Description: Wild Chicory or Succory is not uncommon in many parts of England and Ireland, though by no means a common plant in Scotland. It is more common on gravel or chalk, especially on the downs of the south-east coast, and in places where the soil is of a light and sandy nature, when it is freely to be found on waste land, open borders of fields and by the roadside, and is easily recognized by its tough, twig-like stems, along which are ranged large, bright blue flowers about the size and shape of the Dandelion

It has been suggested that the name Succory came from the Latin succurrere (to run under), because of the depth to which the root penetrates. It may, however be a corruption of Chicory, or Ctchorium , a word of Egyptian origin, which in various forms is the name of the plant in practically every European language. The Arabian physicians called it 'Chicourey.' Intybus , the specific name of the Chicory, is a modification of another Eastern name for the plant - Hendibeh . The Endive, an allied but foreign species (a native of southern Asia and northern provinces of China) derives both its common and specific names from the same word. The Endive and the Succory are the only two species in the genus Cichorium . There is little doubt that the Cichorium mentioned by Theophrastus as in use amongst the ancients was the wild Chicory, since the names by which the wild plant is known in all the languages of modern Europe are merely corruptions of the original Greek word, while there are different names in the different countries for the Garden Endive.

Main constituents: hydroxycoumarins (including umbelliferone), flavonoids, inulin (up to 58%), sesquiterpene lactones, vitamins, minerals

Properties: Appetizer, cholagogue, digestive, diuretic, tonic

Uses: It is primarily used as a bitter tonic to aid digestion by stimulating the liver and digestive tract. The root is therapeutically similar in action to the dandelion in supporting the action of the stomach and liver and in cleansing the urinary tract. An infusion of the leaves and flowers also aids the digestion

In Ayurvedic medicine, it is used for headaches, dyspepsia, skin allergies, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Safety Considerations: No information available. Some herbs are known to react with your medication. Please consult your physician before starting on any herb.

Magical:

Folk Names: Succory, Wild Cherry, Wild Succory

Gender: Masculine

Planet:Sun

Powers: Removing Obstacles, Invisibility, Favors, Frugality.

Uses: Carry chicory to remove all obstacles that crop up in your life. Carry it to promote frugality. If you anoint your body with chicory juice, you will obtain favors from great persons. It was once thought to make its possessors invisible and to open locked doors or boxes if held against the lock but to do either of these it is said that you must gather the chicory with a gold knife in perfect silence at noon or midnight in midsummer.

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