Cichorium intybus, or common chicory, is a medicinal plant of the family of the Compositae or Asteraceae. The plant has been already appreciated and used for therapeutic purposes to bring benefits to the liver since the time of ancient Egypt while St. Hildegard, a German naturalist lived in the 12th century, considered it a powerful digestive. Nowadays we know that the plant has anti-diabetic, tonic, laxative, diuretic and digestive properties, it is able to stimulate the work of the liver and gallbladder, purifies the body. Therefore, the remedy finds application in case of problems of stomach, cramps, heartburn, constipation, loss of appetite, colic, water retention and hyperglycemia, but also eczema and pimples. You can take the common chicory as a food, in fact you can taste its leaves in the salad, or in the form of mother tincture and herbal tea.
Mother tincture
From the root of the common chicory you get the mother tincture, you can take 40 drops of tincture 3 times a day in water just before meals.
Herbal tea of leaves
Bring to boil a liter of water, when it reaches the boiling, remove from the heat and put in infusion 5 whole leaves, fresh or dried, for about ten minutes, then filter and drink 2 cups a day.
Decoction of roots
Bring to a boil half a liter of water with ten grams of dried root, let it simmer for a few minutes, then let it rest for ten minutes. Filter and drink before meals. It is very useful for purifying the liver, helps in case of loss of appetite, constipation and rashes
