REVIEW doi: 10.12032/TMR20200603192 TMR | November 2020 | vol. 5 | no. 6 | 476 Submit a manuscript: https://www.tmrjournals.com/tmr Persian Medicine Effects of chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease Samira Faraji 1, 2 , Sevana Daneghian 3* , Mohammad Alizadeh 3 1 Student Research Committee, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran. 2 Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran. 3 Food and Beverages Safety Research Center, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran. *Corresponding to: Sevana Daneghian. School of Medicine, Serow Highway, Nazloo, Urmia, Iran. PO Box: 5756115111, Tel: 00984432752372, Fax: 00984432780800. E-mail: Sevana_d@yahoo.com. Highlights The purpose of this study is to investigate the recent studies and findings on the effects of chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease-related factors, such as dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, obesity, and chronic inflammation, and disclose their underlying mechanisms. Traditionality Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a part of the Asteraceae family (tribe of Lactuceae) and a medicinal food known as chicory now. The use of chicory dates to ancient Egypt, but the plant was used even before it was identified. The Egyptians cultivated chicory as a medicinal plant 4,000 years ago. They believed that the plant could help in purifying the blood and liver and treat heart disease. Horace’s Roman poem is one of the first references that recommended chicory consumption (65−8 B.C.E.). Its great importance can attribute to the fact that Avicenna had written a treatise on chicory and its properties. Chicory was transported from Europe to North America in the 1700s. In the early 17th century, chicory was started as an animal feed in Northern Europe. In 2000, the French Food Safety Agency confirmed that inulin is an ingredient of chicory, and it increases the proliferation of intestinal flora. Chicory was used as a coffee substitute during the Napoleonic Era. Evidence suggests that the soldiers used it in the American Civil War. This plant has been introduced as a native plant to the regions of Western Asia, Europe, and North Africa by the Food and Agriculture Organization.