الهندباء
A leafy plant mentioned among foods discussed by commentators for its digestive and liver-supporting properties.
نِعْمَ الْبَقْلَةُ الْهِنْدِبَاءُ
“What an excellent vegetable chicory is.” (meaning, not a literal translation)
Chicory's place in the tradition rests more on its established use in the broader Greco-Arabic medical literature that Ibn al-Qayyim and al-Dhahabi both drew on, than on this specific weakly-attested saying alone.
Ibn al-Qayyim classifies chicory as cooling and mildly cleansing for the liver and digestive tract. He groups it with other leafy greens considered gentle on digestion, generally recommended as a food that could be eaten freely without the caution given to more potent substances like camphor.
Modern research has studied chicory root fiber (inulin) for prebiotic digestive benefits, and chicory leaves are a source of various plant compounds under ongoing nutritional study — an active area of research rather than a settled conclusion.