Read here about Sweet violet, Viola odorata, its medicinal properties, other uses, and its place in folklore.
Sweet violet is a British native low-growing perennial, spreading by underground rhizomes and forming clumps. The deep green leaves are heart-shaped and form rosettes separately from the almost leafless flower stem bearing a single flower. Preferring open woodland, hedge-banks and scrubby areas, and lime-rich soils, it is also found growing wild in old churchyards.
A food source for a number of insects including some rare butterflies, this once familiar flower has been a casualty of intensive farming methods and loss of hedgerow habitat in particular. Fortunately, they can be sourced from specialist wild flower growers so, as shown in our image, we have them in the Physic Garden. An interesting fact for those whose gardens are subject to wildlife invaders: the RHS has sweet violets on its list of ‘rabbit-resistant’ plants.
Sweet violet grows wild throughout Europe and Asia, and has been introduced to America where it is often known as English Violet.
Sweet violet is the first wild violet to come into bloom in the UK, being a flower of early spring, unlike the almost identical Common Dog Violet (Viola riviniana) that flowers from late spring into the summer. The dog violet is more widespread than sweet violet, being tolerant of a larger range of habitats; and probably the best way to tell them apart is by the scent: dog violets have none.
Medicinal Uses
Sweet violet’s leaves and flowers, as well as fresh rootstock, have been used in creating herbal remedies for millennia. Medications might include a drink made from the infused flowers for a sore throat; a poultice of leaves for a swollen joint; syrups for symptoms such as catarrh.
A wide range of medicinal benefits was attributed to the plant, for treating:
Respiratory ailments including coughs, colds and bronchitis;
Inflammatory diseases such as rheumatism;
Skin conditions like ulcers and minor wounds;
‘Nervous’ complaints such as headache, depression and insomnia.
Scientific research now shows that the chemicals found in violets help to thin mucus, thus breaking up chest congestion; and the presence of salicylic acid is an indication of their anti-inflammatory and pain relief potential. Similarly, vitamins A and C are found in violets, which are known to be efficacious in strengthening the immune system.
Other Uses
Culinary
Sweet violets are edible, and can be crystallised (candied) and used to decorate cakes. They can also be added fresh to salads or used as a garnish.
Aromatics
Violets have been used to make perfume throughout history, dating back to ancient Egypt and Classical Greece, and oils extracted from violets and other plants were used as part of the cleansing process in the public baths of ancient Rome.
Violet essential oil is available widely for scenting bath water, blending with other oils for massage, and for aromatherapy. The oil is obtained from Viola odorata, which is commercially grown for this purpose in France, Italy and China.
Myth and Magic
The violet is ‘flower of the month’ for March, and it symbolises modesty, as referenced in our phrase ‘shrinking violet’ to describe a shy person. There is an association with St Valentine: he was said to have sent his lover a letter from prison, written in ink made from violets. Another famous lover, Napoleon, kept pressed sweet violets from Josephine’s grave in his locket.
In the South of France, in Tourrettes-sur-Loup, (a large village not far from Grasse, the historic centre of perfume production), a Violet Festival is held every March, celebrating the long tradition of violet growing in the area.
Bunches of violets, snowdrops, crocuses and other flowers were sold on the streets of London for centuries. Cultivated violets were also grown commercially in south west England between the wars, from where they would be brought to Covent Garden’s flower market by train. Apparently a variety that bloomed well in Cornwall was unfortunately unscented, and unscrupulous traders would spray their bunches with perfume; whereas those grown in Devon had a naturally sweet scent!
There are country superstitions that associate violets with bad luck: it was thought that if there were fewer than 13 in a bunch brought into the house where poultry were kept, the hens were likely to die. But another tradition was said to bring good luck: some Devon houses were decorated with violets at Easter for this purpose. Violets can sport an occasional white bloom, and finding this rarity was once considered as fortunate as to find a four-leaved clover.
It was said that you could only experience the scent of sweet violets once, as they ‘steal your sense of smell’. The basis of this belief may be the fact that violets contain beta-ionone, a chemical which temporarily shuts off smell receptors.
Acknowledgement thanks to the following for much information
www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk
www.blog.fantasticgardeners.co.uk
www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
www.wildflowerfinder.org.uk
www.rxlist.com
www.powellsaromatherapy.co.uk
www.hayesgardenworld.co.uk
