Table of Contents
What’s this
Chicory coffee is an alternative drink to coffee, made using the dried, roasted and ground roots of the chicory plant. Chicory is a small herbaceous plant that grows spontaneously, recognizable thanks to the small blue flowers that color our countryside in the coolest hours of the day in spring and summer. Chicory leaves have always been consumed in salads, while the root is used as a substitute for coffee. The drink you get from chicory roots in fact it has a bitter taste reminiscent of coffee but, unlike coffee, it is totally free of caffeine. Precisely for this reason, in recent years chicory coffee has come back into fashion and has become very popular among those looking for an alternative to coffee, without stimulating effects but able to bring benefits. The root and leaves of chicory are in fact used in herbal medicine for them property bitter-tonic, diuretic and laxative, useful in case of lack of appetite, constipation and for the drainage of liquids.
Benefits
The first benefit of chicory coffee consumption is to reduce caffeine intake. In fact, a conventional cup of coffee contains about 90 milligrams of caffeine, although the quantity can vary based on various factors including the variety of the bean, the type of roasting and the portion of coffee consumed. In some people, caffeine causes some side effects which include agitation, anxiety, restlessness, rapid heartbeat and sleep disturbances. The body’s reaction to caffeine is very variable: those who are particularly sensitive can manifest anxiety and agitation even at low doses of caffeine, while in other cases coffee is tolerated more, especially when consumed in the morning or until the early afternoon. Those who need to reduce coffee doses or completely eliminate coffee consumption can therefore resort to chicory coffee, completely or partially replacing coffee.
Other benefits of chicory coffee could derive from the content of nutrients in the root with which it is prepared. In fact, chicory root contains vitamin B &, vitamin C, potassium, phosphorus manganese and folic acid and is a good source of fiber including inulin and sesquiterpene lactones. Inulin has prebiotic properties, that is, it is able to favor a good intestinal bacterial flora. Thanks to the presence of fiber, chicory root can help improve digestion and improve the health of the intestinal microbiome by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria. A balanced microbiome is linked to a immune system stronger and therefore to a greater general well-being. Also thanks to the fibers, chicory root could promote intestinal transit, soften the stool and counteract constipation and constipation.
Inulin can also slow down the absorption of simple sugars in the intestine, thus helping to control glycemia and to prevent insulin resistance, factors underlying the onset of type two diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, chicory root appears to have anti-inflammatory properties. L’inflammation it is a normal response of the body to cell damage, which manifests itself with more or less important symptoms that include pain, swelling of the inflamed area, redness and loss of function. Sometimes, the inflammatory state lasts too long, damaging the tissues rather than repairing them. Chicory root appears to be helpful in this regard, as its consumption could reduce inflammation levels.
Clearly chicory root drinks contain fewer macro and micronutrients than the root itself, but chicory coffee can still have some benefits.
How it is prepared
Chicory coffee can be purchased in herbalist’s shops, in shops that deal with organic or natural food products and in some supermarkets. It is found ground and in powder or in the soluble version. Chicory coffee in powder it is similar to coffee and is prepared with the coffee maker (mocha) by filling the filter halfway, while that soluble it is simply dissolved in hot water. Chicory root powder can be used on its own to make a totally caffeine-free drink, or mixed with ground coffee if you want to reduce the caffeine content of the drink. Alternatively, chicory coffee can be prepared by decoction of the dried root: generally it is recommended to use a tablespoon of chicory root (about five grams) for every 100 milliliters of water. It can be sweetened with sugar, honey, or other sweeteners such as stevia.
Contraindications
The consumption of chicory coffee has no particular side effects but should be avoided in case of allergies, since in allergic subjects it would give rise to a reaction. Attention especially for people allergic to other plants of the Astareaceae family of which chicory is part. The use of chicory root is also contraindicated during pregnancy and lactation.
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