Post Series: Medicinal Flowers
When we think of medicinal plants, it’s often the roots, leaves, or bark that come to mind—yet around the world, flowers have long been used for their healing properties. This series explores some of the most powerful and time-honored blooms used in traditional and modern herbal medicine… as diverse as they are beautiful.
💜 Viola odorata, also known as sweet violet, is a fragrant, small perennial herb recognized for its heart-shaped, deep green leaves and scented purple or white flowers, which grow in a basal rosette.
The flowers are widely used in herbal medicine for their soothing, demulcent, and anti-inflammatory properties; most notably to prepare syrups and infusions for respiratory ailments such as coughs and bronchitis, as well as for gentle skin applications. Beyond medicinal uses, sweet violet is also cultivated for its essential oils in perfumery and flavors, as well as for decorative culinary uses.
➡️ Sweet Violet is also famous for its fleeting scent, which flirts with our senses by briefly numbing the olfactory receptors through the compound ionone.
Each inhalation offers a momentary sweetness before the scent vanishes, only to return after a brief pause.
In this enchanting sensory dance, there is an opportunity for gratitude: the Violet’s playful nature reminds us to appreciate elusive, ephemeral pleasures and to cultivate thankfulness for moments that are beautiful specifically because they are brief and unpredictable.
· Origin: Native to Europe, northwest Africa, Caucasus, Western Asia, and Kazakhstan; introduced widely elsewhere.
· Traditional use: Traditionally used to make syrups and infusions for coughs and soothing respiratory or skin discomfort.
· Sample reference: A Critical Review on Phytochemistry, Pharmacology of Viola odorata L. and Related Multipotential Products in Traditional Persian Medicine. Feyzabadi Z, Ghorbani F, Vazani Y, Zarshenas MM. Phytother Res. 2017 Nov;31(11):1669-1675.
*This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician.
Sweet Violet (Viola odorata)-
