a review of anti-parasitic effects of cichorium intybus

Common chicory (cichorium intybus) is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant of the family asteraceae, usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. many varieties are cultivated for salad leaves, chicons (blanched buds), or roots (var. sativum) which are baked, ground and used as a coffee substitute and food additive. in the 21st century, inulin, an extract from chicory root, has been used in food manufacturing as a sweetener and source of dietary fiber. chicory is also grown as a forage crop for livestock. in a study a group of cattles were infected experimentally with ostertagia ostertagi. then the chicory plant was added to the cattle diet. then it was observed that the number of eggs of this parasite in the feces was significantly reduced and chicory was mentioned as an anti-ostratagia (3). also, in another study that was conducted on a group of horses that were naturally infected with cyathostomin, it was observed that in those horses which diet contained chicory plant, the rate of egg excretion in feces and also the larval development were decreased significantly. therefore, it could be concluded that chicory had inhibitory effects on larval development and excretion of cyathostomin eggs in feces (1). in a research that used chicory root and leaves in two separate groups, it was observed that chicory pulp root had more anti-parasitic effects than leaves (2). adding chicory to livestock diet showed anti-parasitic effects.