Sweet violet is an herb. The root and parts that grow above the ground are used to make medicine.
The leaves are heart-shaped, slightly downy, especially beneath, on stalks rising alternately from a creeping rhizome or underground stem, the blades of the young leaves rolled up from each side into the middle on the face of the leaf into two tight coils.
In the 16th century, the English used syrups made from violets for their laxative properties.
The whole plant has antiseptic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic, diuretic, emollient, expectorant therapeutic properties.
Violet is a bitter, aromatic, sweet, mucilaginous and cooling herb, and the whole, beautifully-scented plant is collected during the Springtime and flowering season, dried and used commercially and in herbal medicines.
Violets have been used to improve acne, anger, asthma, bronchitis, colds, eczema, fever, fibrocystic breast disease, grief, headache, heartbreak, lymphatic congestion, mastitis, mumps, psoriasis, scurvy, sore throat, ulcers, urinary tract infection, varicose veins, and whooping cough.
Apply a cloth soaked in violet leaf or flower tea to the back of the neck to treat headaches.
The flowers are eaten as a breath freshener and are often included in eyewashes and mouthwashes for throat infections and mouth infections.
Violet leaves can even help to shrink tumours and cancers. They are most effective when taken both internally and used externally as a poultice.
Medicinally, violet is a gentle but potent remedy. It is classified as an alterative (or “blood purifier”), which means it helps the body restore optimal functioning by aiding metabolic processes, especially the elimination of waste products.
The salicylic acid in violets acts as painkillers and as an anti-inflammatory compound similar to the active ingredient in aspirin which helps people reduce arthritis discomforts or other discomfort felt in the joints.
The dried root is known to repel cockroaches and moths and combats mildew in closets and drawers because of its wonderful aroma.
Consult a health care provider before using this or any other herbal supplement especially if pregnant or breastfeeding and it must not be given to children.
