chicory flower essence

Melinda
Jul 15
14 min read

Updated: Jul 29

A beautiful blue Chicory flower — Photo credit: Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Chicory flower essence

"Those who are very mindful of the needs of others they tend to be over-full of care for children, relatives, friends, always finding something that should be put right. They are continually correcting what they consider wrong, and enjoy doing so. They desire that those for whom they care should be near them." ~ Edward Bach, The Twelve Healers and Other Remedies

A Chicory blockage:

manipulation

controlling

self-pity

demanding

possessive

critical

nagging

fussy

calculating

Positive expression of:

loving without expectation

selfless service

selfless love

warm

kind

nurturing

the Great Mother

Cichorium intybus

I personally love the flower essences and reach for them whenever I feel the need (often daily—I'm drinking some as I type this), but I'm finding that I have an unexpectedly strong aversion to talking about Chicory. I've actually been actively dragging my feet on discussing it, even though I think it's as awesome an essence as any other.

I know precisely why I feel this aversion, and if you have someone in your life who's also unconsciously overwhelmed by Chicory blockages, then I think you'll completely understand my reluctance by the time we've finished talking this out; much like the Chicory plant, they have a tendency to leave a bitter taste in one's mouth. The person that's making this essence such a tricky one for me once exhibited the loving and positive expression, so it's especially hard to watch them now—even from a distance. A distance far, far away, where their behavior eventually pushed everyone that they love and that loves them back.

I did feel a little bit comforted, however, after reading through Bach's work. His definition of the flower essences became more refined the longer he worked with them, but one of his earlier writings about those in need of Chicory makes me feel like we've both experienced exactly the same personality type. Chicory personalities are, in his early words, "possessive, self-centred, hard-natured, spiteful, vindictive and cruel." Unfortunately, I couldn't agree with him more. And even though he did soften and expand on his words as time went on, I believe the earlier version is still devastatingly accurate. Especially to the loved ones that their actions impact.

But I always remember that there's a positive and beautiful side to Chicory as well, and many of the essences expressed poorly are a pretty unpleasant lot. So let's talk blockages first, but then move on to the bright and very loving side of the Chicory personality ♥

you're suffocating me

If you know anything about astrology, then what I'm about to say will sound very much like a Cancer gone wrong. If the perfectly healthy example of Chicory is The Universal Mother, then the antithesis would be The Smothering Mother. Of course, both men and women can experience Chicory blockages, but that archetype is fitting no matter what—if either—gender applies. Young or old. He, she, or they. Chicory blockages can be found anywhere.

I feel like the negative Chicory type is frequently depicted in books and movies, and the general character is quite familiar to most us, even if we haven't known one personally. Those with Chicory blockages (or overall personalities) are the ruthlessly controlling people, but always doing so in the name of "I only want what's best for you, dear." (You can hear the tone there, right?) And if firmly dictating doesn't generate the response they want from you, then they're not hesitant about wielding the powerful tool of manipulation and will often shed tears to get their way.

eager to meddle

The Chicory soul is very certain that they know precisely what is best for you and will not hesitate to "help" (a.k.a. interfere). Somehow, they always seem to think they know how and where your life should be heading and are convinced that you should follow the rules that they've taken the time to wisely lay out for you. Take the direction that they deem is most appropriate. Follow the path that they believe to be the best for all involved, regardless of your thoughts on the subject. Generally speaking, they take their feelings into careful consideration, but aren't nearly as concerned about yours, even if they claim to be so.

Always eager to meddle in your life, your choices, and/or your plans—especially if those plans aren't aligned with theirs—they correct and criticize with abandon. Ever at the ready to remedy the "obvious" wrong choices or shortcomings of their loved ones, they tend to incessantly nag. Emotionally needy and demanding, they insist that they should be your top priority—even falling ill (or perhaps faking it) in an attempt to make it so. Their lives revolve around trying to fill the empty hole they feel inside; unfortunately, their actions only exacerbate their pain rather than heal it.

There is very little thought to the feelings of others, even when they claim to be acting in the name of love, because the Chicory type is woefully self-absorbed. And if you're bold enough to defy them? They are easily offended and anger is often the go-to response. This anger is generally due to the fact that their help was not received with the proper gratitude and/or appreciation that they feel it deserves. They feel wronged and shortchanged, and they can (and will) hold onto a grudge into eternity. And beyond.

all they want is love, love

Perhaps they know it, perhaps they don't, but what the Chicory soul truly craves is love. Their version of love, however, is toxic. How much of themselves that they offer to their loved ones is always carefully calculated, and tallies are kept. Are you loving them enough in return? Are you grateful enough for all that they've done and sacrificed for you? Have you expressed that love and gratitude—frequently and profusely?

Extremely possessive of family, they will do anything to keep them close at hand. Since being alone is avoided as much as possible, the Chicory soul will do their best to arrange is so that their family is always around—no matter the inconvenience to those loved ones. Mechthild Scheffer describes them as "a black hole or a bottomless pit that constantly needs to be filled with affection, recognition, and assurance."

the flip side

But that's only the dark side. And with the help of Chicory flower essence, we can dissolve those blockages and move on to the bright side and the beautiful potential that lies there. Mechthild Scheffer calls Chicory The Motherliness Flower because of the positive potential that expresses itself as The Universal Mother.

Instead of demanding love, the Chicory soul now focuses on offering it freely, with no expectations or conditions attached. Warm and kind, they also willingly offer themselves in selfless service—a concept that is foreign to those dealing with blockages. Tallies are no longer kept and grievances are no longer catalogued. The healthy Chicory personality no longer feels the urge to correct all wrongs, but instead allows their loved ones to find their own way and carve their own path. Gone are the constant criticisms and nagging as allowing and acceptance take their place.

The deep, inner craving for love that made the blocked Chicory individual act and manipulate as it did, can now be seen, acknowledged, and dealt with. Able to process their own emotions—formerly impossible—means that they are able to take care of their own needs without having to force others to try and fill that empty void inside of them. Instead of pushing loved ones away by clinging to them desperately, they become the warm and safe shelter that, at times, their loved ones will likely find themselves willingly turning to.

Thus, the suffocating and manipulating mother transforms in to the warm and loving one. A positive transformation that benefits all ♥

"The action of these remedies is to raise our vibrations and open up our channels for the reception of our Spiritual Self, to flood our natures with the particular virtue we need, and wash out from us the fault which is causing harm. They are able, like beautiful music, or any gloriously uplifting thing which gives us inspiration, to raise our very natures, and bring us nearer to our Souls: and by that very act, to bring us peace, and relieve our sufferings.” Edward Bach - Ye Suffer From Yourselves

(Because I'd like these flower essence posts to function all on their own, the next parts will be a repeat of things you've already heard if this isn't the first post of mine you've read.)

only one

It's important to remember that if only one of the aforementioned blockage symptoms resonates with you, then giving Chicory a try is still a good call. There will be certain personality types that exhibit nearly all of the symptoms nearly all of the time, but that's not always the case.

where to buy

If you don't already have the essences on hand (and you're thinking that Chicory might be just the essence for you!), there are two options I would recommend you explore. I buy my bottles through Flower Essence Services and the essences are prepared by Julian Barnard exactly as Bach prepared his. Barnard's line of essences is called: Healing Herbs Bach Essences and the reason I choose them is because they're prepared with organic ingredients. The preservative used is organic brandy but even if, like me, you don't consume alcohol, there's another way besides consumption to use them if you wish.

The second option is the original Bach line, still made by Nelsons which is the company Bach originally gave his essences to. These are prepared with either alcohol or vegetable glycerin if the alcohol concerns you and you'd prefer to avoid it. I'll just add here that if you make a dosage bottle as outlined below, the amount of alcohol will be minuscule, having been diluted multiple times. Alcohol is considered a Group 1 carcinogen, however, so do what you feel is best for you and your health.

how to use

There are several ways in which you can take the remedies, and all of them are simple! Remembering that even if you choose the wrong essence they can do no harm (they simply won't have an effect), you can experiment and choose the avenue that suits you best. I have my preferences, but I encourage you to play around and see what works most effectively for you :)

No matter which brand you purchase, you'll use it in exactly the same way. The small bottles you purchase are called stock bottles (diluted from the original Mother Essence), and the first method involves making yourself a further diluted dosage bottle. This is the most cost-effective method and the one I typically recommend, especially for chronic issues. Once the dosage bottle is made, it's extremely easy to add it to whatever you're drinking throughout the day.

Stock bottle: The bottle that you will purchase; this bottle is more concentrated. If you take the drops by mouth, you'll taste the preservative.

Dosage bottle: The bottle you will create, using the specific essences you need; this bottle will be much, much more diluted. If you take the drops by mouth, there won't be much, if any, flavor unless you add an additional preservative.

Dosage Bottle

Fill a 1 ounce glass dropper bottle with clean spring water. Distilled water is not recommended, and I have found that this "dead" water doesn't seem to work nearly as well. It will preserve the essences for longer if you aren't using any additional preservative, but it doesn't pack nearly the same (gentle) punch. For whatever reason, the essence doesn't seem to be able to impregnate distilled water.
To this spring water, you will add 2 drops of your Chicory flower essence. There is usually no need to add any preservative if the bottle will be used with 2 or 3 weeks, especially if you store it in the refrigerator. Make sure the dropper never comes into contact with your mouth or fingers, and it should keep fine. You could, however, replace 25% of the spring water with either brandy or vegetable glycerine to preserve it for longer. If you're using multiple essences (up to 6), add 2 drops of each of them to this bottle as well.
Add 4 drops of this diluted dosage bottle to whatever you're drinking throughout the day. The energetic vibrations will imprint on the water, so essentially you're getting a hit of Chicory with every sip that you take. This method is great for children, adults, pets, or even plants. You will continue on with this until the symptom(s) passes. In the case of an acute flare-up, this may only be for an hour or a day. In the case of a chronic condition, I'd take the essence for 3 weeks and then reevaluate. If you feel the need to continue and aren't using any preservatives, I'd prepare a fresh bottle at this time.
You can also drop 4 drops from the dosage bottle directly into your mouth as needed. I tend to prefer adding the drops to my drinks throughout the day when using the dosage bottle, especially for chronic emotional issues. This is mostly because I get in more of the essence(s), but this is entirely up to you. You can always pop your dosage bottle into your purse/pocket and carry it with you, taking drops throughout the day.
Making a dosage bottle is my preferred method when you're working with multiple essences at the same time (which happens frequently) or when you anticipate the essences will be needed long-term. It'll save you the time of having to sort through all of your essences and drop them in individually whenever you need some support.

Stock Bottle by Mouth

Take two drops of the stock bottle (the original bottle you purchased) and drop directly into your mouth. I have experimented with both myself and my family, and I find this to be one of the two most effective ways to approach an acute emotional flare. Usually within minutes I can feel a shift, and then the mood begins to blessedly lift. This lifting will almost always expose new emotional issues underneath, and I continue working with the revealed emotional blockages until I'm feeling better.
If, after 15 minutes or so you haven't felt any change (or enough of a change), take another two drops by mouth.
If, after another 15 minutes you still haven't felt any kind of shift, no matter how minute, it's quite possible that the wrong essence has been chosen. Sometimes it's difficult to differentiate between moods and there is definitely some trial and error involved. If you're certain that it is the correct flower essence, I would then switch over to a glass of water with 2 drops of the stock bottle added and sip it throughout the day (see below: Stock Bottle in Drinks).
This way most certainly isn't the most cost-effective method, but it is easy and works well, especially short-term. The bottles preserved with brandy will taste like alcohol and the ones with vegetable glycerine will taste sweet.

Stock Bottle on Skin

You will do exactly as described as when taken by mouth, except now you'll drop them onto your skin. I generally drop the essences onto my wrists and rub them together, but you could probably apply them anywhere. Remember, they're energetic in nature and the rules are far less rigid than what most people are accustomed to.
Some flower practitioners may disagree, but so far I have found this method to be as effective as dropping into the mouth for acute negative moods. I think taking it by mouth makes one think of a traditional medicine and so the mind has an easier time accepting what it (most likely) can't understand, but your energetic field surrounds your entire body; thankfully, the flower essences can work with it in a number of ways.
This is an excellent approach to use with children. Just the other day, my young niece wasn't feeling well—dizzy and light-headed. I pulled out the appropriate essence and without thinking, went to drop it into her mouth. She recoiled with a "does it taste bad?" so I instead applied it to her arm. After the first dose she felt better, so I gave her another. After the second, the next time I saw her she was smiling, chatting, and eating again :)
I would recommend this method only with the essences preserved with brandy. They'll dissipate quickly and leave no residue whereas those with glycerine will leave a stickiness behind.

Stock Bottle in Drinks

Instead of the mouth or the skin, simply drop 2 drops of the essence directly into the drink you're drinking.
One of my girls likes to make up a fresh glass each morning to address the moods that she feels pressing on her when she wakes; she calls this her Trauma Cup ;) She'll sip from it periodically, making it last for the entire day. If the glass runs low, you can leave some of the essence water and refill; I've found the essences will impregnate the fresh water and continue their work. You can also simply make up a fresh glass with fresh essences.
This method would be helpful if you feel as though your emotions are continually shifting. Daily, you'll peel back fresh layers of emotions to be dealt with. Eventually you'll almost certainly reach a chronic personality blockage that will require more than simply a day to work through, but you can continue on with this method for chronic issues if it's most convenient for you.

patience, diligence & time

I think it's important to note that your response to the essences won't always be immediate. I can almost always, quite quickly, find relief to the acute moods that strike, but chronic deep-seated issues usually take longer. I've been working with someone on their guilt issues for several months now (they add drops from a dosage bottle to their water throughout the day) and just recently they've begun to feel a welcome shift.

If you know your emotion (for example, I've had to work a lot of frustration as of late!), then keep on keeping on with the essences. Give them time. I personally believe that some of these blockages are carry-overs from other lifetimes and won't disappear overnight. With time and patience, however, I've seen some remarkable shifts that make your diligence well worth it. In the end, does it really matter whether it takes an hour, two weeks, or four months if you can finally shake an emotional blockage that saps too much of the joy from your days? Continually addressing my emotions has given me a lightness and newly focused clarity that only enhances the hard work of living life as a human. And all it took was a commitment to sipping water ;)

Additionally, I think it's very important to add that I anticipate needing the support of flower essences for the duration of my lifetime; I don't think of them as a tool to use and then discard, but to continually reach for in times of emotional distress. People are generally a seething bundle of emotions—often negative ones—and I think that's just part and parcel of being a human. While souls may be universally "good," not all people are. And because we're social creatures and require at least a modicum of interaction, we'll get plenty of chances to work on those negative emotions that we struggle with most. While flower essences are excellent at helping us tackle our chronic issues, they're also invaluable for supporting us with the day-to-day struggles. In my home, my essence kit is kept in a spot that is available to all, day or night, and there's always someone rummaging through the bottles in search of just the right helpmate!

working with infants

Flower essences are safe to use, even with the smallest of babies. I wish desperately that I'd known about essences when my girls were young because they would have been such an awesome tool to have in my mama tool-belt! Upon reincarnation, I think some souls have a much more difficult time re-acclimating to the human body and struggle with being so helpless and restricted again. I believe flower essences would have made a world of difference for some of my girls (and definitely myself!).

Obviously, though, babies can't speak. In this case, it's up to the caregiver to assess the baby's behavior. It's often easy enough to tell when a baby is irritated, scared, weak, or in pain. Look to what their body and face are showing you. This would also be helpful with anyone unable to speak. Are they feverish and restless? (Agrimony) Irritable with being unwell? (Impatiens) You can apply the essences directly to their skin, knowing that they can do no harm. Hardworking mamas could also benefit greatly from the support of flower essences, both during pregnancy and then for those challenging days (and sleepless nights) beyond!

And that'll wrap it up for Chicory! Next on tap: Vervain. Below you can find my cheat sheet that should tide you over until I get through all thirty-eight of the flower essences :)