Open Source Apothecary At Home / The herbs

Violet

The gentlest plant in this handbook — a mild edible green, and a demulcent on evidence from tradition alone. — Viola odorata, V. sororia

remedy

Violet Viola odorata, V. sororia — hand-drawn plate, stylised. Not for identification — use a field guide and verify with a second source before eating any wild plant.

Violets are among the most benign plants in the pharmacopoeia: the leaves and flowers are edible, mildly demulcent, and used traditionally for minor coughs and for irritated skin. The evidence is traditional.

Where they are genuinely useful. As an edible wild green and flower in spring, and as a very gentle soothing tea for a dry cough or a sore throat — particularly for children, where mildness is worth a great deal.

The one identification point that matters. Violet is not confusable with anything seriously toxic in the way the umbellifers are, which makes it one of the safest plants to teach a beginner. That is its real value in a curriculum.

Violets grow wild here in abundance and are worth foraging rather than planting.

What the studies found

Systematic Review2022Frontiers in neurology

The Efficacy of V. odorata Extract in the Treatment of Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Viola extract supplement led to a greater improvement in total PSQI scores, subjective sleep quality score, sleep duration score, and ISI score compared with the placebo group of patients with chronic insomnia.

PubMed 35734476 ↗

Randomized Controlled Trial2024Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung

Effects of Viola odorata syrup on sleep quality in menopausal women: a randomized, triple-blind, controlled trial.

The findings of this study suggest that V. odorata syrup may be a useful therapeutic agent to improve the sleep quality of menopausal women.

PubMed 38177831 ↗

Randomized Controlled Trial2023Journal of ethnopharmacology

Efficacy and safety of add-on Viola odorata L. in the treatment of COVID-19: A randomized double-blind controlled trial.

This study, the first clinical trial on the effectiveness of Viola odorata on SARS-CoV-2 patients, showed that Viola odorata L. effectively controls prevalent manifestations of COVID-19 including cough, myalgia, headache, and diarrhea.

PubMed 36535329 ↗

Growing it

| | | |---|---| | Life | Perennial | | Propagation | Wild here — forage it | | Light | Part shade to shade | | Soil | Moist, rich | | Harvest | Leaves and flowers in spring | | Dry | Ambient, quickly |

Preparation

Fresh leaves and flowers — in salad, or as a garnish.

Tea — 1-2 teaspoons dried leaf and flower per cup; very mild.

Syrup — violet flower syrup, traditional for cough in children.

Poultice — crushed leaves on minor skin irritation.

Cautions and interactions

Very mild and generally safe as a food and gentle tea.
Identify before harvesting — the general foraging rules apply.
Do not home-treat a persistent cough in a child — see the red flags.

When this is not a self-care problem — get help

A cough in a child with breathlessness, fever, wheeze or lasting more than three weeks — medical assessment.
Any difficulty breathing — emergency care.

Sources

The Efficacy of V. odorata Extract in the Treatment of Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in neurology 2022; doi:10.1080/10401230500464711 PubMed 35734476
Effects of Viola odorata syrup on sleep quality in menopausal women: a randomized, triple-blind, controlled trial. Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung 2024; doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000000206 PubMed 38177831
Efficacy and safety of add-on Viola odorata L. in the treatment of COVID-19: A randomized double-blind controlled trial. Journal of ethnopharmacology 2023; doi:10.1016/j.jep.2022.116058 PubMed 36535329