(Cichorium intybus)
Folk Names: Barbe de Capuchin, Belgian Endive, Blue Daisy, Blue Dandelion, Blue Sailor, Chicoury (Arabic), Coffee-weed, Cornflower, French Dandelion, Hendibeh, Ragged Sailors, Succory, Wild Bachelor Buttons, Wild Cherry, Wild Endive, Wild Succory, Witloof Chicory
Description: Chicory is a perennial which prefers humidity and is related to the dandelion, endive, and sunflower. It is found cultivated or wild in England and Ireland, as well as America from Nova Scotia to Florida and west to the plains. They are a common sight along the roads here in Pennsylvania. The plant has a long, thick tap root, light yellow outside and white inside. This root is full of bitter, milky juice. The stiff, angular, branching stem springs from a basal rosette with leaves up to three feet. The lanceolate leaves are hairy and coarsely toothed near the bottom of the plant, becoming less so higher up. The flowers are light blue to violet-blue, or sometimes white or pink. Appearing from May to November, they are axillary or terminal with toothed rays. The flowers resemble the flowers of its cousin the dandelion and they have the curious habit of open the same time every day (time dependent upon latitude). All the blooms are closed by early afternoon, no matter how sunny the day is.
Effects: strong
Planet: Sun, Uranus
Element: Air
Associated Deities:
Traditions:
The name chicory is of Egyptian origin from Cichorium. It has been grown as a food plant since Greek and Roman times.
The Chicory plant was included in the floral clock planted by Swedish Botanist Carolus Linnaeus at Uppsala.
Due to the milkiness of chicory sap, it was once thought to help mothers who had trouble producing milk due through association.
Magic:
Carry chicory to remove all obstacles from your path. Anointing the body with chicory juice will allow you to win the favor of great people. It may be just the thing for any upcoming court cases. The root is also carried for luck as well as frugality. Chicory is healing of emotions, providing a more positive outlook on life and a sense of humor.
If you intend to use chicory in an invisibility spell, gather the plant in perfect silence at midnight or noon at Midsummer or July 25th. Use a gold knife to harvest the plant. This mode of harvesting also makes the plant suitable for open locks.
Known Combinations:
Use with Moonwort and Springwort to open locks.
Medical Indications: Parts Used: root, flowering herb
Chicory is a digestive, diuretic, and tonic. It is recommended for jaundice and spleen troubles, and juice from the leaves or tea made from the flowering plant promotes production of bile, release of gallstones and elimination of excess internal mucous. A decoction of roots benefits glandular organs and the digestive system. Chicory treats gastritis and digestive difficulties. The Romans used it to relieve liver ailments and ate it as a vegetable and in salads.
The boiled leaves and flowers, wrapped in cloth, may be applied to soothe inflammations.
Nutrition:
The root has been roasted and powdered as coffee substitute for centuries. Eat the young leaves (from the rosette) raw or added to soup as a potherb. The young leaves and root may be included in salad just as endive or dandelion greens are. Older leaves can be cooked, but have a bitter taste suitable only for inclusion in soups and stews. The root may be boiled and prepared like parsnips.
Mercantile Uses:
The plant itself may be used as livestock feed, while the bees enjoy the flowers. The leaves have been used to make a blue dye.