Viola tricolor L.
The violet family is Violaceae
What does it look like? One- and two-year herbaceous plant 5-45 cm tall. The stem is simple or branched, covered with short hairs, lying, but stretching upwards. The lower leaves are heart-shaped and ovate, the upper ones are lanceolate. On the sides of the leaf there are two large pinnate stipules with a large upper lobe. The flowers are large, the corolla is much larger than the calyx, the two upper petals of the corolla are dark purple or blue, the lower and lateral ones are yellow, and they have hairs at the base. Blooms from April to autumn. It should be distinguished from field violet (Viola arvensis Murr).
Where does it grow? In dry meadows, in ditches, in forest glades, in copses, among shrubs, in fields — in the greater territory of Ukraine. It does not grow in Crimea.
What and when are collected? All grass during flowering – from June to September (only those plants that grow wild).
When is it used? With a cold cough as an expectorant (the plant contains a glycoside, violatoside, which is split into methyl salicylic ether, a yellow pigment violac-vercitrin, similar to rutin, vitamin C, carotene, triterpene saponins, volatile oil, mucilage, violin alkaloid — in the roots, tannins , mineral salts, delphinidin derivative violanin — in flowers); as a means that facilitates the activity of the kidneys, diuretic and blood purifier in boils, eczema, vitamin deficiency with rashes on the skin; as well as with arthritis, rickets, scrofula, inflammation of the urinary bladder; with articular rheumatism, gout and after childbirth to improve postpartum secretions. (In the latter case, take 1 tablespoon of the tricolor violet grass mixture)
Used as tea Take 1 tablespoon of pansy per 1 cup of boiling water and infuse for 10 minutes. They drink 1-2 glasses a day. Children with cough are given 1-2 tablespoons several times a day. (Urine has a specific smell after drinking a pansy decoction).
In case of furunculosis, 1 tablespoon of a mixture of three-colored violet grass (pansy), marigold flowers and burdock root in a ratio of 5:3:2 is infused for 3-4 hours in cold boiled water, boiled for a minute, strained and drunk half a glass two or three times for one day. With long-term use of the infusion, diarrhea, vomiting, and an itchy rash on the body may occur (the action of the violin alkaloid — in the roots — is similar to the action of emetnn). Tea has a calming effect on sexual arousal and impetuousness in young men— take 2 tablespoons of a mixture of tricolor violet grass, cold mint leaves, hop cones and valerian root in a ratio of 2:2:1:1, brew for a minute in 2 glasses of water, infuse 10 minutes, strain through cheesecloth and drink half a glass in the morning and before going to bed.
A steam of pansies is used to gargle with enlarged tonsils and a sore throat. For scrofula rashes and scabs in children, the following ointment is used: in 100 g of sunflower oil (preferably almond oil), boil 10 g of pansy flowers, 5 g of yarrow grass, and 5 g of dry sedum grass (verbania) for 5-10 minutes, then strain into a jar and smear the affected areas; if the child’s head is affected by a scab, then the hair is cut beforehand (M. A. Nosal).