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Western herbalism

Chicory rootCichorium intybus

Chicory root is the commercial source of inulin; 12 to 15 g a day raised stool frequency in trials, and the same fructan can cause gas and bloating.

Botanical name
Cichorium intybus
Part used
root
Also called
Chicory, Succory, Chicory inulin (the extracted fiber)
Used in
Western herbalism
Taken for
Constipation, Appetite, Indigestion
Sold as
powder, capsules, tea, gummies, as a food

Chicory root, the plant and the part used

Chicory is a blue-flowered perennial of the daisy family (Asteraceae) grown in Europe and elsewhere for its taproot. The root has three common forms. Dried and roasted, it is brewed as a coffee substitute. Cut and dried, it is steeped as a bitter herbal tea, the form the European Medicines Agency’s monograph covers. Extracted with hot water, it yields inulin, a fiber that is the main carbohydrate of the root and the form sold in fiber powders, capsules, gummies and as an added ingredient in foods.

Inulin is a chain of fructose units known as a fructan. Chain length matters: native chicory inulin has long chains, while oligofructose is the shorter-chain fraction, and the two have been tested at different doses. Most trials of “chicory” for constipation used purified inulin or oligofructose, not the whole root or a root tea. A review of the plant also lists sesquiterpene lactones, coumarin derivatives, cichoric acid and phenolic acids, and notes that chicory is used most often to treat gastrointestinal disorders.

Traditional uses, in their own terms

Western herbalism

European herbal medicine uses chicory root as a bitter for the digestive tract. A review of the plant describes choleretic (bile-stimulating), digestion-promoting and appetite-increasing action as the traditional reasons for its use. The EU committee on herbal medicines lists the dried root as a traditional herbal medicine for relief of symptoms of mild digestive disorders, such as a feeling of abdominal fullness, flatulence and slow digestion, and for temporary loss of appetite. The status rests on long use and not on trials. The Natural Medicines database adds liver and gallbladder disorders and constipation to the list of traditional uses.

Compounds, and what the laboratory says about them

The root’s main compound is inulin, a fructan that humans cannot digest and that gut bacteria ferment. In people, chicory inulin raised the count of fecal bifidobacteria after 28 days at 15 g a day. Other constituents include bitter sesquiterpene lactones, coumarin derivatives, cichoric acid and other phenolic acids. Laboratory work on the lactones and phenolics reports choleretic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects, Those are lab findings; the constipation and FODMAP data below are the human results.

Trials in people, with the numbers

The strongest evidence is for the fiber in the root, at doses of 12 g a day or more. The European Food Safety Authority concluded that native chicory inulin at 12 g a day increases stool frequency, based on six studies in 86 subjects. A meta-analysis of five randomized trials (252 people) found significant effects on stool frequency, stool consistency on the Bristol scale, transit time and stool hardness (relative risk 0.42), but pain and bloating did not improve.

Individual trials agree. In 44 adults with constipation, 3 x 4 g a day of chicory inulin for 4 weeks raised stool frequency to a median of 4.0 a week from 3.0 on placebo (p = 0.038). In constipated elderly people, 15 g a day for 28 days raised fecal bifidobacteria and reduced difficulty of defecation, with some flatulence. In 39 adults with Rome III functional constipation, 12 g a day for 4 weeks increased stool frequency, though the crossover design showed a carry-over effect. Oligofructose at 15 g a day raised weekly stool frequency in 97 low-fiber eaters (p = 0.023).

The cost is gas. In a tolerance trial in 26 healthy adults, both fibers tended to increase symptoms mildly, mostly flatulence and then bloating; 10 g of oligofructose substantially increased symptoms, and up to 10 g of native inulin was judged well tolerated. Because inulin is a fructan, it belongs to the FODMAP group (fermentable carbohydrates), and in 59 adults with self-reported gluten sensitivity 2.1 g a day of fructan raised the bloating score to 11.6 from 10.1 on placebo. What has not been tested: the root as a tea for constipation, and the 2 to 4 g tea dose of the EU monograph.

StudyDoseWhat it found
Meta-analysis of 5 randomized trials, 252 people with chronic constipation PMID 25208775Inulin, doses varied by trialBetter stool frequency, Bristol consistency, transit time and hardness (RR 0.42); pain and bloating did not improve
Double-blind crossover trial, 44 adults with constipation PMID 2749297512 g a day (3 x 4 g) chicory inulin for 4 weeksMedian 4.0 vs 3.0 stools a week on placebo (p = 0.038); softer stools
Double-blind trial in constipated elderly people (25 in the inulin group) PMID 2109129315 g a day native chicory inulin for 28 daysHigher fecal bifidobacteria (p < 0.001), less difficulty defecating (p < 0.001); some flatulence
Randomized trial, 97 healthy adults with 3 or fewer bowel movements a week PMID 29258261Oligofructose 5, 10 then 15 g a day, 4 weeks eachStool frequency rose versus maltodextrin at 15 g a day (p = 0.023); GI sensations low
Crossover tolerance trial, 26 healthy adults PMID 20497775Native inulin and oligofructose, 5 and 10 gFlatulence then bloating most common; up to 10 g native inulin and 5 g oligofructose well tolerated
Double-blind crossover, 59 people with self-reported gluten sensitivity (FODMAP challenge) PMID 29102613Fructans 2.1 g a day for 7 daysOverall GSRS-IBS score 38.6 on fructan vs 34.3 on placebo (p = 0.04 across the three challenges); bloating score 11.6 vs 10.1

The doses on record

Trials of the fiber used 12 g a day of chicory inulin (3 x 4 g) for 4 weeks, 15 g a day of native inulin in older adults, and oligofructose stepped from 5 to 15 g a day; the EFSA claim specifies at least 12 g a day. In the tolerance trial, up to 10 g of native inulin or 5 g of oligofructose was well tolerated. The EU monograph for the dried root as a tea gives 2 to 4 g of root in 250 ml of boiling water, as an infusion or a decoction, once daily for adolescents over 12 and adults. That tea supplies far less than the trial fiber doses.

None of this is a dose recommendation. It is what the literature used, set down so a label can be compared with it; a pharmacist or clinician decides what applies to you.

The safety record

The EU monograph reports no known undesirable effects, excludes people hypersensitive to chicory or other daisy-family plants (Asteraceae, which includes ragweed), and says safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established. Natural Medicines rates large oral amounts possibly unsafe in pregnancy, says chicory stimulates bile production so people with gallstones should not use it without medical supervision, and notes handling the plant can irritate skin. In fiber trials the common effects were flatulence and bloating; in 23 children with IBS, 12 of 23 (52.2 percent) were fructan sensitive, with more abdominal pain episodes on fructans (3.4 against 2.4 a day).

Medicines it can interact with

The EU monograph states that no interactions with other medicinal products have been reported, and Natural Medicines has no interaction section for chicory. We could find no interaction study of chicory root or inulin with a medicine. The site’s own drug rules, listed with this page, flag diabetes medicines with chicory because chicory might lower blood sugar; that rule is rated theoretical.

The interaction rules the quiz applies to chicory root

These are the medicines the quiz pairs with a caution or an exclusion for this herb, taken from published interaction references:

Where chicory root turns up in the catalog

Chicory root appears on the labels below, alone or inside a blend; each product page gives the printed amount, the evidence for that product and the review picture.

Amazon Basics Prebiotic & Probiotic Gummies, 2 Billion CFU 4.5 out of 5 from 13,856 ratings from Amazon · $0.38 a day Amazon Basics Fiber Gummy, 4g Fiber 4.5 out of 5 from 13,059 ratings from Amazon · $0.25 a day Omyo GLP-1 Digestive Support 4.8 out of 5 from 2,814 ratings from omyohealth.com · $2.00 a day

Match it to your own case

The quiz weighs your symptoms and medicines against every product researched here, chicory root products included, and shows its working.

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The questions that come up

Does chicory root help constipation?

Purified chicory inulin does, at doses of 12 g a day or more: EFSA concluded it increases stool frequency, and a meta-analysis of five trials found better stool frequency, consistency and transit time. Those trials used inulin fiber, and we could find none of the dried root brewed as tea.

Is chicory root a high-FODMAP food?

Chicory inulin is a fructan, one of the fermentable carbohydrates the FODMAP term covers. In 59 people with self-reported gluten sensitivity, 2.1 g a day of fructan raised the bloating score to 11.6 from 10.1 on placebo, and in children with IBS 12 of 23 were sensitive to fructans.

Why does inulin cause gas?

Inulin is not digested in the small intestine and is fermented by gut bacteria, which produces gas. In a tolerance trial of 26 healthy adults, flatulence then bloating were the most common symptoms, and 10 g of oligofructose substantially increased them.

Is chicory the same as inulin?

No. Chicory root is the plant material, and inulin is the fiber extracted from it. Trials showing a bowel effect used purified inulin at 12 to 15 g a day, a far larger amount than a cup of root tea supplies.

Can people allergic to ragweed take chicory?

The EU monograph excludes anyone hypersensitive to chicory or other plants of the daisy family. Natural Medicines says people sensitive to that family, which includes ragweed, may react.

Sources