Chicory (Chicorium intybus) is a plant that was used during the Great Depression and World War II in Europe. You can find it blooming in the first week or two of August in Easter United States.

As a bitter root, it has all kinds of health benefits such as inulin for your microbiome, bitters for digestion, assisting the body in detox, appetite management, and blood sugar balance.

At first, you may just think of this plant as too bitter to eat. But if you take the time to try a few recipes, you’ll find this plant can be made delicious. Bitters can help with weight loss, weight management, liver detox, and improved digestion. It improves the microbiome in your digestive system.

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Identification:

Leaves: Somewhat reminiscent of dandelion, but very fuzzy. Large, lobed, and hairy leaves grow out of the base of the chicory plant as well as leaves going up the stalk. Lower leaves have deep lobes and are lance-like at the base of the leaf, and lobes lessen in depth toward the tip of the leaf. Leaves decrease in size up the stem, and each stem has multiple purple/blue flowers.

Flowers: Chicory flowers are the easiest part of this plant to identify. Chicory has a beautiful purple/blue aster flower that is hard to misidentify once it starts to fill out the tall leafed stems. In Botany in a Day, Thomas Elpel (2013) describes the petals of both chicory (purple) and dandelion (yellow) as “strap-shaped” with parallel edges (as opposed to having “tapered edges” like other aster flower petals) and “ray flowers that overlap all the way to the center of the flower”.  

Roots: If you have been following chicory throughout the season, it won’t be difficult to distinguish chicory from dandelion or wild lettuce. Once the chicory flowers dry up and turn to seeds, it’s tall and covered in spent, large aster flowers. The roots tend to be darker, almost blackish, compared to dandelion roots, with more branches in the tap root compared to dandelion.

Medicinal Value:

As a bitter root, it has all kinds of health benefits such as inulin for your microbiome, bitters for digestion, assisting the body in detox, appetite management, and blood sugar balance.

Bitters can help with weight loss, weight management, liver detox, and improved digestion. It improves the microbiome in your digestive system.

Edibility:

At first, you may just think of this plant as too bitter to eat. But, just as coffee and chocolate lovers will attest, when prepared right, bitter flavors can taste great. It’s worth tinkering around with this amazing plant. If you take the time to try a few recipes, you’ll find chicory can be transformed. If it helped people survive The Great Depression, without a doubt, it’s worth packing into your survival knowledge backpack and propagating in your own yard.

Sources:

“How to Forage for Chicory this Fall.” Sept. 20, 2017. Growing Up Wild. Accessed Date: August 9, 2020. Link: <https://www.growingupherbal.com/forage-for-chicory/&gt;

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