English name: Chicory, Succory
Family: Asteraceae
Botanical characteristic: Perennial herb, 120 cm tall, with a branched, grooved stem, covered with hairs. The ground leaves are arranged in a ground rosette, the stem leaves are lanceolate. Tongue-shaped flowers, blue in colour, folded in racemes, are found at the top of the stem. The fruit is an achene with a peduncle. All parts of the plant contain a milky juice.
Microscopic drawing:
Distribution: It grows in meadows, by roads, on embankments.
Drug: Cichorii herba, Cichorii radix
Harvesting method: The aerial parts of the fall are collected in July to August, and the roots are dug up in October, in dry weather. The inflorescence is also cut with a 1 cm long stem. The fruits are harvested during August and September.
Drying: Dry the chicory in a thin layer in the shade in a ventilated room. The roots are dried artificially at a temperature of up to 50 °C.
Active substances: Chicory contains bitter-tasting substances, i.e. bitter substances whose structure is derived from sesquiterpene lactones. The best known of these are lactucin and lactucopicrin. One of the most important metabolites is the polysaccharide inulin. Organic acids (cinnamic acid, chicanoic acid, dicaffeoic acid) and their derivatives, flavonoids, hydroxycoumarins or polyynes are also present.
Uses: The drug is used sporadically to aid digestion. The roasted bitter-tasting roots are used to make a coffee substitute called chicory. In some countries, chicory is traditionally used as a vegetable and eaten fresh as an ingredient in salads.
Traditional method of use in indications determined solely on the basis of long-term use:
– symptomatic treatment of mild indigestion (feeling of abdominal fullness, sluggish digestion, flatulence),
– supportive treatment for temporary loss of appetite.
Selected herbal preparations: AGROKARPATY CHICORY HERB tea 1×30 g, APOTHEKE HERBAL TEA FOR BELLY AND BRAIN 20×1,5 g, Slovakiapharm Stomach tea 20×1,5 g, Biogena Majestic Tea Winter punch fruit tea 20×2 g, Dr. Popov Herbal tea HERBAL DETOX funnel bags 20×1,5 g, PEDIAKID For appetite syrup 125 ml, BIODREN F drops 50 ml, DRENAFORM drops 50 ml, GREŠÍK HERBAL DROPS GOOD DURATION 50 ml, LEPICOL BASIC cps 180 pcs.