Sweet Violet, or Viola odorata, is the main violet used in herbalism, but the common blue violet, Viola sororia, is, as the name states, common. It is what I personally have growing wild in my yard, so thatâs what I use. Some other violet species include heartsease (V. tricolor), common dog violet (V. rivinianna), and early wood dog violet (V. rivenbachiana). Todayâs post will be specifically about sweet violet, with me sporadically mentioning my blue violets, but you can use what you have in the same way, except for heartsease (it does other stuff).
If you plan on eating the leaves, it is good to note that the taste can vary between species.
Sweet violet is a creeping perennial that grows 6-10 inches tall and 12-18 inches across. With toothed, heart-shaped leaves and violet-blue 5-petaled flowers, it is relatively easy to identify. It likes partly shaded areas with moist, well-drained soil but can tolerate full sun in cool summer areas. Blooms in late winter or early spring. Here in Zone 8, they bloom mid-to-late January and early February, depending on the winter weather. I've even seen some as early as December.
Note:Â Violet has a few look-alikes that are inedible or poisonous, so make sure you know what you are harvesting.
Violet is native to many parts of Europe and Asia but naturalized in other parts of the world, including the United States. She is easily found on roadsides and in wooded areas. The flowers and leaves are collected in the spring, while the roots are harvested in the fall when they have the most nutrients stored up for winter.
My backyard is full of oak trees, and even through the dense layer of dead leaves, I can easily find dark green heart-shaped leaves of the common blue violet peeking out along with purple-blue flowers. The foliage is evergreen, with slightly toothed, heart-shaped leaves that are a little fuzzy and grow in a basal rosette low to the ground. The flowers, with five petals, bloom on taller, leafless stems. Only one flower grows per stem, and the âseed podsâ that hang down look kind of like dark, mini peppers.
Propagated by seed or division, the plants are spread by runners and multiply at a decent rate once established. Cut runners and prune off spindly growth in the late fall for prettier/healthier plants come spring if you are cultivating them in your garden or flower beds. I havenât had to do this. They are very intrusive where I live, and I frequently have to pull them out of my flower beds to make room for other stuff to grow. They freely grow in the yard, however, and are plentiful in areas where they are established.
Sweet Violet contains:
- phenolic glycosides (including gaultherin)
- saponins (myrosin and violin)
- flavonoids
- odoratine alkaloid
- mucilage (Like in Mallow, it is very useful for treating coughs and other respiratory issues.)
Leaves and flowers are a great source of Vitamins A and C.
Eat raw or mixed in a salad or green smoothie.
âVioline,â a compound found in Violets, is an 'emeto-cathartic' in large doses, which means it can make you purge from both ends, but this is very rare. You would have to consume a very large amount of the leaves and flowers to bring about this side effect. However, unless you are experienced in the use of this plant and have some herbalism experience/knowledge, I would personally suggest that you donât use the root, which is much more potent in its effects. The leaves and flowers are amazing and safe enough in times of need for inexperienced users.
The following bulleted info I found here. I am not affiliated in any way with the website, but it is a great read with more information not listed in this post.
⢠There are sweet and Dog Violets, the latter having no scent. Both types have heart-shaped leaves.
⢠Scented Violets are less commonly seen in the wild than the scentless varieties. Of the former, the whole plant is scented, not just the flower.
⢠Of the Dog Violets, the North American Violet, Viola cucullata, or Purple Violet, is bigger, later, and disappears completely in winter. Viola labradorica âPurpureaâ has purple leaves, complementing its paler petals. Both are ideal for wilder spaces as they can be invasive.
⢠Violets thrive in woodlands and on rough ground; they will grow in your garden if you give them the right conditions.
⢠Like wild strawberries, they make easy ground cover, spreading through runners, which easily take root. They make a very traditional (and charming) companion to roses.
⢠While people bemoan the diminishing prevalence of Violets in the wild (those who are not overrun with them at home), it is easy to create your own colony, making a deposit on the speciesâ future.
Although the plants are rabbit and deer resistant, they can suffer from slugs, snails, red spider mites, violet gall midge, pansy leaf spot, and powdery mildew. Many of these issues can be rampant in chronically moist or highly humid areas, especially mildew. Wild violets donât tend to suffer from these issues nearly as much as cultivated violets, in my experience, even if in moist/humid areas. Iâve never had any issues with my wild-growing violets, and they tend to be the prettiest plants growing in my yard, with very few blemishes.
Now for my favorite part:Â Flowers, leaves, and roots of violet plants can all be used medicinally! Also, try the flowers fresh or candied for a treat. Violet flower syrup can even be used to spruce up pancakes, Buckwheat pancakes and violet syrup are a great combo to help varicose veins.
âAll the violets are cold and moist while they are fresh and green, and are used to cool any heat or distemperature of the body, either inwardly or outwardly.â
- Nicholas Culpepper, 17th Century Herbalist
Flowers and leaves have gentle expectorant (makes coughs productive) and demulcent (relieves inflammation or irritation) properties and induce light sweating. They are often made into infusions or syrup to treat coughs, chest colds, and congestion. The root is a much stronger expectorant and, at higher doses, is emetic (induces vomiting), so be warned. In British herbal medicine, Violet is used to treat breast and stomach cancer.
âVaricose veins occur when the valves in the veins that prevent blood from flowing backward donât work properly. Blood forms pools, and where this occurs, the veins and nearby capillaries become distended and swollen, leaking blood and fluid into surrounding tissue. This condition occurs most frequently in the legs; in areas where veins are near the surface, it causes unsightly bluish streaks, trails or spidery markings.â
- The Green Pharmacy by James A. Duke, Ph.D., page 445
âViolet flowers contain generous amounts of a compound called rutin, which helps maintain the strength and integrity of capillary walls. Medical texts say that taking 20 to 100 milligrams of rutin daily can significantly strengthen the capillaries.â
- The Green Pharmacy by James A. Duke, Ph.D., page 446
Please check out my post on Herbal Syrups for more information on creating medicinal syrups, but I will expound on it here regarding violet syrup, as flower syrups are a little different in my experience than syrups made from the hardier parts of a plant.
Flowers are delicate, and the compounds within them that are used medicinally may be damaged or completely destroyed if submitted to the extended amount of heat that creates the general decoction people think about regarding herbal syrup. Check out my posts on making herbal infusions and decoctions to learn more about using different parts of plants in this step.
Violet Syrup
There are many ways to make violet syrup, and I canât tell you whose way is the best. If you are truly passionate about herbs, you will experiment, but I will make this easy.
To make violet syrup, the size of your jar depends on how much you want to make, so:
- Fill a heat-resistant jar of your choice halfway with freshly harvested violet flowers. Remove as much of the green part as you can while harvesting (mainly the stem), as the green bits can affect the flavor.
- Bring a pot of water to nearly boiling and remove from heat. Let bubbles disappear.
- Pour hot water over your violet flowers.
- Cover the jar and let sit for 8-24 hours but overnight will do just fine.
- Strain flowers off and pour into a saucepan.
- Bring to a light simmer and slowly reduce 1/3 to 1/2 of the original volume.
- Pour liquid into a measuring cup and determine how much you have.
- Pour back into your saucepan and measure out an equal amount of sweetener, preferably honey or agave, to your amount of liquid. Regular sugar can also be used, but it has no medicinal properties.
- Turn the heat back to low if needed and stir to dissolve the sweetener. The less heat the better, especially if you want to retain the health benefits of raw honey.
- Turn off the heat and let it cool.
- Bottle and store in the fridge for up to six months.
FUN FACT: A few drops of lemon juice will turn your Violet infusion purple! Gotta love science. Or maybe itâs magicâŚcould all be the same thing, but regardless, itâs just cool. Try it!
*Syrup will thicken a little after cooling in the fridge. You can also add more sugar/sweetener, which acts as a preservative to store longer and possibly without refrigeration.
To Use:Â Take medicinally by the teaspoon a few times daily for coughs and congestion or use it as a topping for pancakes or other tasty meals. It makes a great addition to drinks as well.
Violets and buckwheat are both great sources of rutin. A few cups of violet tea or a half cup of buckwheat a day can help reduce varicose veins, wherever they may be. You can also top buckwheat pancakes with violet syrup.
Healthy Breast Oil
This is an original recipe created by me. As it is a recipe I use when making products to sell, I will keep a secret or two to myself, but you can still create your own effective Healthy Breast Oil by following this recipe. It will take some time, as it is comprised of infused oils that take weeks to make, but, in my humble opinion, the perseverance needed to create this oil is what makes it so great. Please check out my post on making Herbal Infused Oils if you would like to learn how to make your own infused oils. I use avocado oil for this blend, but olive, grapeseed, and jojoba oil are all great.
- 1/4 cup pine needle-infused oil
- 1/8 cup violet leaf and flower-infused oil
- 1 tbsp. yarrow-infused oil
- 2 drops each of fennel, clary sage, marjoram, blue yarrow, and jasmine essential oils
- 5 drops each of frankincense, pine, lavender, and rosemary essential oils
To Use:Â Gently massage breasts daily with oil to nourish and protect. Works with the lymphatic system to keep everything working as it should, so you can also use it on your neck to stimulate lymph nodes affected by head colds, ear infections, and other ailments. Lymph nodes become swollen due to infection or the inability to drain properly.
*If you want to learn more about lymph nodes, check out this post by the Mayo Clinic.
Information in this article was derived from personal knowledge and experience, as well as the following texts:
* âEncyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, 2nd Editionâ by Andrew Chevalier FNIMH, pg. 282
* âThe Green Pharmacyâ by James A. Duke, Ph.D., pg. 446-447
