Chicory (Cichorium intybus):
Chicory is another field and waste area herb. It is well known for its chicory coffee and is steeped in folk lore.
Linneaus, a famous eighteenth century biologist, created a clock that told time by the opening and closing of the petals of flowers. He used chicory as one of the time-tellers because it blooms at daybreak and folds with the first heat and direct sunlight of the day. New blooms occur daily.
A little known fact about chicory is its ability to make you become invisible. On the full moon of July, exactly at midnight, if you cut the root with a sharp knife you will become invisible for an hour or so. If you try it and it doesn’t work it may be that you are using a knife that is too dull. Then you have to wait a full year to try it again. And it has to be exactly at the stroke of midnight. If you are fortunate enough to have a blue moon in July, you will get to enjoy being invisible twice in one month.