Sweet Violet
Parts Usually Used
Dried leaves and flowers; fresh rootstock
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Garden violet is a small, European, perennial plant; the creeping rootstock sends out runners along the ground which also take root. The leaves are basal, petioled, and cordate. The spurred, violet, sometimes white or rose-colored, flowers grow on long peduncles, pale violet spurs at the back; from March to May. Fruits are rounded, hairy, three-part capsules.
Where Found
Commonly cultivated and also grows wild in damp woods, shady places, meadows, thickets, hedges, and along roadsides and the edges of woods. Native to Europe.
Medicinal Properties
Diaphoretic, emetic, expectorant, laxative, mucilaginous, antipyretic, alterative, antiseptic, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory
Biochemical Information
Salicylic acid, volatile oil, mucilage, resin, sugar, an aromatic principle, flavonoids, a glucoside, saponins, an alkaloid called odoratine, rich in vitamins A and C. The flower also contains an aromatic compound called irone, and a blue pigment.
Legends, Myths and Stories
The violets have a large family tree; some 400 species, mostly perennial but a few annual herbs. According to Greek legend, the violet originated from the tears of Io, a beautiful nymph whom Zeus loved. To hide Io from Hera, his jealous wife, Zeus changed her into a white heifer. When Io cried because the field grasses were coarse and bitter for her taste, Zeus transformed her tears into violets to provide her a more delicate food.
In Greek burials it was the custom to cover the dead person with violets as a symbol of both the beauty and the transitory quality of life. As far back as 500 BC, violet herbs were used in poultice form as a cure for surface cancer (skin cancer). Homer relates how the Athenians used violets to moderate anger. Pliny recommended wearing a garland of violets to prevent headaches and dizziness.
Because of his fondness for the flower, Napoleon was sometimes known as Corporal Violet. When he was exiled on Elba, the violet became his symbol for his supporters. Violets were strewn along the parade route when he returned to power in Paris, after escaping from the island.
Uses
Historically, herbalists primarily regarded garden violet as an herb for respiratory complaints. Traditional practitioners prepared a tea from the leaves to serve as a gargle for sore gums, canker sores, and mouth inflammations, or applied the leaves as a poultice to the back of the neck for headaches. In folk medicine, the plant was valued as a blood purifier and was recommended for conditions such as gout, colds, asthma, pleurisy, and breathing difficulties associated with digestive upset.
Herbal traditions also utilized garden violet for various skin conditions, including blemished skin, psoriasis, eczema, and acne, as well as for ulcers and sores. The flowers were historically credited with the ability to lower blood pressure. Decoctions of the rootstock were employed as expectorants, and rinses prepared from the root or the whole plant were used for inflamed oral tissues.
Teas and syrups made from the plant, particularly the flowers and rootstock, were traditional remedies for coughs and whooping cough. Additionally, the flowers and seeds were administered as mild laxatives, while the rootstock was recognized for its emetic properties. Beyond medicinal contexts, the leaves were traditionally incorporated into foods such as puddings, jellies, and salads, while the blossoms were eaten fresh in salads or candied to decorate desserts.
Warning
Avoid very high doses, as they contain saponins, which may induce nausea and vomiting.
Bibliography
, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 1994, first edition The Magic of Herbs , by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England.
, Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants , by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992). , West Nyack, NY, 1987. The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988.
The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974 Country Home Book of Herbs , Meredith Books, Editorial Dept. RW240, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309-3023, copyright 1994 The Healing Plants , by Mannfried Pahlow, Barron’s Educational Series, Inc. , Hauppauge, NY 11788, 1992