[Food value of cichorium intybus]

Cichorium intybus is an herbaceous perennial, known as a coffee substitute. It possesses a wide range of healing characteristics particularly due to inulin, one of its components. Inulin is a natural polysaccharide, a polyfructosane containing 27-35 fructose residues in furanose form and glucose residue. When inulin is in the alimentary tract it passes to the stomach and the small intestine unchangeable. In large intestine inulin is fermented by bifidobacteria and then converted in to a great number of short-chain fatty acids. Due to the process it stimulated the growth of bifidobacteria population and reduces that of pathogenic microorganisms. The increase of pool of healthy intestinalflora normalizes the passage of fieces masses through the intestine, improves immunologic status, regulates carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. The paper presents experimental and clinic studies confirming bifidogenic, immunogenic, anticancerous, hepatoprotective characteristics of inulin and cichorium intybus.