Thank you: Chicory :)
I am living in a place I’ve never lived before—and the fields and forests have new things to show and share. Back where I was, chicory grew on the edges of roads…and delighted me with their mid-summer luminosity. Here, the grow like big families in the fields, creating a beautiful show of purple-blue. As my old fields were often covered with Blue Vervain at this time (and I new that as a personal tonic), I figured that chicory must too, have it’s gift for me. So…I looked it up.
Always known for it’s “coffee” identity, I wanted to know more. Chicory, also known as succory, blue-sailors and ragged-sailors, is a hardy perennial native to Eurasia. It’s many names derive from it’s Latin: Cichorium intybus. Transplanted, it grows naturally throughout North America.
“Chicory resembles dandelion in its deep taproot and rosette of toothed basal leaves; unlike dandelion, it puts up a stiff, hairy flower stalk clothed sparsely with small, clasping leaves. Blossoms are primarily bee-pollinated and open early in the morning and close about five hours later. The plant tops make a dyestuff that produces a variety of colorfast yellows and greens, depending on the mordant used. In the language of flowers, chicory symbolizes frugality.
“According to the “doctrine of signatures” (a renaissance theory that a plant’s appearance indicates its healing properties) the milky sap of chicory demonstrated its efficacy in promoting milk flow in nursing mothers, or perhaps diminishing it if it were too abundant; it seems to have been prescribed for both conditions. The blue of the blossoms and their tendency to close as if in sleep at noon (in England) suggested the plant’s use in treating inflamed eyes. The bruised leaves have been poulticed on swellings. Root extracts have been used as a diuretic and laxative, and to treat fevers and jaundice. The second-century physician Galen called chicory a “friend of the liver,” and contemporary research has shown that it can increase the flow of bile, which could be helpful in treating gallstones. Laboratory research also has shown root extracts to be antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and slightly sedative. They also slow and weaken the pulse and lower blood sugar. Leaf extracts have similar, though weaker, effects.” (motherearthliving.com)
For me, when I work with chicory, I feel a calm, uplifting, gentle and joyful quality. In my work, I use it in teas, combined with chamomile and mint. It is nurturing and nourishing to those in need of a gentle boost (and those who should avoid anxiety or a more vigorous boost).
