Exploring coffee alternatives

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

The dilution solution

Consider substituting half of your ground coffee with a brewable coffee alternative, such as roasted dandelion or chicory root. Chicory (Cichorium spp.) is native to Europe—-particularly popular in France, Belgium, and Holland, where its leaves are used as a salad vegetable—-and was naturalized in North America. Chicory bears heads of large, bright-blue flowers with dandelion-like roots. When roasted, the roots make a wonderful caffeine-free coffee extender or solo substitute. Chicory root contains lactucin and lactucopicrin, compounds with a mildly sedating effect on the central nervous system. In the Deep South, roasted chicory has been blended with coffee for decades to make the popular French Market Coffee.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is second only to chicory as a coffee substitute. Most folks regard dandelion as an invading weed of golden flowers, jagged toothed leaves, and finger-thick roots that delve deeply into lawns. Unfortunately, the common yard variety of dandelion yields roots that are difficult to harvest and are too small to be economical for use as root “coffee.” For this reason, larger-rooted varieties of dandelion are usually grown for medicinal and culinary uses.

Both chicory and dandelion root have been used throughout history (dating back to the time of Egyptian pharaohs) as a liver detoxifier and a natural remedy for arthritis, diabetes, elevated cholesterol levels, constipation, and more. Researchers have identified substances in these bitter roots that increase the flow of bile, necessary for proper liver function and metabolism of fat and cholesterol. Herbalists have used them to aid in reducing PMS symptoms. By improving liver function, the roots help the liver eliminate excess estrogens that would otherwise build up in the body, causing hormone imbalances.

The decaf solution

Coffee can inhibit iron absorption by as much as 50 percent. Decaffeinated coffee has less caffeine, but it still contains polyphenols, a family of substances that bind with iron and excrete the mineral along with the urine. If you use decaf, select a product made by the Swiss Water Method, rather than with methylene chloride, a chemical solvent that causes liver cancer in laboratory mice.

The no-caf solutions

For several decades, consumers have had access to “instant grain beverages” made from roasted wheat, rye, barley, and chicory root powder, with the optional addition of acorns, figs, or beetroot. The instant crystals dissolve readily in hot or cold water and often taste similar, but not identical to, coffee—-if you use two or three rather than one teaspoon per cup of water. Be open to experimentation. You may take a liking to these beverages within a few days or weeks.

Instant grain products include Caffix, Pero, Caf-Lib, Lima’s Yannoh, Bioforce’s Bambu, Natural Touch’s Kaffree Roma, Post’s Postum, Oskri’s Barley Coffee, and Dr. Christopher’s Express Aroma. If these don’t do the trick, consider tea alternatives such as Celestial Seasonings’ Roastaroma (which includes roasted barley, roasted chicory, roasted carob, and cinnamon) or Maharishi Ayurveda’s Raja’s Cup, an antioxidant-rich coffee substitute made from Ayurvedic herbs. Vary the steeping time and add-ins (milk, milk substitute, or sweeteners) as you like.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print

GET MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC:

THE HERBAL DRUGSTORE '

Linda White & Steven Foster

Paperback

Our Price: Price: $18.95

• Browse Herbs