Among coffee substitutes, chicory ranks first in popularity and usefulness. This unpretentious plant with blue flowers grows in almost any soil, thanks to its high adaptability. Its dried roots are crushed and drinks are prepared that are slightly reminiscent of natural coffee in taste and color. How is this plant useful and can it replace coffee?

The benefits and harms of chicory

It is possible to determine what to drink – chicory or coffee – only after a detailed breakdown of all the properties of these drinks. Their benefits and harms are controversial and are still being studied in many scientific laboratories. Chicory drinks have been on sale for decades, but if previously they were considered a cheap substitute for coffee or even tea, today they are positioned as healthy products and are located on healthy food shelves.

Chicory roots are used as a substitute for coffee beans, although in fact their taste and smell are only slightly reminiscent of this noble drink. How are they useful? They consist of 60% water and the rest of the dry matter is represented by inulin, vitamins B, PP, C, A. It contains manganese, phosphorus, iron, potassium and sodium. Bitterness, tannins, organic acids, essential oil, proteins and fats are present.

This is what a chicory plant looks like

Chicory stimulates the flow of bile and helps cleanse the kidneys and liver of waste and toxins. It is useful to drink after long-term drug therapy. B vitamins stimulate the functioning of the nervous system, speed up the transmission of nerve impulses, charge you with energy, and give vigor.

The root is especially useful for diabetes. In the initial stages, it allows you to reduce blood sugar levels, and in more serious stages, it helps prevent strong surges. A drink made from chicory gives energy without stimulating the nervous system, as it does not contain caffeine. This is one of the most important advantages in favor of a coffee substitute.


This is what the dried and crushed root looks like, ground in a coffee grinder

The benefits of the plant for weight loss have been noticed. Inulin normalizes blood sugar levels, which is important for those who cannot give up sweets. Pectin dulls appetite and prolongs the feeling of fullness. Triterpenes, also present in the root, help speed up metabolic processes, and vitamin B2 helps to effectively break down fats.
The plant can cause harm only in case of allergies and too active use. The risk group includes people with urolithiasis, asthma and stomach ulcers.

The benefits and harms of coffee

Coffee, like tea, is one of the most controversial products for human health. Every year, admirers and opponents of these drinks replenish the knowledge base with both positive and negative research results. The benefits of coffee are as follows:

  • stimulates the nervous system due to caffeine content;
  • helps remove fluid from the body;
  • improves smooth muscle tone;
  • helps in the fight against atherosclerosis;
  • relieves swelling;
  • eliminates headaches;
  • helps to concentrate attention;
  • increases blood pressure;
  • accelerates blood flow, stimulates the work of the heart muscle.

The positive aspects of coffee can turn negative for people suffering from hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and stomach ulcers. It is these patients who most often drink chicory instead of coffee or add it to beans to reduce the concentration of caffeine. The drink can cause harm even to a healthy person if you drink coffee too often.

What's better

A healthy person can afford to drink 1-2 cups of ground coffee a day without thinking about its negative impact on the body. Natural ground grains have a smell that most half of the world's population cannot resist. When the love for coffee turns into a pathological craving, it is better and healthier to make drinks from chicory with the addition of 1/3 coffee, and both ground and instant drinks are suitable here. This way you can preserve the aroma and taste of coffee without straining your nervous system and heart.

Unlike coffee, adults, children, and the elderly can drink chicory without harm to their health. This is another plus in his favor. Here it is considered not just as a grain substitute, but as a raw material with a medicinal effect. The difference between these two products is that the boost of energy received from a cup of coffee lasts longer than from a drink with chicory. That's why people love to drink it in the morning.

People suffering from low blood pressure and vegetative-vascular dystonia prefer to drink coffee rather than medicine, considering it less harmful to health and more effective for headaches. Many reviews confirm this fact.


Coffee, chicory and cereals - a healthy combination for a coffee drink

It is possible to determine which product is better only by the individual reaction of the body. Many hypertensive patients do not deny themselves the joy of drinking a cup of drink made from natural grains, since they do not notice any significant changes in the behavior of the cardiovascular system. Others, on the contrary, make drinks from chicory because they feel too much excitement and rapid heartbeat. Both products are good if consumed in moderation and only of proven quality.

How to make coffee from chicory

You can move slowly from coffee to chicory. First, take 1 part soluble or ground root and 3 parts beans, so the taste is not much different from the original 100% coffee. Later, their volumes are balanced, and then coffee is completely eliminated.

How to make a delicious coffee drink? Experts recommend using dried and crushed chicory roots for this. They need to be ground in a coffee grinder, pour boiling water at the rate of 1-2 tsp. for 200 ml of water, simmer for 10 minutes, leave for another 5 minutes, strain and drink. You can add sugar and milk.

The best taste and aroma is obtained from a drink made from freshly roasted chicory root with the addition of green coffee in a 2:1 ratio. The whole root is cut into small cubes with a knife, combined with green coffee and fried in a dry frying pan until they give up all the moisture and acquire a dark brown color. Later, the mixture is allowed to cool for 24 hours, ground in a coffee grinder and a delicious invigorating drink is prepared. It is better to fry as much raw material as is needed for a week to prepare the drink.


The chicory drink foams well and is similar to coffee

In the store, chicory can be purchased in different forms. This is an instant drink, crushed root, liquid chicory, a mixture of chicory powder, oats and natural coffee. Before consuming any of them, it is recommended to read the instructions and prepare the drink based on the indicated dosage. You should not drink more than 2 cups of any of them per day.

When looking for an alternative to their favorite coffee, many people choose chicory. But not everyone knows what benefits and harms its regular use has. Its taste is very similar to coffee, but the plant has completely different properties.

Chicory is a perennial medicinal plant of the Asteraceae family. There are both wild species and cultivated ones, which are grown in special fields.

The roots of the plant are used as a natural coffee substitute. They have a similar taste and aroma, and have only a positive effect on the body. For the abundance of useful qualities, they were nicknamed “king-root” by the people.

Dry, untreated roots of the plant can be found in pharmacies. But the drink made from them will not resemble coffee, because they must first be roasted. It is better to prepare medicinal tinctures and decoctions from such roots.

Processed chicory is divided into 3 types - soluble, ground and liquid concentrate. They retain the beneficial properties of the plant and have a pleasant taste and smell.

Eating instant chicory is convenient at home because its preparation does not take much time. It can be drunk in much larger quantities than coffee beans because it does not contain caffeine and contains beneficial substances.

Chemical composition


The popularity of chicory drink is due to its positive effect on the body. It contains the following elements:

  • vegetable proteins;
  • vitamins of group B, A, C and PP;
  • pectin;
  • organic acids;
  • potassium;
  • iron;
  • calcium;
  • magnesium.

The root of the plant contains a large amount of inulin, a polysaccharide that reduces sugar levels. For this reason, the drink is useful for people with diabetes.

What is healthier - coffee or chicory?


Coffee invigorates, helps cope with fatigue and removes toxins. It is valued for its wonderful aroma and specific taste, which has won the love of millions of people. But the circle of those who are strictly forbidden to use it is also quite wide.

It is contraindicated for hypertension, gastrointestinal problems, insomnia, heart disease, as well as during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Chicory is a healthy and practically harmless coffee substitute. Its beneficial effect on the body is difficult to overestimate. The root of the plant is rich in vitamins and minerals that help solve several health problems.

A drink made from chicory is especially relevant during pregnancy. During this period, women are strictly limited in nutrition. Doctors prohibit the consumption of caffeine-containing products. Then chicory acts as a harmless alternative to coffee and tea.

Benefits of chicory


Being a natural coffee substitute, chicory drink brings both benefits and harm. However, there are many more positive qualities. Its regular, but moderate, use produces the following positive effects:

  1. Improvement of the nervous system. B vitamins have this effect. A person feels a surge of strength and vigor;
  2. Flavonoids protect the body from the inhibitory effects of free radicals and protect cells from destruction;
  3. Inulin lowers the amount of sugar in the blood and reduces the negative effect of eating sweets. Therefore, chicory is recommended to drink not only for diabetics, but also for those who want to lose weight. In addition, the drink promotes the breakdown of fats, and converts nutrients obtained from food into energy. Its regular use speeds up metabolism;
  4. Vitamins and macroelements have a positive effect on the condition of the skin and hair. They stimulate collagen production, and using the tincture for external use helps cope with skin diseases, speed up the healing of scratches and strengthen hair;
  5. Inulin, which is a soluble fiber, has a beneficial effect on intestinal microflora. It also removes harmful substances from the body, which promotes better absorption of vitamins and minerals;
  6. Chicoric acid increases the body's resistance and strengthens the immune system;
  7. Potassium and magnesium strengthen the heart and blood vessels, reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood. Therefore, the drink is recommended for people suffering from hypertension, atherosclerosis, tachycardia and some other diseases;
  8. Vitamin C promotes excellent iron absorption, which in turn increases red blood cell production. This is an excellent prevention of anemia and a good adjuvant in its treatment.

In folk medicine, chicory is used both separately and in combination with other beneficial plants. Infusions and decoctions are prepared from its leaves, flowers and roots to help solve health problems.

Harm and contraindications


Despite its natural composition, the drink sometimes causes negative consequences.

The following contraindications for use are noted:

  1. Individual intolerance – observed in rare cases, but if arrhythmia, dizziness or pressure surges occur, use should be stopped immediately;
  2. Hypotension - the drink dilates blood vessels, which causes an additional decrease in pressure;
  3. Severe cough and asthma - causes increased symptoms of the disease due to active blood flow to the tissues;
  4. Varicose veins - this contraindication is due to the vasodilating properties of the drink;
  5. Gastrointestinal diseases - it is not recommended to drink in some forms of gastritis.

Due to the large amount of vitamin C, excessive consumption of chicory drink causes hypervitaminosis. For the same reason, people with an allergy to ascorbic acid should not drink it.

You should not drink chicory with milk, because these two liquids are not compatible. With this combination, some people note the appearance of severe arrhythmia. It is allowed to add plant analogues of cow's milk.

A drink made from chicory is a worthy analogue of harmful coffee. Most side effects only occur when it is abused.

How to brew and drink


A drink from instant chicory is prepared in the same way as regular coffee - 2 tsp. Brew with boiling water.

You can make the powder yourself from dry roots. To do this, they must first be fried, as a result of which they will acquire a characteristic aroma. Then chop thoroughly and brew as needed.

You can also use the drink to solve problems in the body. For example, to get rid of toothache you need to pour 1 tbsp. roots 250 ml of boiling water and leave for half an hour. Then rinse your mouth with warm infusion.

For liver diseases, the following recipe is useful: chop the roots and leaves, pour boiling water over them (at the rate of 2 tablespoons per half liter of water), simmer for 15 minutes, and then strain. Take half a glass half an hour before meals 2-3 times a day, after adding 1 tsp to the decoction. fruit vinegar and 2 tbsp. honey

Chicory drink is an excellent preventive remedy that has a healing effect on the body and enriches it with useful substances. If you use it in reasonable quantities, it will only bring benefits.

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Chicory has long been known as a coffee substitute. But again: if previously they drank it mainly because there was no normal coffee in our stores, now they drink it with pleasure and out of love. From the section of diabetic and dietary products coffee from chicory migrated to shelves with a “status” assortment.

Drink selection based on chicory is great, and in order to improve and enrich the taste, manufacturers produce instant chicory with various additives - sea buckthorn, lingonberries, blueberries, cinnamon, rose hips. There is packaged chicory - it can be brewed as tea, and there is chicory ground.

Polina Vlasova, build editor website: “I drink chicory because it has no caffeine. And together with cream and sugar, it tastes like coffee or cocoa, which I love, but due to my poor tolerance to caffeine, I can’t drink.”

Elena Ilyina, head of the company's naming department Lexica: “I drank chicory before because everyone around me was talking about the benefits of the drink. I even tried to give it to my child. But chicory coffee didn’t catch on with me; it doesn’t have the same richness of taste as coffee, it doesn’t invigorate and doesn’t create a soulful atmosphere. When they started making chicory coffee with various additives, my confidence in it diminished and, sacrificing the benefits, I returned to natural coffee.”

What is chicory and chicory coffee

First of all, coffee from chicory made from dried roots common chicory (not to be confused with chicory salad- this is a different biological species, and its culinary use is completely different). Chicory- a wild plant with pale blue flowers. Chicory tastes like coffee, but does not contain caffeine. That's why chicory drink those for whom coffee is contraindicated - those whose blood pressure increases from coffee.

Ekaterina Gurova, project coordinator website: “I like the taste of chicory. They write that it invigorates and helps with many diseases. That’s why I drink to find this cheerfulness and recover from all illnesses. They also write that it contains vitamins and microelements that are indicated for my illness.”

Chicory: benefits and harm

Plant chicory- a treasure trove of useful things. Roots chicory contain chicorin, inulin, choline, proteins, fats, pectin, vitamins C, B1, E, fat, gum, essential oil, resin, tannins, mineral salts and a large number of trace elements. To some extent, and coffee from chicory can be considered as a medicinal drink.

Natalia Balynina, editor of the “Health” section of the site website: “Chicory contains the polysaccharide inulin; complex-action drugs are produced on its basis. Among the stated effects is the normalization of intestinal microflora: inulin is able to increase the number of lacto- and bifidobacteria necessary for healthy digestion, that is, it is a prebiotic. In addition, dietary supplements with inulin are recommended as absorbents for the body’s detoxification course.”

Sometimes they talk about harm of chicory. The fact is that if you use it immoderately and every day, after a while you can get overly swollen blood vessels.

In addition, do not forget about time to eat chicory. In the morning, in small doses, it will be a tonic and invigorating remedy. And in the evening, chicory can help calm a nervous system that has been overexcited during the day.

Chicory: how to use

In Europe chicory drinks popular for a long time, there is crushed roasted root chicory added to coffee. Cooking for children chicory root drink with the addition of milk or cream. They cook in Estonia egg coffee and put chicory in fruit tea. And in Latvia they cook cold drink made from chicory root with the addition of honey, lemon and apple juice.

Chicory It is useful to drink with milk, as it improves the absorption of milk four times.

However, that's not all. Ground chicory can be added to baked goods, especially in cake batter. A few teaspoons chicory you need to dilute it in a small amount of water or milk, or better yet, sift it with flour, or add it to the butter-egg mixture. Ground chicory adds a nutty flavor to baked goods..

Marianna Orlinkova, deputy editor-in-chief of the magazine Gastronom: “I once drank instant coffee, like everyone else. When my beloved man told me: “Why are you drinking this rubbish? Let me make you some normal coffee,” I always refused. Because I wanted “normal” real coffee - in cezve or espresso - at a different time. And from instant coffee I got hot black bitterness, which for some reason my body needed. I have never added sugar or milk to it. And then a couple of years ago, nice and not too expensive French jars of chicory appeared in our show-off supermarkets. A beautiful jar is half the battle for selling. I bought it and tried it. A perfectly dissolving drink with a nice aroma - nothing to do with coffee, but that’s great. Hot. Black. Bitter. No more instant coffee any more."

Chicory- this is the name of a drink prepared from the root of a plant of the same name. Many, after weighing the benefits and harms of coffee, decide to give up coffee and look for a replacement. Chicory is often such a substitute. Let's figure out what benefits and harms of chicory.

This information will help you get the maximum benefit from chicory and avoid possible harm to your health.

BENEFITS and HARMS OF CHICORY:

The benefits of chicory.

1. The benefits of chicory as a coffee substitute.

The mere fact that chicory helps you give up coffee already makes it useful.

Chicory(more precisely, a drink made from chicory roots) tastes like coffee. I drink it without milk and sugar, but many people prefer to drink the chicory drink the same way they are used to drinking coffee - with milk and sugar. Milk does not make this drink healthier (read more about the benefits and harms of milk). However, you can replace regular milk with soy, nut, coconut, rice... there are many possibilities. And sugar can be replaced with stevia, a natural sweetener (synthetic sweeteners can cause considerable harm to health).

In addition to its taste, chicory is reminiscent of coffee in that it gives energy and improves mood. Only chicory does this without harm to health! But about these beneficial properties of chicory - below...

2. The benefits of chicory for the nervous system.

Vitamins of group B (B1, B2, B3), which are part of chicory, have a beneficial effect on the nervous system. They improve your mood, give you strength, charge you with energy and vigor. Moreover, unlike coffee, chicory has a calming effect on the nervous system, not a stimulating one.

3. The benefits of chicory for weight loss.

Chicory contains inulin, which lowers blood sugar levels. If you cannot deny yourself sweets, pastries and other sweets, drink a drink made from chicory. Inulin will help neutralize the harm from these products.

4. The benefits of chicory for diabetes.

As mentioned above, inulin contained in chicory regulates blood sugar levels, which alleviates the condition of patients with diabetes. Chicory can also be used as an additional remedy in the treatment of diabetes.

5. Benefits of chicory for skin.

Chicory contains such important minerals for the skin as calcium, potassium and magnesium, as well as vitamins A, E, B1, B2, B3, C, PP. These vitamins and minerals accelerate the restoration of collagen fibers and tone the skin.

You can not only drink a drink made from chicory, but also use chicory tinctures for external use! Thanks to the same vitamins and minerals, as well as the bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties of this plant, chicory accelerates wound healing, helps with eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis and other skin diseases. However, for psoriasis, I would recommend doing colon cleansing, ideally undergoing several sessions of colon hydrotherapy.

6. Benefits of chicory for hair.

Chicory is also good for hair (for the same reason as for skin). Both a chicory drink and an infusion of chicory root, used as a rinse after washing hair, improves the structure and promotes hair growth.

7. The benefits of chicory for intestinal microflora.

Let’s remember again about the main beneficial component of chicory - inulin. Inulin is especially beneficial for intestinal microflora. Bifidobacteria, which are important for our health, living in the gastrointestinal tract and feeding on fiber, take inulin very well, which is a special type of fiber. Thus, chicory helps prevent dysbiosis and related problems, such as constipation.

8. Benefits of chicory for immunity.

Improving immunity with regular consumption of chicory is associated not only with vitamins, but, above all, with the same inulin. Inulin in chicory improves metabolism, helps cleanse the body of toxins and, as a result, improves the absorption of vitamins and minerals. In addition, chicory contains chicoric acid, which directly improves immunity.

Strengthening the immune system will help not only in the fight against colds and viral infections, but also in the prevention of more serious diseases.

9. Benefits of chicory for the cardiovascular system.

A drink made from chicory root, as a caffeine-free coffee substitute, is beneficial for the cardiovascular system. Chicory is rich in potassium, which is essential for heart health, and magnesium helps fight tachycardia and other heart diseases. Chicory also helps to dilate blood vessels, increase the amplitude and normalize the rhythm of heart contractions. In addition, as we have already said, chicory helps reduce the level of “bad” cholesterol in the blood. This complex effect makes chicory extremely useful for diseases such as hypertension, tachycardia, coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, etc.

10. The benefits of chicory for anemia.

11. The benefits of chicory for cleansing the liver and kidneys.

Chicory is good at cleansing the kidneys and liver of toxins and stimulating the excretion of bile.

Separate articles about various methods of cleansing these organs:

Harm of chicory.

1. Harm of chicory with milk.

We wrote above that chicory is good for the cardiovascular system. But in some cases, people who start drinking chicory drink regularly complain of pressure surges, arrhythmia... How is this possible? Why is chicory beneficial for some and harmful for others?

Giving up coffee is very difficult. This drink perfectly invigorates and tones the body in the morning. However, the caffeine it contains can have a negative effect on the body. It is not surprising that for a long time scientists have been busy searching for the ideal coffee replacement. So, chicory gradually began to gain popularity. Can this drink really replace coffee? What is healthier than coffee or chicory?

What is the difference between coffee and chicory?

Coffee is made from the fruit of the coffee plant. Coffee contains more than a thousand chemical compounds. The drink is rich in vitamins B and PP. It contains magnesium, potassium, iron and phosphorus. Coffee has a diuretic and laxative effect. After drinking coffee, memory and attention improve, and a person feels a short-term surge of strength. This can be explained by the caffeine included in the drink. Coffee can raise blood pressure and reduce headaches.

According to recent studies, it has been found that coffee can restore the liver and serves as an excellent prevention of cirrhosis. The drink also contains sirotin, which helps cope with certain diseases of the nervous system. Coffee is also used in cosmetology in the form of scrubs and masks for skin and hair.

Chicory is a perennial plant that is quite common in India, America and the western part of Russia. Chicory tastes like coffee, but has a sweeter taste, since it contains inulin. It is best to consume chicory without milk or sugar. Chicory contains vitamins B, C and pectins.

Chicory has long been used in folk medicine. The root of this plant was used to treat diseases of the digestive organs, eyes and liver. Thanks to inulin, chicory normalizes metabolism and serves as an excellent prevention of dysbacteriosis. Chicory is good for blood vessels and the heart. It normalizes blood pressure and lowers cholesterol.

There are many diets where it is recommended to consume chicory. This drink really burns excess fat and has a diuretic effect. However, you should not hope for a positive result if you do not limit the amount of food you eat.

Both coffee and chicory can have positive effects on the body. Coffee is good for people with low blood pressure. In moderate quantities, this drink tones the body and has a positive effect on the body. However, coffee is undesirable for high blood pressure and heart disease, as well as high cholesterol.

If we consider the contraindications of chicory, then this drink should also not be consumed if you have heart disease. For problems with blood vessels and veins, chronic cough and diseases of the nervous system, chicory can cause complications. However, chicory can be consumed by young children when coffee is completely contraindicated.

When choosing between coffee and chicory, you should pay attention to the condition of your body. To ensure that drinks do not cause health problems, you should know when to stop and never drink more than 4 cups a day.