While the flowers make a pretty addition to a wild bouquet, the chicory plant has other uses. The cultivated form is grown for their leaves or for roots, and are used as a coffee substitute (historically used in prisons) and additive. Its leaves can also be used as part of a salad - although its taste is rather bitter. Ironically, the root is used as a sweetener. In Germany, it historically was used to treat common ailments, including gallstones, sinus problems, cuts, and bruises. Its dietary fiber can also be used to assist in the treatment of diabetes and constipation. Increasingly, it is being seen as viable grazing food, particularly for sheep and dairy cattle.
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