All about Qicoria: description, species, photos, use in various fields, plant composition, health benefits, chicory harvesting with your own hands. Tsikoria drink: pros and cons of chicory instead of coffee, contraindications, norm of use, reviews

In this article we will talk about the plant and the useful substitute for coffee - chicory.

Tsikoria: description of the plant, varieties, photos

Tsikoria is a perennial plant that can be found in any area where it is sunny and warm.

Tsikoria grows along the roads, in meadows, in abandoned areas. This plant is considered weed. Tsikoria is not at all picky, he can form large thickets if he does not interfere with his growing.

The people are called chicory differently: Petrov Batog, Blue Batog, Roads of Road, Visor Roads, Blue Dandelion.

It is difficult to confuse chicory with some other plant. Tsikoria has long branched stems, on the tops of which there are blue flowers.

Important: On a sunny summer day, flowers delight the eye with their heavenly color. It is noteworthy that even in moments of summer heat, when the sun dries grass and flowers, chicory continues to bloom. This plant is very persistent and hardy.

Tsikoria is a bit like a cornfield with its blue-non-bonded color of flowers and their shape, but only remote.

Qicoria is not planted as a decorative garden flower. This plant is not so noble, it can grow and simply clog the garden.

In total, there are about 10 varieties of chicory, but only two species cultivate. It:

• Tsikoria salad
• Tsikoria is ordinary

Therefore, you can enjoy chicory in nature. And it blooms for a very long time, all summer and up to autumn cooling.

How is chicory used in cooking, traditional medicine, cosmetology?

Unlike other weed plants, chicory is used in cooking. Its stems are used to make salads, but only in small quantities. For the preparation of salads, salad chicory is suitable.

Important: the main use of chicory is the manufacture of a drink from its rhizome. A large number of people drink a chicory drink instead of coffee. It is even called "coffee growing underfoot."

• Cicoria -based confectioners make sweet syrups, which soak cakes and sweet pastries.
• It is also known about the use of chicory in folk medicine. Tsikoria has a beneficial effect on the skin. If the skin has a small wound, cut, lotions from the decoction of this plant will help to remove it faster.
• With the help of chicory decoctions, you can make the skin of the face clean and beautiful. There are substances in Qicoria that will help to dry and remove acne, acne.
• Even in a bath for kids, an infusion is added from the root of chicory, if there are allergic rashes, dermatitis, and urticaria on the skin of babies.

Chicory instead of coffee: pros and cons of

Some begin to drink chicory forced, for health reasons, while others try it quite by accident.

Important: many people for a healthy eating as an alternative to coffee drink a chicory drink.

This is not to say that chicory is similar to coffee. It does not have a characteristic aroma that coffee has. Qicoria is softer than coffee, but also has bitterness. But, definitely, Qicoria has a kind of taste, which many people like.

The fact that the root of Qicoria can be chopped and brewed, and then drink it as a drink, our ancestors also knew. But with an abundance of various drinks, chicory was pushed into the background. And in vain. After all, chicory is a continuous benefit for the body.

That's what pros of chicory use instead of coffee:

1. In him no caffeinewhich in large quantities can harm.
2. Contained many useful substanceswho will benefit diabetics, people with a sick heart, with vegetative-vascular dystonia, as well as healthy people who want to switch to healthy and/or dietary diet.
3. Chicory can be drunk at night And to sleep great, unlike a cup of coffee at night, after which a sleepless night awaits you.
4. Price. The cost of a pack of chicory is several times lower than similar coffee packaging. For some, this factor is as important as the above.

But for avid coffee machines there will be cons in the use of coffee instead of chicory:

1. First of all, it is lack of characteristic aroma. Like it or not, there is coffee. And you can’t replace it with chicory.
2. If someone loves cheer up, Tsikoria will not cope with this as coffee does.

Many people with diseases of the heart and nervous system cannot drink coffee, since even after a small amount of this drink they begin to feel bad. For such people, chicory can become a real find.

Tsikoria will also help if you want to use less coffee. It is known that there is coffee dependence. So, if you want to get rid of it, try mixing coffee with chicory. Gradually reducing the coffee part.

Important: in the Soviet canteens offered a similar drink from a mixture of coffee and chicory. It was then called coffee, but in fact it was a mixture of chicory and coffee.

Inulin and other beneficial substances in the composition of chicory

The fact that chicory is useful is already known. But I wonder what is its benefit? The case is in the beneficial substances as part of Tsikoria, we’ll talk about them.

Cicoria composition:

1. Inulin - This is a polysaccharide, a natural sugar substitute and a natural probiotic. The main value of the root of the "blue dandelion" is in Ivlina. This substance helps diabetics reduce sugar levels, helps to normalize the intestinal function. Inululin serves for the prevention of diabetes, atherosclerosis, obesity, coronary heart disease.
2. Potassium, magnesium - These trace elements are found in a large quantity in chicory. They are guarding the health of the heart and blood vessels.
3. Iron - Promotes the normalization of hemoglobin. With a lack of iron, the supply of oxygen through blood vessels worsens. Tsikoria, in turn, will help to make up for the lack of iron in the body.

The composition, in addition to the above, includes such microelements:

• Phosphorus
• Calcium
• Sodium
• Zinc
• Selenium
• Copper
• Manganese

Also vitamins A, E, C, K, PP, vitamins of group B.

In addition to vitamins, trace elements and inulin in chicory there are pectin, tannins, resins, organic acids.

Who would have thought that a roadside weed could be such a useful plant?

Video: The benefits of chicory for the body

Tsikoria: benefits for different body systems

Let us consider in more detail what systems of chicory acts beneficial.

The benefits for the immune system

Inulin normalizes the intestinal microflora, which stimulates the general immune system.

The benefits for the cardiovascular system

Tsikoria helps to reduce cholesterol, serves to prevent atherosclerosis, hypertension, cleanses the vessels, is aimed at combating anemia.

The benefits of diabetes of the 2nd type

Inulin helps reduce blood sugar. Therefore, it is very useful to drink chicory for people with an insidious disease of diabetes. In supermarkets on the shelves for diabetics, you can find chicory.

The benefits of intestinal dysfunction

Tsikoria acts as a soft laxative. Therefore, if you suffer from constipation, regular use of this drink will help you normalize the work of the intestines. The fact that inulin is a natural probiotic, we talked above. This is also important.

The benefits of cholelithiasis

Tsikoria has a choleretic effect, so it is good with stagnation of bile. It is able to dissolve small stones.

The benefits for the nervous system

This drink helps to improve the nervous system. If you drink chicory before bedtime, it will have a slight sedative effect, help to relax and fall asleep well.

The benefits of the skin

In case of skin diseases such as psoriasis, vitiligo, furunculosis, chicory is indicated for use. It helps to cope with skin rashes and reduce them.

Excessive benefits

Being a natural substitute for sugar, Inulin replaces the calorie content of sweets, reduces the feeling of hunger.

Tsikoria drink: contraindications

Important: Qicoria can be drunk even to children. It is known that in kindergartens in the menu there is a cicory drink. But you should still know about contraindications.

Contraindications very little:

• It is forbidden to drink chicory at varicose veins and hemorrhoids.
• Gastritis, stomach ulcer, dysplastic changes in the mucous membrane of the stomach.
• Allergyincluding crossing allergens. This is: pollen of marigolds, ambrosia.

Concerning pregnancy and lactation, here is a controversial question. If a pregnant woman does not have allergies, chicory does not apply to forbidden products. However, it is not known how the body can react to a new product during pregnancy. Sometimes pregnant women do not recommend drinking chicory to avoid possible allergic reactions.

How often can you drink chicory: how many cups per day?

There are no categorical prohibitions regarding the number of chicory used per day. Tsikoria can be drunk as much as you want. On average, the norm of consumption of chicory is 3-4 cups per day. Nevertheless, we do not advise too much to abuse Tsikoria in order to avoid irritation of the gastric mucosa and allergies.

You can drink chicory without additives, just dilute the powder with boiling water. You can also add cream or milk to the drink. In stores you can buy chicory with additives, such as:

• Blueberry
• Rose hip
• Sea \u200b\u200bbuckthorn
• Ginseng
• Chamomile

The most delicious ground fried chicory.

How to prepare chicory yourself: step -by -step description

A delicious and healthy drink is made from chicory roots. Buying chicory is not a problem, it is in almost all stores and supermarkets. But for the sake of sports interest, you can try to make it yourself.

How to prepare a chicory root with your own hands step by step:

1. Dig the plant with the root. It is advisable to do in September, after the rain, when there will be wet soil. Choose places away from polluted roads.
2. After that, separate the root from the plant, and then it needs to be washed and dried.
3. Cut the root into several parts, and begin to dry it in the open sun. You can also dry the root in a special dryer for fruits and vegetables.
4. When the root becomes very brittle, it must be chopped into powder.
5. The finished mixture must be placed in a paper or fabric bag.

Important: in well -ventilated bags, crushed chicory can be stored no longer than 3 years.

Tsikoria drink: reviews

Anna, 29 years old: “My friendship with Tsikoria began recently, about a year ago. The fact is that after coffee my tachycardia began, and I loved to drink coffee very often and a lot. Once my mother invited me to try Qicoria, which she herself drank for many years. I liked to drink this drink, because after that I felt excellent. Therefore, I immediately switched to chicory. Now I do not drink coffee at all and feel good. I do not promote chicory, in no case say that coffee is bad. But for me personally, the benefits of chicory were obvious! ”

Yaroslav, 20 years: “I did not even know that Tsikoria helps to get rid of acne. My skin is not a healthy look. But recently I began to drink chicory. And she noticed that the skin became much cleaner and better. I did not connect these two events, but, apparently, chicory helps. ”

Valentina, 51 years: “In her youth, she drank coffee and did not deny herself this pleasure. But with age, you begin to think about your health and choose more useful products. Coffee, of course, taste cannot be compared with chicory. For me, these are two different drinks. But now I have to drink chicory more often, although sometimes I allow myself to enjoy a cup of natural coffee. ”

A chicory drink is very useful for the body. If you have not tried it yet, it's time to try and evaluate its properties.

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