Cichorium intybus L., commonly known as cichory in English and white chicory in Turkish, is an important medicinal plant. It belongs to the Asteraceae family. The most used parts of this plant are its aerial parts, flowers, seeds and roots. All parts of this plant are rich in essential oil, fatty acids, unsaturated sterols, alkaloids, triterpenes, vitamins, flavonoids, tannins, coumarins, saponins, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, sesquiterpenes, lactones, anthocyanins and phenols. With its rich content, chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a very valuable healing plant with various pharmacological activities such as antimicrobial, anthelmintic, antimalarial, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic, gastroprotective, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, anti-tumor and anti-allergic.
Chicory, a deep-rooted perennial plant, can reduce nitrate leaching and deep drainage, thus reducing the acidification rate of soil and the occurrence of dryland salinity. Chicory, which is an alternative plant that can be used in the evaluation of marginal areas and idle agricultural areas in Türkiye, is a plant with high economic importance and potential, especially in terms of inulin.