Contents
Chicory: benefits, harms, properties and contraindications. Video
It is difficult to overestimate the medicinal properties and benefits of chicory, a wild plant with beautiful blue flowers. The plant tastes like coffee, but you need to use it with caution – chicory can be harmful to people suffering from certain diseases.
The benefits of Chicory in the vitamin composition
– vitamin A; – vitamin B; – vitamin C; – vitamin E; – potassium; – sodium; – magnesium; – calcium; – iron; – pectin; – inulin; – proteins; – fat; – choline; – chicorine; – essential oil; – carotene; – organic acids; – glycoside inhibid; – mineral salts; – bitter and resinous substances; – tannins; – gum.
Chicory is a tall plant with blue flowers and a long healing root reaching up to 1,5 m. Since ancient times, this plant has been famous for its medicinal properties. Residents of many countries use chicory leaves for salads, dry the roots and prepare a drink from it that replaces morning coffee. When reading the works of European writers of past centuries, one can often find mention of chicory.
Chicory is harvested in the fall, when the flowers and leaves wilted, the root is carefully dug out. They cleanse, get rid of small roots and rotten parts, wash and dry in the sun for 5 days.
You can check the readiness of the root by breaking it. If a noticeable crunch is heard, the root is considered ready for use.
The dried plant can be stored for 3 years in paper bags.
Useful properties of chicory and their uses
Chicory leaves are added to salads, they are rich in vitamin C, but they should not be consumed in large quantities, as they can cause allergies. All the benefits of chicory mainly lie in its healing root.
Chicory is very popular due to the fact that it is used to make a drink that tastes like coffee. Prepare coffee from chicory as follows: roast 100-200 g of dry plant root until light brown. Then it is crushed in a coffee grinder, 1-2 teaspoons of ground chicory root is brewed with a glass of boiling water.
So that the drink is not too bitter, sugar with cream or honey is added to it. You can also grind dry rose hips with the root
Recipe for making cycor tea: pour 1 teaspoon of chicory roots with 250 ml of cold water, bring to a boil and cook for several minutes. Then strain the tea and add honey to it.
For people who cannot drink natural coffee due to high pressure, cykor coffee will perfectly replace it and give the same vigor and well-being. For those who are accustomed to instant coffee, manufacturers have prepared a gift – instant chicory, which contains all the vitamins and nutrients of the medicinal plant. Those with low blood pressure should refuse chicory.
Chicory is good to drink with milk, it helps to absorb it, you can also prepare pleasant cold drinks from the root of the plant with the addition of honey, lemon, apple juice. In addition, chicory is added to various dishes and pastries.
The medicinal properties of chicory have anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, sedative, diuretic, choleretic and hypnotic effects. In the morning, a cup of cykoric coffee or tea invigorates, and in the evening it treats insomnia in the elderly.
Inulin, found in chicory, is a polysaccharide that is used as a substitute for starch and sugar, so chicory can be included in the diet of patients with diabetes mellitus. Potassium normalizes the condition of the heart muscle and the whole body, B vitamins have a positive effect on the nervous system, iron – on the hematopoietic system.
Chicory is used as a vasodilator for atherosclerosis, tachycardia, arrhythmias. For the treatment of arrhythmias, a decoction is prepared as follows: pour 1 tablespoon of crushed roots with 2 glasses of water, boil and infuse for 2 hours, then strain the broth, add 1 teaspoon of honey and drink half a glass 3 times a day.
Chicory is used for the treatment and prevention of gastritis, diseases of the kidneys, spleen, liver, and improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. There are many popular recipes that help get rid of ailments.
So, for the treatment of gastritis and an enlarged spleen, it is advised to pour 2 tablespoons of crushed root with boiling water (0,5 liters), leave for 2 hours, strain, drink half a glass 2 times a day before meals.
Before using chicory for people with gastritis and liver disease, you should consult your doctor.
Chicory helps with skin conditions and acne, and can also be used as a weight loss aid. The recipe is simple: boil 1 teaspoon of chopped root in 1 liter of water for 10 minutes, take half a glass 3 times a day.
If you drink a decoction of chicory to treat obesity, you need to take into account that chicory causes an appetite, so you should try to combine this remedy with diet and exercise.
Tincture and decoction of chicory roots are used for toothache, joint diseases, gout, scurvy, and as a general tonic. Fresh juice of the stems is useful for anemia.
Contraindications to the use of chicory
Like many medicinal plants, in addition to great benefits, chicory has enough contraindications. It cannot be used by people with stomach and intestinal ulcers, especially strict contraindications apply to people with varicose veins, as well as those suffering from vascular diseases, hemorrhoids. It is not recommended to consume chicory for allergy sufferers, because it contains a large amount of vitamin C, and it causes allergies in many. Chicory is contraindicated in people with chronic cough, bronchitis and asthma.
Chicory is believed to be beneficial for children and pregnant women, especially when drunk with milk. However, in children, it can also cause allergies, in pregnant women it can affect the health of the unborn child, although chicory is useful for women themselves, as it relieves constipation and heartburn, and cleanses the body of harmful substances.