and the USA were the top producers of lettuce and chicory.{{fact|date=July 2008}} Chicory is also mentioned in certain [[sericulture]] (silk-growing) texts. It is said that the primary caretaker of the [[silkworms]], the "silkworm mother" should not eat or even touch it.{{fact|date=July 2008}} The chicory flower is often seen as inspiration for the Romantic concept of the [[Blue Flower]]. It was also believed to be able to open locked doors, according to European [[folklore]].<ref>Howard, Michael. ''Traditional Folk Remedies'' (Century, 1987), p.120.</ref> == References== {{reflist}} ==See also== *[[Lettuce]] *[[Olive]] *[[Phytonutrient]] *[[Polyphenol antioxidant]] <gallery> image:Lavender chicory01.jpg|Common chicory<br> with lavender<br> flowers image:Chicory_flower_001.jpg|''Cichorium intybus'' <br> Photo: Bruce Marlin </gallery> ==External links== *[http://les-tisanes.chez-alice.fr Herb Teas and old remedies : Chicory] (fr.with translator) * [http://coffeetea.about.com/od/coffeesubstitutes/gr/chicory.htm Chicory Coffee - How Does it Taste?] * [http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=36762 ITIS 36762] * [http://www.seedsofchange.com/market_growers/field_report_48.asp Chicory, endive, and other gourmet greens] * [http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/glossary/c.shtml?chicory Chicory photo and description] * [http://www.dogfish.com/brewings/Seasonal_Beers/Chicory_Stout/13/index.htm Dogfish Head's Chicory Stout] {{Commons|Cichorium intybus}} {{Wikiversity-bc|Cichorium intybus}} [[Category:Prebiotics]] [[Category:Asteraceae]] [[Category:Leaf vegetables]] [[Category:Spices]] [[Category:Infusions]] [[Category:Coffee substitutes]] [[ar:هندباء برية]] [[da:Cikorie]] [[de:Wegwarten]] [[es:Cichorium]] [[eo:Cikorio]] [[fa:کاسنی]] [[fr:Chicorée]] [[os:Цикори]] [[he:עולש (צמח)]] [[lt:Trūkažolė]] [[nl:Cichorei]] [[ja:チコリー]] [[pl:Cykoria podróżnik]] [[pt:Chicória]] [[ro:Cichorium]] [[ru:Цикорий]] [[sq:Cichorium]] [[sr:Цикорија]] [[sv:Cikoria]] [[zh:菊苣]]