Effects of Chicory on the Isolated Intestine.

Abstract

Although chicory is widely used as a beverage ingredient, very little information as to its action is available in the literature. The popular belief, perhaps founded on statements by those commercially interested, that it serves as a mild laxative, suggested testing its effects on isolated intestine. It has been shown that coffee infusions increase the activity of isolated intestinal segments 1 to a greater extent than could be explained by their caffeine content. 2 Kymographic tracings were made from segments of rabbit duodenum in the usual fashion. The preparation tested was a fresh 10% infusion of ground and roasted chicory, made in Tyrode's solution. In numerous experiments we have observed no indication of stimulation of either tone or amplitude of contraction, but with concentrations greater than would be present in the gastro-intestinal tract of individuals drinking chicory-coffee infusions there was uniformly a more or less marked depressant effect.