Sweet violet: traditional uses, how to prepare it, and sensible cautions

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Sweet violet is the small, low-growing plant whose purple flowers scent the hedgerow at the very end of winter. Both the flowers and the young leaves are edible, and both have a long history in home herbalism. This page covers which part to pick, how to turn it into an infusion, syrup or poultice, what it tastes like, and when to leave it alone.

• Gardening: how to grow violet

What it is credited with

• Dry, tickly coughs. In traditional European herbalism, violet flower infusion was valued as an expectorant and a softener of throat irritation during winter colds and chesty spells.
• Chest and throat comfort. Herbalists attribute this to the mucilage, which coats and soothes rather than stimulates.
• Gentle transit. Traditional herbalism regarded violet as a mild laxative and a light diuretic, taken as a weak infusion of the flowers.
• Feverish, shivery days. Old herbals classed violet as a light diaphoretic — a plant that encourages sweating — and it was reached for during bouts of fever and flu-like tiredness.
• Restlessness and poor sleep. Naturopathy credits the scent of violet with a calming effect, and the evening infusion has a long reputation for settling an over-busy head at bedtime.
• Digestive upsets. Violet is also traditionally described as helpful in cases of indigestion or food poisoning — but see the cautions below, as food poisoning is a matter for a doctor, not a teapot.
• External use. Folk practice used leaves and roots, pulped into a warm poultice, on small wounds, cracked skin on the breasts after difficult breastfeeding, and pressure sores.

How to use it

The flower infusion

• Use roughly a heaped teaspoon of dried violet flowers per cup, or a small handful of fresh ones.
• Pour water just off the boil over them, cover the cup, and leave for 10 minutes.
• Covering matters: the aroma is volatile and escapes with the steam.
• Taste: sweet, powdery, very gentle. Strain and drink warm, up to two or three cups spread through the day.
• For a soothing bedtime cup, drink it about half an hour before turning in.

The leaf infusion

• Young spring leaves, fresh or dried, steeped for 10 minutes give a greener, blander tea with a distinctly slippery texture.
• Pair it with a livelier herb — carcade (hibiscus) is the classic partner — for colour and tartness. The result is thick and almost creamy.

Violet syrup

• Steep a large jar of fresh flowers in hot water overnight, strain, then dissolve an equal weight of sugar into the liquid over low heat.
• Bottle, refrigerate, use within a few weeks. A spoonful in hot water is the traditional way of taking violet for a scratchy throat.
• A squeeze of lemon turns the infusion from blue-grey to pink — useful and rather satisfying.

The poultice

• Pulp fresh leaves (and root, in the old recipes) to a paste, warm it, spread it on clean gauze.
• Apply to unbroken or very minor skin damage for 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse.
• Never on deep, dirty or infected wounds.

In the kitchen

• Young leaves go raw into mixed salads, or cooked into soup and broth, where their mucilage thickens the liquid naturally.
• Flowers scatter over salads and desserts, and candy beautifully in sugar — the sweet known as Violette de Toulouse.
• The flavour carries well into cakes, syrups, infused honey, vinegar, jam and jelly.

Frequently Asked Questions

The one thing to remember: pick fragrant flowers from late winter to mid-spring, steep them covered for 10 minutes, and drink the infusion warm.

Which part of the violet do I actually use?

The flowers and the young leaves. Flowers give the scented infusion, the syrup and the candied sweets; young leaves go into salads or thicken a soup. The root is far richer in saponins and is kept for external poultices in traditional practice.

When is the right time to pick violet?

Flowers come from late winter to mid-spring and should be gathered on a dry morning, then used or dried the same day. Young leaves are best through spring, before they toughen. Roots, where a poultice is wanted, were traditionally lifted in mid-autumn.

What does violet tea taste like?

Sweet, powdery and gently perfumed, with a slightly thick, creamy mouthfeel that comes from the mucilage. On its own it is very mild. Blending it with hibiscus (carcade) adds tartness and colour, and a squeeze of lemon turns the liquid pink.

Can I give violet infusion to a child?

Not as a remedy, and not without asking a healthcare professional first. The same applies during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and if you take regular medication — particularly diuretics or laxatives.

Can I pick violets from the wild?

Check local rules first. Several violet species are protected in some countries, France among them, so garden-grown plants are the safe choice. Violet grows easily in a pot or window box in part sun, which solves the problem neatly.

This information is provided for general interest and reflects the traditional use of plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are on medication, pregnant, or in any doubt, ask a healthcare professional.