Chicory, Cichorium intybus

diseases. Take both internal and external remedies for best results. Harvesting: Harvest this herb early in the morning or late in the evening. Snip off the upper branches. Use them fresh or dry them for future use. Warning: Some people are allergic to chickweed. The herb is considered safe, but should not be used by nursing women or pregnant women without the approval from a healthcare professional. Recipes. Chickweed Decoction: Use fresh chickweed whenever possible to make this herbal decoction. It is an excellent internal cleanser and makes a good wash and external agent. You need 1 cup freshly picked chickweed leaves and 1 pint (500 ml) of water. Bring the water to a boil and add the chickweed leaves. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the leaves for 15 minutes. Cool the decoction and use it internally or externally. The internal dose is 1 to 2 ounces (30 to 60ml).

Common chicory is an annual or biannual plant in the Aster/Daisy Family. It originated from Eurasia and is found throughout North America, where it is known as an invasive species in several places. Common chicory is also called blue daisy, blue dandelion, blue sailors, blue weed, coffeeweed, cornflower, succory, wild bachelor’s buttons, wild endive, and horseweed.

It is sometimes confused with Curly Endive (Cichorium endivia), a closely related plant often called chicory. Identification: Chicory is easy to identify by its purple flowers when in bloom. Its stems are rigid with hairy lower stems. Its alternate lobed leaves are coarsely toothed and similar to dandelion leaves in appearance. The lower leaves are covered with hairs and grow up to 8 inches (20 cm) in length. The stems and leaves both exude a milky latex when cut. The plant grows 1 to 3 feet (0.3m to 0.9m) tall and has numerous flower heads, each around 1 to 1 1/2 inches (2.5 cm to 3.75 cm) wide, appearing in clusters of two or three. Light blue-purple (and rarely pink or white) flowers bloom from July thru October. Petals grow in two rows with toothed ends. The blooms are open in the morning but close during the heat of the day. Its root is a thick, fleshy bitter taproot. Edible Use: The leaves have a bitter taste, which can be reduced by boiling and draining. I prefer young leaves boiled, then sautéed with garlic and butter. The most famous use of chicory is as a coffee additive or substitute. Roast the roots and grind them. Roots may be eaten raw or cooked. Medicinal Use: Chicory roots and seeds help eliminate intestinal worms and parasites, are antibacterial, antifungal, and hepatoprotective. Roots are being studied for use in cancer. The flowers and leaves are also used medicinally. It is a mild diuretic. Sedative and Analgesic: The milky juice from the fresh root of chicory is similar to the milky sap of Wild Lettuce (Lactuca spp.), also in this book. They contain lactucin and lactucopicrin, which are sedative and analgesic (pain-killing). They are sesquiterpene lactones, so it is recommended to use the latex as is or, if you want a liquid form, to dry them and then extract the medicine in high proof alcohol or oil versus in water. Pain-relief is similar to ibu- By Alvesgaspar, CC by 2.5 profen.

Antibacterial and Anti-Fungal (Candida):

Chicory seed and root extracts are antibacterial and anti-fungal. Seeds work against Staphylococcus,