Scientific view on the drink with millenarian history

There are plants in the world, that became a hallmark in the culture and traditions of different countries of the world.  For example, in China and Korea people are sure, that ginseng can prolong life, when South Americans brought to a cult healing properties of cacao.

However, few people know, that Russian people had their own traditional drink, that they liked and drank for many centuries long – chicory. Why was this plant appreciated so much?

The matter is that for not just hundreds but thousands of years chicory have been used as a medication. It is mentioned about it in the ancient Egyptian papyrus (about 1536 year BC).

Description of medical properties of chicory were also found I the oldest Arabic prescriptions and in the works of antic scientists.

A new wave of interest to chicory literally swept through Europe in the later Middle Ages, when people learnt to make from it a drink with a very pleasant taste.  At that time it was given a name “Coffee of Indians” or “Coffee of Chinese”. Basing on this fact, probably, culture of using chicory as a drink came to Middle Aged Europe from India or China through Russia. Already in 1800, peasant Zolotukhin, who lived in Yaroslavl province, grew up chicory in a really industrial scale. Since that time until the first world war, up to 400.000 puds of this plant was annually exported abroad from Russia. For sale within the territory of the country itself there was prepared several times more chicory.

How does modern science classify chicory – as medical plant or as just a drink with pleasant taste? Researches have proved, that chicory contains the whole complex of useful elements: C vitamin, vitamins of B group, macro- and micro-elements,  pectin, carotene and others.

However, the most important is that this is one of the rare plants, that contain a unique in its properties inulin element – polysachharide, which effects important processes of the body. It decreases level of sugar in blood and improves metabolism, that is important for people suffering from obesity. Naturally, capability of inulin to normalize sugar level helps to improve condition of people with diabetes (insulin-dependent of II type).

Also, scientific researches proved, that inulin leads to decrease of cholesterin level and, what is more important, level of triglycerides. Their increased level in blood provokes ageing of heart-vascular system. Currently quantity of these elements is considered as an important index of diabetes development, atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome.

This is not all of inulin properties. Its uniqueness is that, effecting body functioning, it is absorbed not in the stomach, but in the intestine. Due to this, inuin normalizes microflora of the intestine itself, as “useful” bifidumbacterinum eat them.

Passing through the whole digestive system, inulin works like a sponge also. It removes heavy metals and some toxic elements, which can penetrate into our body with food.

There arises a serious question, whether some useful elements do not get removed from the body together with inulin? In the Human Diet Research Center in France and in the Health Institute in Great Britain a number of experiments were conducted, which proved that inulin doesn’t worsen absorption of vitamins. Moreover, taking inulin even improves absorption of calcium.

As the result, chicory, which has been taken by people for many centuries is nowadays a means, effectiveness of which is proved by the modern medicine and a great number of scientific works.

However, naturally, chicory may be of a different quality, and its useful properties directly depend on it. Until recently, all instant chicory, represented on the shelves of shops, was in the view of powder or granules. Such kinds of chicory are produced by the method of hot drying at the temperature from 180°С up to 220°С, due to this most of the useful elements get destructed.

However, the technologies don’t stand still. There has appeared a unique innovative product: freeze-dried chicory “Ecologica – healthy diet”!

Developed by “Ecologica” company technology of chicory freeze-drying allows to exclude impact of high temperatures during production. That is why taste, aroma, all vitamins, micro-elements and food fibers are maintained in full volume in freeze-dried chicory “Ecologica – healthy diet”.

Chicory contains inulin, glycoside, inhibin, carotin, vitamins of B group, C vitamin, macro- and micro-elements, antioxidants.

According to data of a number of scientific sources* regular consumption of chicory and contained in it elements:

• strengthens immunity;
• helps to decrease weight;
• improves digestion;
• positively effects on nervous system;
• helps to remove cholesterine;
• helps in functioning of the heart.

Freeze-dried chicory “Ecologica – healthy diet” complies with GOST and all requirements of the technical regulations.

Results of investigations of chicory “Ecologica – healthy diet” in the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution “Food Research Institute ” of the Russian Academy of of Medical Sciences.