Fragrant violet

Renowned herbalists recommended the fragrant violet for the treatment of various ailments. The ‘herbal priest’ Johann Künzle used the violet as a cough remedy and to treat kidney and bladder infections. The esteemed Schwyz-based physician Paracelsus wrote: ‘A day in spring without the scent of violets is a day wasted’. Hildegard von Bingen recommended the violet for melancholy, and the Greek physician Hippocrates is said to have used the violet to treat headaches, amongst other conditions.

In naturopathy, the violet is frequently used to treat respiratory conditions such as coughs, hoarseness, asthma, inflammation of the mouth and throat, and bronchitis. Among other things, it contains saponins, which have expectorant properties and can therefore help to relieve a cough. It also contains mucilage, which can be helpful for dry coughs. To prepare a remedy, the leaves and flowers of the violet are gathered, gently dried and taken internally, preferably as a tea. Children are often given violet syrup as a home remedy for coughs. The plant is also used to treat nervousness and sleep disturbances.

Violet leaves can have a healing effect on skin problems such as eczema, dry skin or minor burns. They are applied externally in the form of ointments or compresses.

The fragrant violet is an exceptional ingredient in the kitchen, impressing with its appearance, scent and flavour. The delicate flowers can be eaten raw and have a superb flavour. They are carefully plucked from the plant and are best used fresh. The striking colour and floral notes of the blossoms enhance any dessert or drink. They are ideal for making jellies, sorbets, syrups and liqueurs. Violet syrups and liqueurs are popular ingredients in cocktails and lemonades.

Violets can also be incorporated into all kinds of savoury dishes. The fresh leaves and flowers can be used as a garnish, to enhance salads, or incorporated into herb butter or pesto. They can also be added to soups and stews towards the end of cooking to give the dishes a fresh flavour.

The young, firm leaves are either mixed raw into salads or used, for example, to enhance fillings for quiches and pasties. Furthermore, the leaves can be used in a juicer to produce an invigorating juice which, whether drunk on its own or mixed into drinks, is a real treat.

Around the world, some 500 species of violet grow in temperate regions. The violet’s flowering season runs from March to April. Whilst there are also violets with yellow or white flowers, the best-known species bloom in purple, which gives them their name – ‘Viola’ means ‘purple’.

The fragrant violet is best known for its characteristic scent, which is used in many perfumes. There are other violet-coloured violet species, such as the wood violet or the woodland violet, but these lack the typical scent.

Violets are regarded as a symbol of modesty. In poetry, one reads: ‘Bloom like the violet in the moss, modest, demure and pure, and not like the proud rose, which always wants to be admired.’

The fragrant violet relies on ants, which eat its nutritious seed appendages and disperse the seeds. It is also an important nectar plant for bees, bumblebees and early butterflies.

The plant grows wild in shady meadows, on the edges of woods and beneath hedges. The violet has been cultivated in gardens since ancient times and is a popular ornamental plant.

The fragrant violet is a rhizome-forming, perennial herbaceous plant that reaches a height of 5 to 15 centimetres. The heart-shaped leaves, arranged in a basal rosette, have a stalk that is 1 to 5 centimetres long. The flowers consist of five dark purple petals.