Dear Friends, April, 2017
In spring while weeding my gardens, I have a routine. I gently dig up dandelions to remove most of the root that I use in several of my tinctures for its purification effects on the liver, gallbladder, pancreas and lymphatic system. I pull masses of chickweed; some I use in a simple tincture for its high quality trace minerals and the rest I feed to the chickens. In so doing, for the love of violets, I’m careful while weeding around the violets that wander into the gardens. They however aren’t always welcome there but I can’t bring myself to pull them while in bloom.
Violets are lovely diminutive flowers usually violet in color (sometimes white and purple or white, purple and yellow) born from tiny bulbs in the ground. They are accompanied by heart shaped leaves that have perhaps been their historical link to love and faithfulness.
The leaves and flowers of the violet are edible. Young leaves have a very mild flavor and they are suitable additions to salads. Their freshly picked flowers make a lovely and exotic garnish for salads and vegetables. Or they can be dipped in egg whites and coated with sugar. Allow them to crystallize and they become a beautiful decoration for cakes, fresh fruit or puddings.
In terms of healing the violet is very effective in healing sores and ulcers in the mouth by gargling with a violet decoction. It is equally effective to use on skin conditions such as pimples, sores and boils by using a warm compress made of a decoction of violet leaves. To make a decoction , place one ounce of herb in a pot with two cups of water. Simmer until the water has reduced by half, leaving one cup of decoction; strain and use. A decoction can be used internally as a strong tea or externally as a compress.
Violets can be ingested for the medicinal uses of shrinking tumors, ulcers, treating bronchitis, congestion, gout and purification of the lymphatic system. To add this wonderfully preventive and curative herb to your diet I recommend using it in soups, stews, tea, salads, oils and syrups. Violet leaves have ounce for ounce, the same amount of vitamin C as an orange and in contrast, twice the amount of vitamin A as spinach.
To make a delicious healing violet oil that you can use on salads or apply to skin, Place fresh violet blossoms in organic olive oil. Let them steep in a jar covered with cheesecloth for 2 weeks, gently stir the oil each day. After 2 weeks strain out the blossoms and store the oil in a clean jar away from light and heat. This very same oil is a highly effective use for skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. To make a brilliant pink vinegar, soak the purple blossoms in white vinegar for two weeks before straining. It adds a delicate flavor to salads.
For a healthful and gourmet addition to desserts or cocktails, you can make a simple violet syrup. Add one cup of violet flowers with the stems removed to a clean jar; cover with one cup of boiling water. Place the lid on the jar and allow steeping for 24 hours. Then strain the blossoms from the liquid and add liquid to a saucepan with one to two cups of sugar. Heat until sugar has dissolved and store in your refrigerator.Love of Violets
It is interesting that herbalist of old Europe used the violet for a cancer treatment. There are historical narratives of Native Americans using violet for the same purpose. Have we studied this herb for further evidence of violet’s potential effects on cancer? Yes! One recent study concluded that a Viola extract/tincture inhibited the proliferation of activated lymphocytes as well as negatively affecting other hyper-responsive immune functions.
I use Violet leaves for their lymphatic stimulation in a tincture I call Fibro-Nervine to treat Fibromyalgia and neuralgia.
Remember; collect ONLY herbs that are free of herbicides, pesticides and lawn chemicals.
Love of Violets
For The Love of Violets
BY Jane Taylor
Down in a green and shady bed,
A modest violet grew,
Its stalk was bent, it hung its head,
As if to hide from view.
And yet it was a lovely flower,
Its colours bright and fair;
It might have graced a rosy bower,
Instead of hiding there,
Yet there it was content to bloom,
In modest tints arrayed;
And there diffused its sweet perfume,
Within the silent shade.
Then let me to the valley go,
This pretty flower to see;
That I may also learn to grow
In sweet humility.
Love and Light,
Lori
Love of Violets
