06/28/2022
🟣 Common Chicory 🟣
Latin binomial : Cichorium intybus
When I was a wee sprite, we had chicory in abundance, gracing the meadow in front of my home with her knee-high periwinkle stardust. My mother called them “the morning flowers”, and true to this name I remember their tender blooms unfurling in the glory of the cool, pink-and-purple sunrise. They would wink at me as we bundled off to school, the golden sun not yet reaching us from over the mountain. Later, they would hide shyly from the heat of the day 🌞
Chicory has a rich history of use medicinally… but rarely (if at all) do I hear of folks using the above-ground blooms and shoots for medicine. More often, the Chicory root is harvested for preparation and ingestion.
Chicory root, when roasted, yields a wonderful toasty flavor that has earned it repute as a coffee substitute. Low in acid, and conversely rich in prebiotic compounds, most notably Inulin, a decoction of the root yields a rich, warm infusion that is beloved by persons with gut sensitivities, intolerance to caffeine, or an overly acidic stomach.
Prebiotics are not to be confused with Probiotics— which are actual beneficial bacterial organisms found in fermented foods and in supplements. PRE-biotics, like the inulin found in chicory are *food* for the fore-mentioned beneficial bacteria. They are called prebiotics, because they pave the path for probiotic colonies to take residence in the gut, nourishing them and providing a foundation for their colony.
In fact, Chicory is so rich in Inulin, it is grown on an industrial scale to provide supplement companies with enough Inulin to standardize and encapsulate.
If coffee gives you the jitters or an acidic stomach… a chicory-based coffee substitute might be a fun new recipe to try!
As mentioned in the video, DO NOT harvest on roadsides, as root systems are very prone to holding onto roadway toxins. I did not harvest from the roadway patch that I filmed in… merely pulled over to spend some time in conference with these beautiful Starshine friends.
Big ups to my dear who bought me a bumper sticker that says “I brake for wildflowers” 🌼🌸🌻😂 It’s so true!!!
