Chicory in China was originally used by ethnic minorities as a medicinal herb, "Xinjiang Herbal Medicine" records, chrysanthemum bar "bitter, cold, clearing heat, diuretic, diuretic, anti-inflammatory," the main treatment for "gangrenous hepatitis, acute nephritis and bronchitis", "Chinese Ethnomedicine" records more detailed, Mongolia medicinal use of its roots, "slightly bitter, cool," the Mongolian medicinal use of its roots, "slightly bitter, cool. The Chinese Journal of Ethnomedicine has a more detailed record, the root is used medicinally by the Mongolian people, "slightly bitter, cool. Clears heat and relieves dampness, and strengthens the stomach. Mainly treats nephritis and edema, stomach and epigastric distension, loss of appetite." Uyghur medicinal use of its whole grass.
Lipid-lowering and liver-protecting effects In the course of pharmacological research on chicory, it was found that chicory extract has the pharmacological activity of significantly lowering the level of serum cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG); chicory extract can improve the function of hepatic lipid metabolism, and it has the comprehensive therapeutic effect of regulating hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. Chicory extract and inulin may improve the lipid metabolism of the body by promoting the excretion of lipids, cholesterol and bile acids.
Regulation of glucose metabolism Chicory extract can significantly reduce blood glucose and blood lipid levels, with a comprehensive therapeutic effect against hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia, with a multifaceted role in improving metabolic disorders. Chicory also contains a large amount of inulin. Inulin belongs to the soluble cellulose, research has found that it can reduce the absorption of sugar in the digestive tract.
Uric acid-lowering effect Chicory extract has good uric acid-lowering effect, can significantly reduce the blood uric acid level of model animals, and the effect lasts for a long time.
Effects on the digestive system Research has found that the short-chain oligofructose extracted from chicory has the effect of lowering the pH value of feces, increasing the content of organic acid in feces and colon, lowering the content of nitrogenous wastes and bacterial activity in urine and stool, enhancing the absorption of magnesium in the human body, and inhibiting the swelling of the colon, etc.; chicory can enhance the digestive function of the gastrointestinal tract on fat, and it can also improve the appetite and digestive function; high concentration of the infusion can enhance the digestion function of the gastrointestinal tract on fat, and it can also increase the appetite and improve the digestive function. The high concentration of infusion can enhance gastric secretion, there is a diarrhea effect.
Improve body immunity At present, inulin extracted from chicory has been developed into functional food by foreign countries. The purpose of functional food is to maintain good health of the organism and reduce the risk of disease, and one of the effective ways is to regulate gastrointestinal activity through prebiotics and probiotics. Among them, probiotics are live microorganisms supplied through the diet, which can have beneficial effects on the host by affecting the intestinal tract, and the most commonly used strains are mainly Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. Currently, the most commonly used food ingredient as a prebiotic is inulin. Inulin can be used as a substrate for the growth and proliferation of anaerobic bacteria, especially bifidobacteria, and stimulate the growth of bifidobacteria. Inulin selectively stimulates the growth of bifidobacteria and maintains low levels of potentially pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli and Clostridium difficile, thereby modulating body functions and immune responses. Chicory can promote gastrointestinal excretion of lipids, increase the number of bifidobacteria in the feces, and at the same time, improve the body's ability to resist disease and immunity; and because of its function as a water-soluble dietary fiber, it can be widely used as a rheology and tissue modifier, moisture retaining agent, etc., in low-calorie beverages, low-fat or non-fat spreads, yogurt, ice cream, chocolate and other foods.
Anti-allergic, antibacterial, antipathogenic microorganisms and a certain anticancer effect The aqueous extract of the ground part of chicory can inhibit the local allergic reaction induced by anti-diazobenzene in rats. The ethanol or ether extract of the root has antibacterial effect, and its active ingredient may be a sesquiterpene; the decoction of wild chicory flowers has antibacterial and astringent effects. It has also been reported that aqueous extracts of chicory root have long been used in Afghanistan for the treatment of malaria. Research has proved that lettuce bittersweet and mountain lettuce bittersweet extracted from chicory is one of the main active ingredients of antimalarial. After comparing the aqueous, ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of chicory, it was found that all the extracts of chicory had obvious antimicrobial effects, among which, the ethyl acetate part had the strongest effect. The aqueous fraction mainly had good inhibitory effects on bacteria such as Soil bacterium radiolaris, Owenella carotovora, Pseudomonas fluorescens and P. aeruginosa. When 5% of long-chain inulin was added to the food and fed to rats for 3 weeks, and then 1, 2-dimethylhydrazine was given at one time, and then the rats were executed after 24 hours, it was found for the first time that inulin could make the number of apoptosis in the colon part of the rats was significantly higher than that of the control group, and this effect indicated that chicory might have anticancer effect; the study indicated that the ethanol extract of chicory root had strong inhibitory effect on the ascites car-car-cinoma in mice Ehrlich ascites. car-cinoma) in mice.