Looking to shake up your coffee routine or interested in adding more functional foods to your daily diet? Be sure to check out chicory, a plant with a rich history and numerous culinary and medicinal uses.
What is chicory?
Chicory is a plant grown for both its leaves and roots. If you’ve enjoyed radicchio or endive, you’ve sampled close relatives of common chicory (
Cichorium intybus), a plant cultivated and growing wild in much of the world.
While you might put chicory greens in a salad on occasion, chicory root has gained popularity as a
coffee alternative, or as an add-in to stretch or flavor traditional coffee. When coffee supplies were interrupted by the Napoleonic Wars in the early nineteenth century, the French turned to roasted chicory root as a palatable coffee substitute.
Facing Union Blockades during the Civil War, residents of New Orleans revived the practice of stretching supplies of scarce coffee by blending it with roasted chicory root. The blend of chicory and coffee is still a signature New Orleans flavor, and it’s what you’ll drink with your beignets if you visit the landmark Café du Monde.
Unlike coffee, however, chicory contains no caffeine, making it a beverage of choice for people trying to
cut back on caffeine.
Health benefits of chicory
The compounds that make chicory
bitter are considered beneficial for digestion and nutrient absorption, and they may help with
sugar cravings and appetite regulation.
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Considered a “
functional food,” chicory root contains
polyphenols,
antioxidant compounds that can help protect against damage caused by oxidative stress.
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Chicory root is also an exceptionally rich source of
inulin, a
prebiotic fiber that supports
gut health.
Research suggests that inulin has a positive impact on the diversity of the gut microbiome, and it has shown promise in
research studying its use for weight loss.
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Inulin from chicory root is often included in packaged foods touting their
fiber content. Note that most of this beneficial fiber won’t wind up in your cup if you’re brewing chicory coffee, but you’re likely consuming it in any product made with fiber from chicory root, such as fiber bars or yogurt with added fiber. You can also buy
pure chicory root powder and add it to smoothies or hot cereal, or try a
chicory ‘coffee’ that includes powdered inulin.
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Chicory has been
used medicinally around the world for numerous purposes, including addressing digestive complaints, liver issues and diabetes.
A research study using animal models found that chicory had an “anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic effect” as well as “significant prebiotic activity.”
A small clinical trial found extract of chicory root to be promising for addressing inflammation associated with osteoarthritis.
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Cautions using chicory
If you’re consuming inulin from chicory root, note that too much can cause bloating and gas. Start with small amounts to make sure you tolerate it. If you’re brewing chicory root as a beverage, you shouldn’t have an issue with inulin.
Allergies to chicory are very rare, but as a member of the aster family (along with common plants like
dandelions and
chamomile), chicory may cause reactions in people with allergies to related plants, such as ragweed. People with
allergies to birch pollen might also react to chicory.
Like many other supplements, chicory has not been tested for safety during pregnancy, so discuss with your doctor whether you ought to avoid it while pregnant or nursing.
How to enjoy chicory
Curious to try chicory? One of the simplest and tastiest ways is in a coffee-like drink, which you can make in your coffee maker or French press, or steeped in a tea infuser.
You can try
roasted chicory root brewed on its own or blended with other ingredients and prepared like coffee. Chicory’s pleasantly bitter flavor will appeal to black coffee drinkers, and it’s also excellent with milk if you’re more of a latte person.
Try making a
dairy-free chicory cappuccino or
chicory latte, or use chicory to flavor delicious
vegan cocoa chicory cake balls.
If you prefer dark roast coffee, you’ll enjoy Teeccino’s
French roast or
dandelion dark roast, which pairs chicory with dandelion root, another herbal coffee alternative revered for its beneficial compounds. You can also find the combination of chicory and dandelion in
Dandy Blend’s instant herbal coffee.
Teeccino also crafts numerous chicory coffees supercharged with beneficial herbs like maca,
chaga,
tulsi, and
astragalus in enticing flavors like cardamon, maple, and butterscotch. If you want an easy way to enjoy your chicory drinks at work or when you travel, you can find many of them in handy, packable
tea bags as well.
You can choose a blend by flavor or by additional ingredients you’d like to work into your routine. If you enjoy notes of chocolate, try the
Mediterranean blend with maca. Or brew up some
tremella tulsi blend for a double dose of adaptogens with hints of cardamom. If you like the sweet flavor of butterscotch cream, try a
chaga ashwagandha blend.
However you choose to brew it, for a healthy alternative to coffee with added benefits, give chicory a try!
†These statements have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.
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